Hi y'all.

I got a question,that probably not for this thread but somehow i believe it fits right here.
I wanted to know ,what material you guys use to make a hinges on a large scale and is there any tricks or tools for cutting slots for hinges besides a hobby knife

Thanks,

Mitty

I like to use Robarts hinges or these from Great Planes. Use a Q-Tip to smear boy butter(Vasaline..lol) on the hinge point so epoxy wont get into the hinge pin, drill a hole in the wood and let'em set up. They work great and wont tear over time like the CA type. Piper

The round Robarts hinges are very easy to install as all you need to do is drill a hole to suit the hinge. Just be sure the pivots are aligned before the glue sets.

I thought I'd like demountable control surfaces so I'm using heavy duty Dubro hinges with cotter pins.

Making the slots is a pain, but what I found helps is to drill a series of small holes with the drill press at the proposed hinge location (into the edge) ... makes it easier to dig out the wood.

Hey ya heyMe again..
What about hinges that looks like paper ..like the ones from glow airplanes ?I heared one guy was using an express USPS envelope for that purpose.


What is CA hinges?

Piper,how big hinges are??How many per ruder/flap/elevator?

Thanks for all you guys input.

Mitty

Hey mitty, You can get these type of hinges in two or three flavors , small-1/2A thru .20 size, medeum-.40 thru .60, large- .60 thru as big as you dare. On my 80" span Pipe Dream I have the large type spaced 8" apart but would have liked them 6" apart but didnt have more on hand and didnt want to make the 20 mile plus drive to the hobby store. At 8" they work fine but a few more isnt going to hurt anything. On each flying surface, make sure your hinges are within a 1/2 inch or so from the end of the flying surface. Makes a stronger hingeline by dampening vibrations better.

A CA hinge is one that is made from a fiberglass type matting thats paper thin. Just slit the balsa, insert the hinge and add a drop of thin CA, it wicks its way into the matte and balsa securing it.
There fine for most planes but i had a Goldberg Eagle 63 that I used them in and after four sesons of flying they started to tear down the crease line. Ever take a peice of metal or plastic and bend it back and forth untill it broke? thats what will happen sooner or later with this type of hinging. the ca glue stiffins the matte and as it bends it tears the tiny fibers of the matte. The larger the surface diflection the faster failure will happen. On small, lightweight models, might last forever. Larger models....dont bank on it. Piper

Hey converts; Try the strapping material that's used to hold boxes for shipping it is made of some kind of plastic and it has some kind of a pattern built to it which helps allot for the CA adhesion; I have five on each aileron on my 80 inch span Ryan Rebel, three on each elevator half, and four on my rudder and they just work fine; I glue them with a few drops of thin CA and they hold great so far I haven't had a hinge glued apart, they come in different colors white, black, yellow, brown etc. try it.

Hey! Now thats not a bad idea. If you used them even a tooth pick in a drilled hole thru the balsa and plastic hinge to pin it in place wouldnt hurt for more security.