Epoxy Wing
 

I'm not ready to epoxy, but does
anyone have a good way of holding
the two wing halves together while
the 30 min. epoxy dries.
Look ya" I got the wing servos routed.
Thanks for helping me on that..

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

WM Dago Red, eh?:D I've got one that I am getting ready to build too. As far as the wing halves..... i usually smear the epoxy on the inner ribs then join the two halves. To help during the drying process, I'll usually put a block of wood under one wingtip to set the dihedral. I don't think there is much dihedral to the dago red, so you might be able to just lay the wing on the floor (wax paper underneath) and let it dry. Make sure both halves are joined perfectly before drying.

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Well as most instructions will say some tape across the wing
joints will keep them together.. When I epoxied my wings. I
applied enough epoxy in all areas, had towels soaked with
alcohol ready to clean-up the excess epoxy, once cleaned
I had made up a string of #64 rubberbands(2) just long enough
to keep good tension on the wing from wing tip to tip at the L.E.
and T.E. I also had two "C" clamps to keep alignment of the
wing joint at the L.E. and T.E. useing strips of bulsa as the feet.
This has worked great for me.. I also used some light grease I
applied to the feet for easy of removal after a day of drying time
with the wing standing braced good on the wing tip unmoved

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Hold it... For 45 Mins...

Then set it up on the table with support for the dihedral angle as stated above...

This will give you a perfect join... even though it is a bummer to sit there holding the wings...

Matt

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Hi!
What you do is to smear 5min epoxy on the spar. Then put the two winghalfes together...using masking tape, cross over the wing joint and at the same time checking so that the root wing spars fit nicely...and then pour on thin CA glue at the wing joint!

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Never use CA on a wing joint. The joint it produces is much too brittle for this type of stress. Plus, if you don't get it just right, you're screwed!! I usually smear 30 min. epoxy over everything (root ribs, dihedral joiner, TE joiner, whatever will be touching each other!). Then, squeeze together firmly while a helper wipes excess with alcohol and towell. Then, wrap masking tape around the whole thing (tip to tip), and then place some smaller pieces of tape across the joint (three or four on each side should do). The first time I used the tape technique was this weekend when my dad showed it to me. Works great! Have it supported for an hour or so while it sets up, then you can put it on a shelf or whatever overnight while it continues to cure out. Also, on the one I just did, we used one of those wood pecker things that you use before you cover a plane to make small indentions in the root ribs--to give the epoxy a little more surface area to grab ahold of. I really like that idea. Not too much pressure, though!

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

I jig wings up on my building board so that they stay aligned while the glue dries.

How to Join Wing Panels

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

I tape the joint, then stand the wing up in a corner with the upper panel flat against the wall and teh lower panel at the correct dihedral angle away from the wall. Has worked very well so far, the only down side is if you don't get all the epoxy cleaned up right away it usually runs halfway down the wing before it cures.

Andy

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

I do mine just like raideron. Put the epoxy on heavy. Put toghether. remove the extra with 90% alcohol. Tape together and use clamps. I have even used cloths pins. In 20 Mins I remove the tape and any expoy I may have missed with the 90% or has made its way out. Standing is good if you can get close to a 90 degree angle, if not when you check the wing will may not be flush.

Good Luck

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Hi!
The wing ribs doesn't take so much load!
The spar does!
Try building a wing as shown in the picture without a spar ...it would fail in the first turn....

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

What I do is to lay the wing on the building table with a support to hold the dihedral, get everything lined up (One reason - but not the only one - to use 30-minute epoxy) then add a drop of Medium CA to the to the joint at the LE and TE. Hit them with kicker, and they will hold everything in place while the epoxy sets.

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

First of all always use 30 minute epoxy. Anything less will not give you a strong joint

Tape will work well once everything is lined up. Another thing I do is I us dowel rods in the wing bolt holes and strech rubber bands accross them to help hold it all together

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

You are correct about the spar supporting the weight. That is why you should never glue two wing halves together using thin CA (or any CA for that matter). In a two piece wing, the root is the only place where the spar is not continuous. In other words, for weight and force to be transfered back and forth between the spars, the joint holding them together must be at least as strong as the spars, or you have a weak point!

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Well, you can't say "Never" use CA to glue two wing halves together.

For the most part, 30-minute epoxy is the method of choice, but there ARE some wings out there that are designed to be held together with CA.

I know I built one many years ago that was designed like that, but I'll be darned if I can remember which one it was (Memory is the second thing to go... I forgot what the first was)

So unless the MFG specifically designates the use of CA, go with 30-minute epoxy

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Thanks everyone for helping.
I'm going to glue the wing up
today and let ya know how it
came out on my next post.

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

I would not use 5 min epoxy for this kind of work. Ignoring the discussion about relative strength, flexibility, etc of 5 min versus other epoxy, the working time for 5 minute epoxy is just not long enough to be sure you've got everything aligned and clamped in place.

RE: Epoxy Wing
 

Piper - 5 min epoxy is good for the spa ... if its a small plane!!! Heck it can be used to join wings for smaller planes. I would lo to see someone use 5 min epoxy on a 60/90 sized plane ... hehehe ...

I never use a heavy blob of epoxy ... I use 90 mins epoxy (personal preferrence only) and its a thin layer, usually not much will ooze out. Built 25 planes last year and none had their wings failing on me even when I fly like a mad man. Heck ... they do not even come apart much when I bring them to meet Mother Earth!

I am totally sceptical about CA as CA is only really strong when the surfaces mate very well (no funny comments ok!). CA is a liability if there are gaps and somehow I am not sold on the idea of medium CA (sorry).