I am building my third slow stick. When I taped the elevator together it is bowed slightly. So when I move the elevator it jumps back and fourth and is not smooth. How can I fix this. I have tried puting it between 2 books for several hours.... no help. Should I heat it up?

If it wasn't bowed before you taped it, I'd consider untaping it and trying again. I've pulled tape off the wing before, and it pulls some of the paint off. I used a red acrylic paint to touch up the white spots. The elevator is a tad thinner.

If you're worried about damaging the foam, you can cut the tape and try again. Maybe the best solution.

I don't really recommend heating it up. I did this to my last SS fin to straighten it up after it had bowed and it didn't really work out as well as I had hoped. The tape will likely shrink a bit too, or stretch, if you heat and pull, but at a different rate than the foam...

It was bowed before I taped it..... [&:][&:][&:]

Bummer PDX!

Will your hobby shop replace the elevator?

The hinge line must be straight, or it is likely to bind (as in your case).

Another solution that may work, is slicing the existing hinge tape between the surfaces, and using a few cloth figure eight hinges, with a little slack in them (to allow for the mis-matched surfaces).

Bill

I would suggest gluing and taping a rod, preferably carbon fiber, to the leading edge of your wing. This will take the bow out of the foam and let the elevator move more smoothly while also adding some extra strength.

Gentle and careful heating, while holding the elevator on a flat surface, will also straighten it right out. Finding carbon fiber is not always the easiest thing to do.

Dare I ask what happened to the other two?

If you have any fiberglass rod left over from the other builds, you could use that.

Leave it like it is; fly it, crash it, build another.

What GWR says. It's only a Slow Stik.

ok.... I used tape to flex it straight. I still have the other 2 slow stoicks.

Nicely done! There's always more than one way to skin a cat