I am putting together and alpha 40 for a new guy at the field and I did everything and glued the wing togher and taped it. Well I check it this moring and the tape had fallen of and the wing is seriously out of allign ment! Like there not strate togher one is up and the other is down. IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN FIX THIS?!?!?!?!?


PLease help!


please

thanks

rc-plane

Well, I don't have a clue about the Alpha 40, however for me the Generic fix would be to saw the glued joint apart. Using the belt sander, I would sand the previously joined ends smooth. Then I would determine if -- using the end airfoil for a pattern -- I should cut a rib/ribs to fill in the new joint and reglue. Once the reglue job is done I would use clamps to hold in place. Never trust tape on any rather flat joint.

One glue trick I use with carpenter's glue and/or slow epoxy is to leave a couple or more spots available for slow CA. Have everything ready to set up, apply the regular glue, and then the slow CA in the spots. Get it together and squirt accelerator along the edge of the CA spots. In a minute or less, everything is secured in place. Clamp and leave to dry.

don't you mean band saw and if so, unless you have a super huge band saw, the wing won't fit, meaning it will hit the throat of the saw, i think if your going to saw it the best tool to use would be a scroll saw, the blade is smaller and it doesn't matter how long the wing is

I say get a new wing ... sorry but its much easier. If you saw the wing yes it comes apart but anyone thought of the solution for the spar? Don't tell me you want to use a router to remove the spar from the cavity?

I'm pretty sure he meant belt sander. You can get them on a stand similar to a bench grinder, or you can get the handheld power belt sanders.

What kind of glue did you use?

The Alpha 40 has an aluminum wing joiner tube, so if you just saw it in half, you will need to replace the tube.

You may be able to saw very carefully, around the aluminum tube, and get it back apart. Then clean up the joining surfaces and try again. When I joined mine, I used 30 minute epoxy, and just sat there and held it for 15-20 minutes until it was cured. It is pretty tough to clamp with the dihedral angle, but the joiner tube and wooden dowel keep it straight, you just need to hold it together.

A new wing is definitely the easiest way to go, and it may come to that if the halves do not separate easily.

The problem is that they want $80 for a new wing. I would just get the whole ARF for $115 and have some more spare parts.

I think you should be able to saw the halves apart, clean them up, and get the proper dihedral, even if you have to build some shims, as Hossfly suggests. I wouldn't worry so much about the looks of the joint, when you get 10 rubber bands on there, you can't see much of it anyway.

how do you saw the wing in half with a sander

There was a period between those sentences in Hossfly's post. "Saw the wing in half." and "Using the belt sander, I would..."

I misread it the first time myself...

Thanks mclina.


Sorry acarter, I fully understand that Basic reading 101 is a tough course. Sometimes when I take the time to reread something for the 2nd-3rd time I wonder just where did I come up with the first impression. Ususlly it's because I am too quick to demonstrate my "superior knowledge" and I don't really read the passge, so I make a dummy of myself.

To others, I have built many models for nearly 70 years. Stuffing an alum. tube with a smaller tube or a dowel or a steel rod is something I know how to do. Those skills are something the current ARF crowd just doesn't have much of an opportunity to learn.

Hang in there. The more building / rebuilding you do, the more fun it gets to be, and you will be more proud of what you have accomplished.

The big question here is: Did you glue the aluminum tube in as well?

If you didn't, you can saw the two halves apart up to and around the tube, and re-glue.

If you DID glue the tube in place, then you'll have to cut through the tube as well, but you can just try to find a tube that will fit inside. That may be difficult, but there are ways around it:

1. Get a broomstick and sand it down or bulk it up with paper and glue so it fits snug inside the tube and glue it in.

2. Find someone who has a lathe and turn a bar of aluminum (Or steel pipe) so it fits.

In either of these cases it would only have to be about 2" long

What type of glue did you use? If you used Epoxy, use a heat gun on the joint. The Epoxy will soften and you can pull the joint apart. Be careful, and be ready to repair the covering if you end up burning a hole in the covering.

If you used CA, you can try using CA Debonder along the joint. It will take a while to soak into the joint and soften the CA.

If you used wood glue/titebond, you can try soaking the joint with water. Those glues tend to weaken with water, but again it will take a while. Heat will also soften wood glues. You will then have to make sure you give the wood ample opportunity to dry out.

Brad

I agree with what tIANci suggested but Horizon sells the whole plane for $115 and the spare wings set for 80. geeeez

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...arts%20Listing

[X(][:-][&o][:@] my bad i guess i read it too fast, and thought it said saw the wing in half with the belt sander

sorry been at school all day. Its a pretty new arf and it doesnt have a alluminum tube its a wood that is shapped to the right angle. I might have to buy a new one even though its supper expensive for that but what ever its my mistake. I would rig it up like some of you say but its not mine. I am getting paid to put it together buecasue its an older guy and he doesnt have time. So I rather make it right you know what I mean. My dad is trying to get it apart as we speek. It he does if not then horizon will be getting some money!


anymore ideas since its not a aluminium tube.

rc -plane


by the way I think my alpha had an aluminum tube I wonder why this one has wood?

Try to carefully slice away everything EXCEPT the spar joiner and then see if you can twist the halves into position. If so, then see if you can figure out a method of injecting 30 MINUTE epoxy back into the joint. If you can do all of this and get it to realign properly you may be able to pull this off yet.
If it goes together but just doesn't look good enough to make you happy then fly it yourself and buy your friend another.

Shall we start a little fund to help out? Hehehehe ... You better have a thin blade and a high speed band/jig saw ... its balsa and it may shatter of you do not have a good set. Also, pray hard that the misalignment is just slight, if the spar was not tight and it would have set along with the glue then you have major problems. The spar has to go too.

I think I might just buy a new wing but maybe even the arf. My dad needs one he is soloed but the PTS isnt what we need at the moment, if flies good but just doent land like a trainer.

In the time its taken to come up with a plan of action, you could have stripped back the covering, cut the wing apart, made new plywood center ribs, cut the holes for the spar, made a new spar from plywood, glued the whole thing back together and recovered the result, all for less than you'll pay for a new wing. And you'll be done quicker than it takes to deliver a new wing.

Repairs are easy. Don't be afraid to cut a mistake. You'll get good experience for the next repair job, and there's always a next repair job.

Good Luck
Brad

dedo c-crunch

I just cut it apart, using a hacksaw blade, and cut a new center rib, beveled to fit the dihedral. I then epoxied it back together. It has lasted 4 years, and I have been vicious at times flying it. I have expected it to come apart, but am only now just hearing the buzz of the ailerons getting loose on the pushrods.

Right on Brad !!! ENJOY !!! RED