Hey guys,

Wanted to get your opinion on something. Me and a friend of mine have a discussion about hinges. He swears by CA hinges. I have always used the Flex Point Klett Hinges. Friend tells me that these hinges will eventually bust, but then I hear all these horror stories about CA hinges due to poor hinges/ improper installation, etc. Never heard of one the klett hinges failing but I think that might be also due to the fact they are not as popular. Then there are the robart hinges which I have mainly seen in Jets.

So what are you guys using? What are your thoughts.

Later,

Ryan

Tough question and you have surely started a lengthy debate. First off, any hinge that is improperly installed will fail. With CA hinges, the most common mistake is not drilling a small hole in the center of the hinge slot. THe purpose for this hole is to allow the CA to wick to all parts of the hinge before the wood absorbs it, yet many people feel that the hole isn't needed.
Aligning a robart is the key to a good hinge point. If the hinge pin is not ligned perfectly with the hinge line, premature wear and failure will result. I'm not familiar with the Klett hinge (hey, this is the BEGINNER'S forum, right?)
I would beleive that each hinge has an application that it is best at. Also, experienced builders/flyers tend to go with the same type of aircraft over and over again, due to the type of flying they prefer, so they would develop a preference for the hinge that best suites that type of plane. I'm going to be very interested in watching this thread develop.

I believe that all hinges can work great, some just need a little more work to install properly. I have used CA hinges this last year with great results. I did drill a small hole to let the CA wick in good. I also think the flat pined hinges have a much smoother action to them. They require more work to install correctly though.

I make my own hinges out of fabric covering. These are modeled after the "gapless iron on hinges" that used to be made by granite state.

This type of hinge is very strong and eliminates the gap between control surfaces. They are easy to make and install. I use nothing but these any more.

I have and continue to use all 3 types that you mentioned. I like the Robart if the trailing edges ar thick enough to use them (I only build .40 and larger). I am not a big fan of CA hinges but have not had a problem on the occasions when used. With a pinned hinge the pins must be lined up to keep binding and wear at a minimum. Any/all hinges must be properly installed or failure may cost you a plane. [:@] There MAY be a quality issue in some CA hinges but I do not know that for a fact.

Bruce

The one thing that will cause any hinge to fail prematurely is improper alignment. The hinge line MUST br straight.

I would not suggest ca hinges for MOST planes using larger than a 60 size motor. The stress is frequently too much. As with anything else, there are exceptions.

If you have a high performance/fast plane and are flying it this way I strongly suggest a nylon hinge such as Klett, Robart or the DuBro hinge.

Not really true. The most common cause for CA Hinge failure that I have seen is people do not hold the surface in a flexed position while applying the CA - instead, they hold the surface flat, and pressed against the seam to close any gap. You MUST have some gap for the hinge to flex, and to relieve the stress of the surface movement.

Look at it this way, we bevel the LE of an elevator so that as it moves up and down it doesn't interfere with the TE of the stab. But those bevels are not perfect.

Now, imagine that you put the hinges in place, closed the gap, and them flexed the elevator. After it had been flexed, a small gap has appeared.

What caused that gap to form? Well, any number of things COULD have caused it, but the bottom line is that it was caused by outward pressure. Now, if you Close the gap again, and glue the hinges in place, every time you flex the hinges, the hinges have to absorb that outward pressure. They were not designed to do that!

Ok, that being said, I use CA hinges on most of my planes (Never had one fail in over 15 years), but I prefer Robart Hinge Points for the really big ones (Gassers)

I heard some crazy minnflyer did a nice HOW TO on CA hinge installs

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=55]Minnflyers CA Hinge HOW TO[/link]

Or for those who want robart hinge points...check this one out.

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=269]How To install Robart Hinge Points[/link]

i have had ca hinges fail multiple times in my ucd 60 and they were installed right so i assessed the problem to be it being large control surfaces combined with turbulent flying so i went to dubro pinned hinges and havent had any problems yet and i dont expect any as ive been keeping an eye on them closley and cant see any wear in 4 months.

Me too.

I use many. Won't use CA hinges on .60 size birds and larger though. The only hinges I have ever had fail were a set of hinge points in my trainer after 3 hard years about 27 years ago. The glue holding them let go. All are good if you install them propperly as stated. You put them in wrong, they will fail. I have used CA in a 60 size bird, but I like the dubro heavy duty hinges in those with the cotter key. I like to pin them so they don't let go and I can take the surface off if I want to that way without re-gluing them.

I've had hinge points break in a crash, does that count?