What kind of tape are most people using to seal hinge lines? I've heard that 3M Crystal Tape is good. Is there anything better?

Paul

why not use a strip of monokote? cut the widith of the gap and iron on both sides....just make sure the control surface is at full deflection when you iron it down.

Well, I'm doing an ARF and not sure of the covering or even if Monokote will stick to it. I may try it, however. Thanks!

Paul

what about ca hinges

Who's the manufacture of your kit? Sometimes it will be listed in the instructions what the covering is and the color. Or go to your LHS and look in their catalog sometimes the covering is listed there. Last place to seek your answer is from the manufactuer tech services.
Just clean the area real well with alchol before you apply the gap seal.

It really doesn't matter what the covering is. For a small strip in the hinge gap you can use MonoKote, or Ultracote, or EconoKote, or WhateverKote - anything will work and you'll have no incompatability issues.

Just be sure that the surface is CLEAN

Clean it good with whatever cleaner you usually use, then wipe it several times with a clean paper towel and alcohol - do this even if you're using tape

If you check with the specialty sailplane suppliers you will find several options. Also, I have used 3M 600 clear tape on sailplanes that flew over 100mph with no problems. Only drawback to 3M 600 is that it needs to be replaced periodically. On the up side, it's cheap.

Good luck,

David Layne

3M also makes a tape called "blend derm" which is intended to stick very well to human skin which, as we should all know, has an oiliness to it. This is a soft, very flexible clear tape that works very well in oily environments. I and others used it for many years on our Q500 pylon racers. Great stuff! Not the cheapest though. Look for it at a pharmacy.