Flyboy1958

My Feedback: (1)

I have an aileron on a wing that is not as close to the trailing edge of the wing as I would like. I cut through the Robart hinges to free the aileron, but now I have to drill out the rest of the hinge. I did one hinge with a regular drill bit, but it tends to catch the plastic and wood and pull the drill bit off center making the hole larger than I would like. Not to mention, the melted plastic sticks to the drill bit, so I have to use my exacto knife to pick it away from the bit. Any suggestions?

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

leave them in.... you will do more damage removing them

Re hinge next to the old ones and be done with it.

Flyboy1958

My Feedback: (1)

Now there's an idea. I guess there is a balsa block in the hinging surface. I didn't think of that. Thanks

qldviking

I have had to replace pin hinges in the past too, what I did was cut the pin knuckles of and then used a piece of SS tube that fitted over the hinges and cut some teeth on the end with a triangle file, I then drilled out the pins and filled with hard balsa dowels which I made myself using a piece of steel with the appropriate hole drilled and gently hammer the rough cut balsa thru for some nicely shaped dowels.

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

Yeah, I was going to suggest the sharpened tube method as well, it's the only evil of using robart hinges, you better make sure your never going to take it apart ever, otherwise, you'll need to bore them out and fill the holes with balsa dowels or just use a thicked mix of epoxy and microballons.

SeamusG

I'm in the process of re-hinging my LT-40 with Robart Hinge Pins standard size. Just wanted to show you what you're dealing with - my apologies if you already know what you're dealing with.

The barbed portion of the standard point is 1/8". That's the drill bit size used to drill the initial hole. The hinge is 1/4". The hole has been tappered from 1/8" to 1/4" before they were installed - usually with epoxy but other glues are used (like Gorilla Glue among others). The length of each point is 1". Overall length of the hinge point is 2".

If you can get some diagonal cutters behind the hinge tapper then a 1/8" IDcutting tube in a drill chuck would make short order.

Good luck and let us know how it worked out.

SPLIT S

This is from my Phantom Facelift post over in RC Jets:





Also removing the robart hinge points that had been installed. The original setup was just ailerons. This is being changed to flaps and ailerons. They were cut off the wing, now the hinge points have to come out. For those that don't know how, it's quite easy. A piece of brass tubing, ( any tubing practically could be used ) is modified on one end. Just a few passes from a three corner file creates one nasty looking cutter end. Chuck it in a drill and you cut around, not through, the hinge. Leaves a nice clean hole. Dowel it, trim and sand it flush and you are ready to lay out the new hinge point locations. Anyone notice something about the remains of the points. Yeah, I thought so. Better they came out after seeing them.

I was going to split the ailerons making two from one. After thinking about it there is too much work to be done using the existing pieces. Corners are missing, hinge holes to deal with, and they are too short span wise. Making new ones. Suprise Billy! They'll be right from the start. Sometimes re-engineering existing stuff just doesn't pay in the long run. I'll frame them for you Billy, you can put them up on the shop wall as a reminder of the old F4.

Dan


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SPLIT S

Pictures didn't show. Here you are...

overbuild

I cut hinge pin with a Dremel cut off wheel and than use a hot air gun to heat plastic pin in wood and epoxie holding pin in wood. I than use neddle nose pliers to pull hinge pin from wood.

bigtim

My Feedback: (13)

I just got done doing this same operation a while ago, I used a small drill bit in my dremmel as a pilot hole, right down the middle, then a 1/8 bit to drill the hinge out, works like a charm and you can use the old holes again for the new hinges.