tewitt1949

Hi All, Just wondering what order you do these in when building. Also, years ago, we used to drill a small hole through the covering, wood and through the hinge then put a drop of CA, then hurry and take a round tooth pick and pin the hinge and break it off. But when you do that it is kind of unsightly where your break off the tooth pick. But if you pin the hinge then put the covering on its hard getting the covering around and through the hinge area. Some guys in the club don't pin their hinges. They cover everything, then just add thick CA or epoxy to the hinge area.
What order do you guys do this. Do you pin your hinges?

digital_trucker

I avoid the entire issue by either using Monokote hinges (nigh onto indestructible when done properly) or using Robart hinge points.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Terry, I like to hinge the parts first, then cover the whole works. If building a 3D model, then hinge after covering for maximum freedom of movement. CA hinges work well without pinning if you work them into a tight slit. On bigger, faster planes I pin the CA hinges with round toothpicks and razor saw them flush with the surface.

BMatthews

I always cover first. Or if the model requires I'll cover the hinge area with a sealing strip around the hinge area and slightly onto the upper and lower sides and then hinge and finally cover the overall surfaces with the usual pieces so that there's a good size overlap. Some lacquer thinner to wipe down the hinge strip cover area before applying the overlaping large pieces helps the overlap stay good and tight for a long time vs trying to stick to finger greases and any other contaminants. I also get less or no lifting on the other overlapping joints since I started doing this a few models back.

tewitt1949

dt, what do you mean by monocoat hinges? I found the robart and dubro hinges but if they are the ones your talking about you have to drill a 1/8"hole. If your using 1/8 think balsa then those woun't work. Terry