Hello,
There is one place that gives me problems when covering in all airplanes, it’s where the stab meets the fin meets the fuselage.
i cover that With small pieces some how, its really nasty because the amount of oil from the muffler it gets its just a recipe for troubles.
That 4*60 is already covered but I’m asking for the future.
Is there a trick for that location that I don’t know of???

Thanks
Alex

First, it looks as if you used a different method of attaching the vertical stab than was called for in the plans. That alone is causing quite a bit of problems as there isn't a smooth, fair surface to cover.

THe 4*60 plans call for putting the cheek blocks in place with a couple scraps of wood spot glued in place to keep the spacing correct, then when the checks are formed and sanded to shape, the fillers are removed. With this method you get a sharp demarcation betwee the cheek blocks and the stalizers. You have two choices then, cover the parts and the fuselage seperatly, then glue in the stablizers, or glue in the stablizers and fill any small openings, IE the LE to fuselage with spackling or balsa filler. Then you can use 1/4" strips of covering in the base color applied to the seams. Then cover out the fuselage and the stablizers. The first method is like assembling an ARF, and I prefer that method. When I cut out the slots, I don't cut the leading edge of them, but pull the strips back and tape them down. Be careful of ripping the covering when doing this. Once the stablizer is in place, then you can cut the strip about1/2" or slightly loger and blend the covering into the LE of the sablizers.

The main thing though is to plan on the covering as you are building. It is all but impossible to stretch covering into a concave form, IE no insice curves. For cheeks like you have in the photo, it would be best to cover them, then glue them in place.

Don

One other thing I forgot to mention, hinge the surfaces after the covering is done. It is difficult to cover around tight fitting hinges.

Don

Thanks Don,
Once I broke the stab in the air and ever since I add these tri stock in the corners and most of the time fiberglassing them too, bottom and top.

So far I’m hinging first and cover later its much cleaner this way, yes but now with this hole in the fin for the elevator its really uncomfortable…

I understand what you are saying about the ARF method but in that case you deal with horizontal setup and fitting when its already covered and if Sh%# happens for some reason you cannot fill it with wood filler.

But I see the logic of what you are saying.

Thanks
Alex

I usually cover the pieces first before assembly.

flynte

Alex, the 4*60 rudder is a very strong design. The rear post going all the way to the bottom of the fuse is one example. I have a tail from a 4*60 in the garage that was built to plan. On my very first solo, I came in to low on my landing and hit the road that crosses the field, just above the runway. I snapped the fuselage in half right behind the wing and tore out the langing gear mount. The tail was not damaged. After getting my wings, I got screwed up on approach on a cloudy day. By the time I got control, I found that I was headed into the pits at about waist high. In a panic, I pulled full up and did a big half loop ending in the destruction of the plane. The tail survive that one also. A bit of horse trading with one of the other guys and I had a another 4*60 kit that had been started but not finished. THe fuselage hadn't been started, so I built in the re-enforcements for the landing gear and the snapping right behind the wing. A couple weeks later, I stalled on landing hitting wing tip firs, followed by a hard hit on the spinner and I watched the tail snap off just ahead of the rudder. There was no damage to the surfaces, only to the fuselage. I rebuilt that and flew that plane for several months until I made a dumb move on a windy day and it dropped from about 150 ft elevation straight down totaling out the fuselage and wing. The tail is still intact in my garage, ready for kit #3.

Don

Alex, you fit the pieces and make the necessary fills prior to glueing them in place. Then cover them. When it's time to glue them in place, every thing is ready, no further "fixing" is required.

Don

I lost a stab in flight also. Ever since then I do it the same as you. What has work reasonably well for me is; after using the iron to get the covering down is to go back over it with my heat gun & a heat glove( I modified the flat adapter on my gun to throw out a narrower strip of heat) Mind you you have to keep the heat gun moving, but it will get out the wrinkes.. Good luck.

Cover the tail surfaces FIRST. You want the kit to look like an ARF before you start gluing the tail on. Cover the fuse too.

There is a LOT of dry fitting and test fitting involved with kit building. I usually end up dry fitting a kit 2 or 3 times before it's done.

Once the fuse is covered and the tail is covered, you can glue the tail on. Those filler blocks should be covered too. Once the tail is glued on, cut the covering off the vertical stab and glue the blocks into place. Just like an ARF.

Covering the tail WHILE IT'S ON THE PLANE is a HUGE PITA You need to do all your covering BEFORE you ever get the glue out.

Good luck.