mniesen89

So my wife "accidentally" stepped on the elevator of my new cub and snapped it in two halves. its a pretty clean break, Im just not sure if it needs to be replaced or if I can just epoxy it back together?

bikerbc

No you can not just glue it back together but it can be fixed....You will need to open it up and splice in new pieces with doublers alongside for strength.. Then recover...Make sure to check your balance after repairs,this is VERY important..espially working on the tail ...

mniesen89

Gotcha, thanks for the info.

CK1

My Feedback: (60)

That can be repaired but the tailwires will have to be sturdy enough to carry the load .
I would index the two pieces together using several round tooth pics as joiners then epoxy the stab back on with 30 minute epoxy . Use eough epoxy to create a small fillet around the stab . Make sure the stab is positioned in alignment with the other half while the epoxy cures . After the epoxy has cured you will need to use functional tailwires on the tailgroup . Some kits only use light wire to create the tailwires . You will need to use something more substantial to support the stab. I usualy use 4-40 rod and clevises or the Dubro tailwire ends . you may also need to add some ni rod inside the stab at the tailwire mounting locations to add strength so the balsa wont crush or rip out .

mniesen89

Well the replacement is 11.00$,...I think I'm just going to go that route and save myself the frustration...

CK1

My Feedback: (60)

For only 11.00, I think you are making the best decision.

hugger-4641

My Feedback: (6)

It definitely can be repaired, how you do it is as much a personal preference as anything. In a pinch, on a workhorse plane that I use for a trainer, I have inserted rods for re-inforcement and just glued everything back together with epoxy because I didn't want to take time to replace the hinges and I wasn't concerned with how ugly it would look. But in your case the rudder and elevator hinges are already removed, so I would take the time to do the repair properly. To do it properly, you do need to remove the portion of the stab that is still glued in the fuse. If this piece or pieces are salvagable after you get them out, then all you need to do is re-postion them, add doublers for strength, and re-cover. If the center portion is not salvagable after getting it removed, you will need to buy a piece of balsa or light plywood the correct thickness and dimensions to cut a replacement piece from.

ARUP

Drill for CF rod and epoxy in place. Pretty stout stuff! The $11 replacement is probably cheaper.

bikerbc

Ya I think For 11 dollars I would replace it too...

52larry52

My Feedback: (1)

"89", At $11.00 for a new horizontal stab, replacement is the best choice, but I would advise you to consider the tail wire kit also (with the new stab) as it is a nice scale upgrade for this plane (it's the GP J-3 40 ARF, right?), and they are functional. Full scale Cubs had them. The wires can also be added later if you don't want to bother now.

bikerbc

Tail wires are an exellent an easy mod..Good advice for sure...

mniesen89

Yeah , it ts the GP...I already ordered the replacement....wish I would have known about the upgrade though.

52larry52

My Feedback: (1)

"89", The tail wires can be added later. There are plenty of scale upgrades that can be done with this fine flying model. Some that I have done to my GP Cub 40 ARF include: yes, the tail wires but I did non functional ones using black elastic thread, bungees on the main gear, two pilots (front is full bodied with joy stick, and rear is a pilot bust), upgraded instrument panel w/ miniature air chart (map) hiding the fuel tank, cockpit interior painted cub yellow to match exterior, Dubro Cub wheels, corrected upper windshield area shape using self adhesive cub yellow covering, Mounted the on/off switch and charging port in the black lighting stripe on the left side to hide them, panel line door on the right side, wooden prop w/ scale like alum. spinner nut, and nice black and silver paint on the fax engine. Just some ideas for you. Nothing radical but the overall package presents better than the dead stock version. All but the interior paint can be done after the stock build is done. Have fun!

mniesen89

Thanks Larry, I was wondering about the cockpit, thanks for the suggestions. Will the fabric that I take off my broke elevator stick to the windshield if reheated?

bikerbc

Your elevator fabric should be reusable...It may not shrink as much as new stuff but that might not matter...Going on the windshield watch your heat so you don't ruin the windshield.. I bought a roll of cub yellow century 21 fabric ,to use for repairs...

opjose

Yup, that's what I would do...

Simple, and stronger than the original ( if you do it properly ) and no having to recover nor removing the other half.

Usually I'll add a CF brace while I'm at it for added strength.

52larry52

My Feedback: (1)

I didn't have the guts to use a heating iron on the windshield to apply the extra covering so I used the self adhesive stuff that's smooth and shiny. As bikerbc say you must be careful with the heat or you will melt (deform) the windshield. I played it safe! Maybe one of the non heat methods of covering application should be considered, ie. windex or bulsarite. Or you could paint the area that needs to be yellow. If you do decide to try the cloth covering with heat....replacement windshields are available from Tower for your second try!

52larry52

My Feedback: (1)

Woops...corection...In my previous posting I suggested using "windex or bulsarite" to stick the covering pieces onto the winshield. "bulsarite" is wrong !! I meant to say windex or "monokote trim solvent". It was late at night, I was tired, OK stupid and had Bulsarite on my brain because I had just purchased and used some. Now, I am not sure how many other brands of covering the Monokote trim solvent will work with, so it's a try it and see deal.

aa2dd

hmmmmmm what makes you think it was accidental????