richardgerardi

Building the Sig Kougar and I am about to join the two wings halves together. Any tips on doing this neatly since it is made of foam and does not have many places to clamp them together. Thanks.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Once the two halves are joined, lay them as flat as the joiner will allow and put several strips of masking tape across the bottom. Then when you set the dihedral, the tape will pull the two halves together

squeakalong

My Feedback: (8)

When I join two foam wing halves, such as the Sig Kougar, I take an awl and poke some holes into both of the mating center ends, about 1/4" to 3/8" deep; perhaps 6 - 8 holes into each wing half. This will allow epoxy to penetrate into the center section beyond the mating line and form "rivets". I then take some 2" wide masking tape and adhere said tape chordwise onto the bottom of one foam wing half so that half of the tape width will be on one wing half and half on the other wing half when joined. Mix up some 30 minute epoxy and apply a generous application to both center wing halves. Bring the two wing halves together and sqeeze them together tightly while lining up the center chord to match. I use paper towel and wipe off the excess epoxy from the centerline as it oozes out. Do this neatly and leave a bit in the actual centerline. When satisfied that you have wiped up most of the excess epoxy, adhere the tape to the bottom of the joined wing halves overlapping the masking tape over the center joint. Rub down evenly and neatly. Do the same for the top of the wing center joint and overlap the tape over the front and back edges and onto the bottom tape. Go over this tape and smooth the centerjoint evenly all the while making sure you have the wing leading edge, trailing edge and center chord lined up. When satisfied I take three pieces of wide masking tape about 12" long and place these tape pieces spanning the top wing centerline which pulls the wing halves together with pressure about the centerline. Do the same for the bottom of the wing. Be careful to examine the wing at this point and make sure you have everything lined up. When all is dry, I wait 24 hours, carefully remove all the tape pieces and proceed with your build. Makes for a neat wing center joint to which you can then apply your fiberglass tape and epoxy to the center joint.

Soft landings.

catracer343

I used pretty much the same proses as Squeek, but I also gave the leading and trailing edge wood a drop or two of medium CA to hold everything together. Also make sure that you sand the butt sections so they mate up perfectly. A good glass job on the center is mandatory if you ever plan on using this bird to it's full potential! Your gonna love it!

Mode One

Aren't the wing halves simply fiberglassed together on the Kouger? I don't recall there being a wing joiner. How I remembered doing it was the dihedral bevel was checked, sanded, re-checked and when right, the two halves were epoxied together and masking tape applied to hold all in alignment while the epoxy cured. Then a layer of glass cloth was applied to the joint, top and bottom. I think I used CA instead of polyester resin or epoxy, to wet out the cloth and glue it to the wing.

As I remember, the instruction for building the Kouger were a great lesson in how to build a foam wing! Isn't the build process discussed there anymore?

catracer343

Yup! No joiners, just glass and a butt joint...

pbink13

My Feedback: (5)

Which 3M spray adhesive is compatable with the sig foam core wing ( 77 )????

catracer343

Try using a poly glue like Gorilla Glue... I used it on my last Kougar, and wish I did on all of my previous foam wings! Drizzle a small amount over the wing skins ans squeegee it out as thin as you can get it all the way to the edges. Spray the cores ever so lightly with water in an old spray bottle, lay your skin in the shuck that the wing was cut from, place the wing core on the skin, and stack everything together. I use heavy plywood pieces on top and bottom of the stack, then clamp the daylights out of it and walk away for the night. The poly glue will expand and fill in every single little nook and cranny and make a tenacious bond that will never let loose! I use 60 minute epoxy for joining the two half's together, along with a few pins in the leading and trailing edges, as well as a bunch of 2" masking tape. Here are a few pics for you...have fun!

pbink13

My Feedback: (5)

Thank you, so much for the info!You did a GREATJOBon the finish, I hope mine come out half as good.....Paul