ro347

My Feedback: (13)

I just hinged my new Showtime last night. One aileron swings fine...the other doesnt seem to have as much throw. Im guessing that one or more of the hinge slots are not properly aligned. How should I rehinge? Can I just cut the existing CA hinges, reslot and drill the 1/16" hole for the CA? Do I need to actually go through the trouble of somehow pulling out the CA hinge that is in the wing now? Would I be able to cut through or drill through the already glues in CA hinges without any trouble when installing the new ones?

I hope you guys know what I mean.


LESSON LEARNED: DONT ASSUME THE ARF'S HINGE SLOTS ARE PLACED CORRECTLY - IM GOING TO GET ONE OF THOSE DUBRO HINGE SLOTTERS TO CHECK AND CORRECT BEFORE ASSEMBLY FOR NEXT TIME>

Thanks!

bruce88123

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...?article_id=55
Just in case you need it.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXK263&P=ML
Also a great tool, especially for the price. Practice a few on scrap to get the feel of it though.
You may have simply gotten the gap too tight between the wing and aileron. That is one thing MinnFlyer's method avoids.

You won't get the old hinges out (if glued properly) and won't be able to re-use the locations. Just accept that fact and move on. Cut the old hinges and trim off flush to the wood as best you can.

ro347

My Feedback: (13)

I was thinging something more like this

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXE229&P=0



Well I followed Minnlfyer's advice. Ive actually seen that before. Im surprised I wouldnt be able to cut through the existing hinges and slide something right in there. Grrrrrrr

Its always something!

jetmech05

do you think that the restricted hinge throw would hender the throws recommended for the control surface in question? ie yes it doesn't travel as much but it still travels enough to be within control surface throw range...if you have enough travel to be in range with no binding don't worry about it.

bruce88123

Good point jetmech05, some people think the surface needs to bend 90 degrees or so without a pushrod connected even though they NEVER expect anywhere near that deflection or even 45 degrees during actual use.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

I've got to agree with Jetmech. If you can get the recommended throws out of it I wouldn't worry about it too much. Cutting the existing hinges and reslotting is going to be a MAJOR undertaking. I'm not saying it can't be done, but if you can avoid doing it you'll be better off in the long run. Check your throws and see if you're getting what the book recommends

Ken

meyere30

If this is on a trainer make sure the rods going through the wing are free. I almost always have a problem with the part of the rod that comes out the wing that the rods hook to that go to the servo. I trim the wood around the rod, and it moves full travel.

ro347

My Feedback: (13)

WELL....IT SEEMS TO START TO BIND AT THE END OF THE HIGH RATE MEASUREMENT. A LITTLE RESISTANCE AT THE LAST MAYBE 1/4" OF THE 3" HIGH RATE THROW.

Charlie P.

Also be aware that if you position a new CA hinge were the old had been the wood has already soaked up the old CA and it will be a weaker bond. You can inprove this bond immensley by drilling fron the underside (not through the upper covering if you're careful) and pegging the hinge with pieces of toothpick CA'd in place.

If I need to replace CA hinges I usually install a pinned plastic hinge in their place and epoxy it in.

Problem with CA hinges is, like Lay's potato chips, you can't do just one.

ro347

My Feedback: (13)

Ill finish assembly and see what happens. Im very anal about things and I let little things bother me. Ill just finish and put my servos in and take it from there. But I will make sure to ALWAYS check slot alignment on future planes. This is the 2nd Hanger 9 plane ive had this problem with. The first time - Pulse XT - Horizon sent me a new wing. But Im doubtful they would do it again. Should I try again?

-pkh-

My Feedback: (2)

Usually when you don't have enough throw, you've not allowed enough of a gap so the CA hinge can flex. Many times you can just "exercise" the hinge a little past the throws you expect and get them to loosen up a little. When I install my CA hinges, I put two T-pins along the centerline of each hinge to keep them aligned properly while gluing. The thickness of the T-pins also forces a gap that is usually just right to allow for good flex range of the CA hinges.

EDIT: My T-pin method differs from the article Bruce posted in that I use TWO T-pins along the centerline to keep the hinges from rotating, AND I leave the T-pins in when applying CA glue, so that a small gap is forced by them. After the glue dries, you just twist the T-pins (to break the CA bonded to them) and they pull right out.

ro347

My Feedback: (13)

Breaking the pins form the bond might be a good tip. Thanks. I can bend it to full throw....but there is resistance. I will "excercise" the wing and hopefully this will help. Thanks~

bruce88123

Also remember how little time that plane is going to spend with the ailerons at full travel. It's great to have it perfect but I'd hate to see you carve it up for just a few degrees that you will barely ever use in flight. If mine, I'd probably just limit the throw slightly.

Charlie P.

That's true enough and a good poiint. If you get the high-rates deflection called fo in the plans/manual there is no need to go further.

A pre-flight of any model should include a good tug on every control surface. Better it should come loose in your hand than at 400 feet.

If you do a high-speed low pass and hear a loud buzzing from the model . . . land. Aileron flutter kills. THEN you might want to realign and rehinge.

da Rock

Check the manual for the suggested throw for that surface. Figure you might need half again that throw if you plan to stunt the airplane because suggested throws often are minimal to make the airplane less prone to crash at the hands of a less than average modeler. Mfg's are funny that way sometimes.

If the surface will do that 1.5 deflection, then check another thing.

If the surface is difficult to move, it's worth checking why. It's not always the hinging. The ends of ailerons can rub against wing fairings.

Do another thing that gives you some info. Check and see for a fact if any hinges are not centered, or if any are out of line with the others. When one is, it will usually be little problem right around neutral, but can cause a fast increase of resistance as the surface deflects.

If you've only got one or two that are obviously out of line, it'd be worth the time and experience gained to see what it takes to fix it.

What it takes to fix it might not be too tough. It's entirely possible to fix just one CA hinge. Cut the bad one and move to the side of it. Deflect the surface out of the way, and cut slots in the wing and aileron for a new hinge. Either use a Dubro flat pinned hinge there or bend a CA in the middle and stick it into the slot. CA the CA as normally done. If you use the Dubro (which is going to be easier to insert) glue it with hinge glue. Hinge glue is made for hinges like Dubros and is dead easy and simple to use.

If you've got a number of hinges out of line, the decision gets tough for some. But I like being anal. It makes me fix mistakes that I discover later bothering me. And people wind up wanting my airplanes for more money than they cost me because they know I don't do things that just get by. The decision is actually an easy one most times. Are you happy with it? If you're unhappy, do what it takes to be happy. This hobby is all about happy.

BTW, no matter what happens with this one aileron, you've learned a very valuable lesson. Check every hinge location in every ARF you build. Out of the last 10 or so I've built, I can't think of but a couple that didn't have new hinge slots cut up front. BTW, you can very easily cut the new entry right at the same location as most badly aligned slots. The CA hinge doesn't have to be straight inside the wood, just solidly glued. The old piece of slot soaks up CA just like any slot does. And glues closed as solid as a rock.

ro347

My Feedback: (13)

Da Rock- You are a Genious! As simple of a solution as it sounds...I NEVER thought of placing the new hinges right next to the old ones. WOW! For some reason i had it in my head to rehinge in exact same location. WOW again -

da Rock

Hey, I learned everything I know from Minn and Ken, don't ya' know.

I watched how they did it and then............... chuckle

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Smart ***** LOL
BTW, another option is to cut the hinges, drill right through the center of them and epoxy in some Robart Hinge Points