lomcevac540T

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Getting ready to mount the wing fillets, how is the best way to glue this? What glue?

clockguypete

I am going to try canopy glue( RC56) that dries transparent, fuel proof, and is easy to clean off any excess with a paper towel dampened with isopropyl alcohol. Once dry I may reach underneath where is does not show, and reinforce with Thick CA.

Bob dunlop

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If I remember correctly my buddy used very small button head screws

lomcevac540T

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The canopy glue was what I had in mind. Might go back and add some small brad nails to it to simulate rivets for looks. Thanks!

clockguypete

I have seen a couple of planes on line where they dipped a 1/8 round dowel in white or silver fuel proof paint and dotted along the edge of fairings to simulate rivits, and this really looks sharp with the added detail! In my build, considering I am running fuel as well as smoke oil, I think the less holes I add to the exterior of the airframe the better ;-)

maneba

Wing glued

RevGQ

Yeah here is the Gee Bee with rivets

RevGQ

Yep, here is a pict of rivets [img][/img]

lomcevac540T

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The rivets do make it look much better.

maneba

Today i've made a rear stand for the struts using 3 mm armonic wire and the supplied wood blocks. It is removable and you can put it on after the boots installation.
Stefano.

lomcevac540T

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Nice job!

clockguypete

Very nice work Stephano, your a good craftsman indeed. I too had purchased the wire to do this part, but have not thought about how to install it after the boot is in place. Can you please explain how you install this brace after you put the boot on? Photo? Thanks, Pete

maneba

It's quite simple.
1) Prepare the wood block with this brass plug.

2) Bend the wire with a gas torch and cut it.
3) Prepare an hose ring and inserting it on the leg srut.
4)Install the booth
5)Insert the wire in the brass plug in the wood block
6)Insert the wire in the ring hose
7)Fasten the ring hose through the holes (the holes for the flexible wires) in the booth.

The hardest part is mig welding the end of the armonic wire with little pieces of wire, near the strut, to keep it stable in the ring hoose.
Otherwise the wire does not maintain it's position and slides to the left or to the right.
In the photos you can see a wire welded and a wire that has to be finished.

clockguypete

Got it! Thank you very much :-)

maneba

You are welcome.
After this modding i've decided to use the flexibles wires to hold the booths and not the struts.
I will use the same solution like the guy in the RCU GeeBee z Review.

Today i've made an upgrade to the struts stands.
It's more sturdy and precise now.

maneba

I need an information.
Do you glue, with epoxy, the base of the struts into the wings?
In the manual there are not sign of epoxy with the struts.

clockguypete

As far as I can tell, the oleo struts were intended to be held into the wing blocks with a couple of nylon landing gear straps and screws. I suppose if a strut were bent, or malfunctioning for some reason, it would be nice to be able to remove it easily for repair, or replacement.

maneba

So, do you think that the nylon straps and screws will be sufficient?.
In other ARF, like ESM Stuka (with very similar strut and booth) i glued everything. Much firm and stronger.

clockguypete

I have not installed my struts yet, but will check the fit later when I get to that part. I am hoping the struts fit tight in the wing blocks without any play or tendency to move around, otherwise I will have to modify the blocks with a metal insert or something, so they press in snug with no chance to move around. Maybe soaking the blocks with CA would harden them a bit to prevent them from wearing and loosening up over time.

lomcevac540T

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Mine fit very tight. In fact I had to work at it pretty hard to get them in the blocks. I just used the straps and they are plenty tight. I have started to put on my wing fillets. These things don't fit very good. I am going to have to CA them on about an inch at a time to get the glue joint to look good.

clockguypete

Good to hear about the landing gear wing blocks. Those farings did look like a chore to install, especially if they do not fit the contour of the fuse and wing well.

lomcevac540T

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I think it can be made to look pretty good, but it will take a little time. I was hoping to use the canopy glue but I don't see much way to hold all that while it is drying. I trimmed everything out and installed the wing loosely, then slid the fillets in between the fuse and wing. Then tighten the wing down on them. This way I know that the fillets are in the right place and not trying to move the wing. Hope to get started on it tonight.

clockguypete

Sometimes I use the blue painters tape to hold windshields in place while they dry. Seems to work well.

lomcevac540T

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Has anyone thought of attaching the cowl ring to the cowl permanently and using a long screwdriver to put the cowl on through the cowl ring? I was just thinking this would make for a much cleaner cowl without bolt heads sticking out around it.

clockguypete

I like that idea, and will see if it is possible to get some #4-40 blind nuts installed to keep the wood from stripping out. They could be pressed into the front of the firewall and epoxied in place, that should be enough to hold the light cowl on. Then use a little blue thread lock on the threads to keep from vibrating loose?