I'm at the point in building my H9 Miss America, Where I'm ready to epoxy the Horizontal Stab in place.

I have everything Marked off and aligned.

Now when I read the instructions, It says to coat the saddle (top and bottom), and both the top and bottom of the Stab, (where I already removed the Mono) with 30 Min. Epoxy, then slide the stab into place.

Clean off any epoxy that gets on the stab with alcohol and paper towels.

Well..to me this sounds like a heck of a mess!@

All the epoxy I put on the saddle it going to SMEAR all over the stab as I slide it into place!

I was wondering, Has anyone has come up with a better procedure for this part of assembly!

Larry

It is a messy procedure and yours is not the only ARF that does it
this way. No way around it. Make sure you have plenty of epoxy in
the slot and on the stab and be prepared with lots of paper towels
and alcohol.
Good Luck
Bruce

I usually put plenty of epoxy in the slot and a thin amount on the surface I'm putting in the hole itself. You still get some that oozes out. I have the towels standing by with the alcohol on them already also. That way I can go right into wiping off the surface when I slide it in instead of getting the towel ready after I'm done.

If you do miss some and notice it after it has started to cure you can warm it up with a heating iron and it'll come off. I have only used this "trick" before it has fully cured.

Good luck.

Maybe it's just me but I prefer to use TP instead of papertowels. They are smaller and easier then big papertowels. I had to find a good one that wouldn't fall apart on me; started using the same brand the wife buys but don't tell her. [X(]

One trick with the Miss A is to only smear the bottom of the stab. The top you can get to from the fin slot

As long as the fit is decent and all gaps are smaller than 1/16" or so, the following procedure is just as strong as epoxy and no were near as messy.

With the airplane sitting level, pin the stab into position and tack it with thin CA. Recheck the alignments and then run a light bead of thin Ca along the top joint on both sides. Enough to wick in, but not enough to run out of the joint. Follow immediately with medium CA to fill the gap. Spritz lightly with accellerator and let set. Turn over and do the bottom.

The thin CA pulls the medium CA thoroughly into the joint, and the medium gives the thin the body to fill the gaps.

I've done over 100 stabs this way during the last 20 years, and never had one fail. Even in a crash. I had elevator flutter pull the entire tail off the airplane once, but it took the stab saddle and half the fuse sides with it.

Jim

Try this...place a Zona saw blade into the stab slot and cut toward the rear..do top and bottom..
save the piece cut out. Now you can slide the stab from the rear....placing expoxy on the saddle.
top & bottom..slide the stab in, check alignment...pin it, clean up the excess. When the expoxy has set, replace the piece that you cut out..a little touch up and it is done...
Hope this helps

I second the CA. I use it all the time with no failures.
Jerry

i third it!i have never used epoxy on this job,ca does it for me every time.

Yup CA!! If it is a slot then there will not be enough stress on the stab to require any PITA epoxy.. I have CA'd many a stabs with no failures..

or just lay masking tape around the perimeter wher you think the epoxy will ooze out.. When you slide min the stab the epoxy will not ru onto the plane but onto the tape.. Now just pull off the tape and Voila!

Hi!
As has been said earlier,CA glue is much better to use than heavy epoxy!
Just align the stab and put on a drop of medium CA at 2 or 3 places and kick it off with accelerator. Check alignment again and put on some more Ca, this time thin variety and fill up low spots with more medium CA and kicker! I never use epoxy when I build my models...Only Ca glue (Flash).
Regards!
JanK
Sweden

Definitly going to have to try the CA thing on the tiail next time... I have been using Titebond but CA sounds better and quicker...

jaka
No expoxy at all ?... Great, but how do you join the wings together and beef up the firewall with CA ?.

What does accelerator do?

As for me as long as the surfaces mate tightly I will go with CA, never had my planes fails before. If not then use a light coating of 90 mins epoxy, smear it lightly and very little will ooze out. Yeah ... a lot of tissue and alcohol on standby helps. I have never had problems with mess.

Epoxy squeezes out anytime you stick two pieces of something together. I try to paint the inside of the fuse where the stab fits and put as light a coating on the stab, fin, whathaveyou as possible. Paper towel dripping with rubbing alcohol standing at the ready!

Makes CA set up almost instantly. Not as good a bond and can generate quite a lot of heat.

I like the CA Idea....and I'm going to go that way....

I am going to epoxy the Vert stab in..so I will still get some epoxy bonding the Horiz stab..at least on the Inside edges!

The whole idea of sliding the finished stab through all that Epoxy ....EEEWWWWWW...Big time MESS!


Oh....and Happy New Year to Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry

Jaka, I'd also like to know how you do the wing halves and firewall with only CA. I never thought of using it on the stabs but it makes sense so I'll try that method on my next dozen projects.

Now about that wing........

Wow....It worked!!!!!!

I put the thin CA..and it whicked straight in!!!!!

Followed up with Medium..and it whicked as well....straight behind the thin...

Finally it stopped..and made the NICEST FILLET I've seen so far!

A small spritz with accellerator finished off the job perfectly!

If only they made an Epoxy that Whicked like that!!!

I tugged on the stab to check how well it adhered...and I could distort the stab without movement!

Looks like a Keeper idea guys and gals!!!!

Sure made for easy cleanup as well!

Since I used epoxy on the vertical stab...the entire center section of the horiz stab is secured to the vert stab with 30 Min. Epoxy as well as the CA on the saddle!

I don't think there is a stronger way to make this connection!!!!

Thanks to all that helped!!!!

Larry

Another idea that I read about here and have used is to stretch plastic wrap (seran etc) as tightly as you can around the half of the stab that will go through the opening. Use tape to hold it along the edge of the stab covering (next to the exposed balsa). Goop up the saddle and the exposed balsa on the stab. Slide it through and then remove the plastic wrap before the epoxy sets up. Works really slick. When you stretch it it gets REALLY thin and have yet to have it bind up as it goes through the opening.

Am interested in the CA idea too. That sounds really easy.

Eric

So Jaka
Are you going to tell us what you use to join your wing halves together and what you use on your firewall ?... I would sure like to get away from that messy epoxy ...
Thanks
Roger

I assembled a VQ plane a while ago and that's the method they reccomended in the instructions to attach the horizontal stab. I dont' see a problem with it as long as it's going thru a slot. If it's just stuck on top or bottom, then definetly epoxy.

Andy