rt navi man

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GUY'S I HAVE A EXECUTIVE AIRFRAMES PATRIOT 2M PATTERN SHIP. THE FUSELAGE IS FIBERGLASS ALL OVER, I PLAN TO STIP ALL PAINT FROM FUSE AND REPAINT WITH A DIFFERENT PAINT SCHEME. I WOULD LIKE TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE IN THE COWLING AREA. I AM NOT SURE HOW THICK IS FIBERGLASS IS, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING AROUND THIS FORUM AND ON YOUTUBE FOR ANY TUTORIAL THAT COULD HELP, FOUND KNOWTHING SO FAR.

1. IS THIS A POLYESTER RESIN OR A EPOXY MICRO BALLOON REPAIR ?

2. CAN I USE CARBON FIBERMAT ?

3. WHATS THE BEST WAY TO FILL/COVER THE TUNE PIPE OPENING.

THANK FOR ALL THE HELP.

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

Executive Airframes was (is?) a more high end producer of that generation pattern kits, and the odds are good that it is epoxy.

Ed Smith

I do not know about a tutorial but try this.

To determine the resin, sand an area and then smell it. If it has that sweet sickly smell it is Polyester. If practicaly no smell it is Epoxy.

For repairs in this case, Carbon will do nothing for you that glass cloth will not. Just cost you more.

For repairs including the pipe hole, with a sanding drum grind away on the inside everything you do not want. Grind down to the basic skin without breaking through. Lay cloth no heavier than 6oz on the inside of the fuselage. Try and get it to follow the fuselage contour. It is not as difficult as it seems. When this has cured apply resin/micro ballons filler on the outside. Sand the mess to match the outside shape. It may take a number of filling and sanding operations.

If you are really interested then go here. There is a thread that pretty much shows the above procedure.

http://www.rcpro.org/net/ThreadView.aspx?threadid=405

Good luck.

Ed S

rt navi man

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THANKS GUY'S KEEP THEM COMMING

ANY OTHER'S FOR QUESTION #3.

rt navi man

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I am still looking for a way to fill this pipe hole , any more ideas please post any info. This is my plane I am tryiny to upgrade/repair. Thanks

Ed Smith

I told you how to do it in my post.

Ed S

rt navi man

My Feedback: (3)

Still Looking for help on this one.....

dhal22

what's wrong with Ed's suggestion? it will work just fine, in fact it's about the only way to do the repair. i didn't want to make fiberglass repairs to my classic pattern plane so i found an rcu member to do it for me (that's another way if you're counting). good luck.

SCALECRAFT

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Whatever you choose to do, use a fine particle dust mask or respirator. And eye protection

Steve

Chris Moon

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Take a piece of 1/16 or even 1/32 balsa and wet it with water/ammonia and tape it to the bottom of the fuse over the hole. Remove when dry. Take a piece of poster board and hold it inside the opening and trace it then cut it out. Place template over balsa and cut out the piece to match. Tack glue balsa into opening with ca or 5min epoxy. Lay piece of 2-4oz cloth and epoxy resin from inside over balsa repair and overlap about 1" around the repair. Lay piece of 3/4oz cloth and epoxy resin over balsa from outside and sand fill finish.

This is not a structural repair so you can make it light with the balsa sandwich type fix.

rt navi man

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Thanks again guy's for your input/help. I want to repair this plane and give her a new paint sheme.

I-fly-any-and-all

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try youtube.com/user/b1heqh54

Mrs R

PIN HOLES
Easy  First make up your mind what type of paint you are going to use."best is a 2 pot type pollyurethane is best"
Mix up some primer and wipe it over the surfaces to be painted useing a credit card or thiner plastic, this forces the paint into the pin holes.
Spray a light coat of primer and let it harden,WARNING the next bit must be done within 72 hours. Then look for any pin holes and wipe primer
unthined into any pin holes that show. Lightly sand and shoot a couple of coats of primer,sand back with wet anddry "wet" then paint  your colour scheme on. Keep the paint coats light.
REGARDS EPOXY GLASS CF MATRIX.
Cut a piece of the layup out 1/2" round is big enough,holed it with a pair of long nose plyers light it with a match or propane torch
burn off the epoxy whats left is the glass cloth or CF cloth weave,weight and direction,
Now you know what you need to repair the damage and what direction thecloth goes and which layers go in what sequence.
ALWAYS allow 10mm tapper scarf per layrer that's about 3/8"
If say 3 layers then the scarf taper is about 1" if laying on the outside you put the inner layer 1st, 2nd layer is 3/8" smaller all the way round.
3rd layer is again 3/8" smaller. IF more layers make the scarf 3/8' larger for each layer.
BEST OF WORK
Rachael
                Of
                        R/T AIRCRAFT SERVICES

                              Specalists in Composite Repairs

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Reviving this thread. I've got a plane with a cowl I want to fix. Wondering if one of the two suggestions above is the right one (fiberglass backed and filled with resin, or sandwiched wood). I've got 1/32" ply.

Any suggestions? This was a glow plane, any suggestions for prep? Hobby shop cloth and resin OK?

Also, how is Ultracote paint? Any suggestions for an inexpensive, somewhat decent, rattle can paint?

Edit: holy crap, a whole forum on this suject?! *I had no idea, just did a search on google, thought I ended up in the pattern forum). This will be my first glass project, so I'm looking for all the best advice I can find. I'm pretty excited to make this repair!

Mrs R

RE read the post by me dated the 5/11/2011.

Seeing the photos of your cowl you need to make a backing plate to fit over the hole if you use ply or Balsa get some spray Adhesive and clue a layer of plastic on the inside of the backing plate
I use garbage bags as the plastic is very thin and epoxy won't stick to it.

After the layup hase cured remove the backing plate and wipe bondo over the repair ( a light sanding should be done first ) sand smooth when happy with the finish using a Credit Card or similar wipe some primer over the repair then sand smooth this should fill any pin holes left after the bondo.
If you want to finnish with a pressure Can use 1 type Pollyurethane which is Methanol and Gas proof.

Rachael
PS if any questions about any on whats written just write in and I will answer.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Thanks for the reply.

I don't understand what the "layup" is. Fiberglass and resin? Apply from the inside and press on the backing?

The backing and plastic are just to support material while it cures, and then removed (ply and plastic)?

Mrs R

Yes the backing is just to support the Glass/Epoxy Layup till it hardens. The better the fit of the backing plate over the Hole the less work there is in finishing the outer surface.
Also the better it is attached to the cowl the easier it is to do the layup. I normally use more resin on the first layer of Glass cloth and I put the next layer of cloth on dry this then soaks up the excess resin.
HOPETHATHELPS
Rachael
P.S. It is a lot easier to do than it sounds, once you have the scarf sanded and attached the backing the rest is easy. On full size aircraft we usually take a mould off another plane of the same make glue the plastic to it (The Mould) fit it over the hole and then squeaze inside and do the layup. So if the cowl was a compound curve I would do the same. Going by your pics it looks like it has only one curve so it should be pretty easy.

Mrs R

ONE MORE THING
If it is a plastic cowl reinforced with Glass/Epoxy you will need to add an extra layer of Glass cloth to make up the differance in thickness of your layup we normally use 2oz cloth for this.

Rachael

MTK

If it isn't too much of a compound curve, try 1/32" balsa. CA in place and then use 1/2 oz glass cloth and epoxy paint clear. After paint cures, fill and finish