Donnie7

I am finishing up my 1/5 waco and debating on drilling holes in my fresh painted wings and tail to install toothpicks. Has anyone with epoxy installed hinges ever had all of a control surface pull loose. I never have. Just don't want to drill those holes unless it has happened to someone. I'm not talking 2 hinges per control surface. I have 4 each on mine.
Donnie

hattend

My Feedback: (20)

Try the Robart Hinge Points instead...no pinning necessary.

Don

Joe Ortiz

My Feedback: (75)

Sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry. I hate drilling through my finished covering, but I feel confortable knowing that the hinges will not come apart, my newly built Something Extra has pinned hinges on the outer ones, for just in case what if it pulls out, I epoxy all my hinges from the get go. I just drill, insert a 1/8 inch dowel flush to the surface, hit it with some thin CA, and use a hole punch on some scrap covering to match, you can't almost notice it unless you look really hard.
Joe

Donnie7

I am sorry if I was unclear about my question. Has anyone had hinges pull out that were epoxied in?
Donnie

Joe Ortiz

My Feedback: (75)

So far no, and I epoxy all my hinges, but I heared that it doesn't stick very well to plastic, but I yet to experience it, just to be on the safe side, pin it down.
Joe

Donnie7

Thanks for the input. Now I have bigger problems with finding an answer +/- insidence on the stab. Which way is up???
Donnie

britbrat

Yes -- several times, despite carefull installation. I now pin all of my hinges. I use toothpicks on the balsa models & small nuts & bolts on the coro models. Now the hinges themselves break -- but they don't pull out.

bigchap

i have had epoxied hinges pull out,i always pin them now,after all you can't see them when it's in the air can you?and besides what's better?a safe plane or a potentially unsafe one?

jaka

Hi!
Never in my 30 years of R/C flying have I lost a flying surface. I mostly use mylar hinges and "Flash" Ca glue nowadays but occasionally use ordinary plastic hinges that I epoxy in (5min epoxy).
Never ever have I used any toothpicks......ugly!..and completely unecessary if the hinges have been properly mounted in the first place!

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

chris-s

If you are careful, drill your hole from the underside but not all the way thru, that way when viewed normally you won't see them. Better safe than sorry!

Chris

britbrat

Don't be too smug jaka -- your turn will come. I've been flying these things for 55 yrs, & I know how to glue in a hinge -- and as I said, I've had several pull out. Pin them, or use the wing covering material as a continuous hinge.