turboratt

i have us them for over 10 years and never had a problem with them . i even have them on my 50cc bipe challenger that have been flying for over three years on them .the one thing i will say is use a new unopened bottle of thin ca

Capt. Alpha

I almost lost my Easy 2 trainera few years ago due to these CA hinges pulling out of the elevator slots. I've made a point to put "real" hinges in all the planes that I "care" about because of that!

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

It is possible to "pin" CA hinges so they won't pull out. Some people use a metal pin, some drill and use a toothpick or a small dowell.

This is a redundancy that is appropriate for all hinging.

The only thing it won't fix is a broken flex point, and this can happen to any hinge.

Personally, I practice this idea every time I use CA hinges.

Luftwaffe Oberst

I've had no problems with the CA hinges either. I'm either real lucky, or I'm installing and using the ulta thin CA glue correctly? Who knows.

Mikecam

I had two break on me but my opinion is that if you wick too much ca into the hinge you make it brittle and it will break on the hinge line. I now notice that Greatplanes manual's say to use paper towel to soak up the excess CA that does not wick into the wood. As a beginner I figured that more was better. Found out that wasn't the case. When they say 6 drops per side listen to them.

debspersonaldogwalker

I like CA hinges and have to admit that my airplanes haven't yet lasted more than about 7-8 years. I suspect, however, there are some poor quality substitutes on the market. Let's face it, a $100 ARF isn't likely to come with the best CA hinges available. Maybe the couple of dollars it would cost to replace them with Sig, Dobro, or GP would be worth it?
I've also had excellent results with Monokote or Ultracote hinges, though they don't look as when applied to the covered surfaces.
One way people might damage CA hings is by hinging, then covering, then slightly cutting them when trimming the covering.
No doubt, proper technique is essential to making these hinges work. For me a #11 Xacto blade gives a slot with just the right slip fit. I've never used a drilled hole into the wood or a hole in the hinge, either. I do use a straight pin poked through the center of the hinge to make sure it's centered, then remove the pin before gluing. Both sides get glued!
I can't see how a crayon could prevent the thin CA from wicking under the wax and haven't tried it.
I wanted a way to easily and quickly clean the slots and have found this blade drawn backward does the job well. I make the slot cut with the blade, then pull it backward to remove the wood fibers. I scooped out the back of the #11 blade with a Dremel cut-off wheel.