fheppenheimer

My Feedback: (11)

I am wildly allergic to CA (don't use the CA odorless either) and want to try using Pacer Hinge Glue on CA hinges on a GP U Can Do 46 ARF. The PHG bottle says it can be used on every type of hinge. There was a thread on this substitution but it didn't go very far. I'll be using the CA hinges which came with the kit.

1. Should the hinge and/or the hinge slot be moistened with water before applying the glue?

2. I was planning on gluing only half of each hinge at a time -- eg, first glue the hinges into the aileron and then when set glue the aileron hinges into wing. Does this sound like a reasonable approach?

3. I was still planning on drilling a 3/32" hole in the center of each hinge slot, even though I'm not using CA (I thought it might help me get the glue inside the surface). For those of you that do this, do you drill a 3/32" hole in both the wing and aileron or just the wing?

Thanks for any help you can give.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

You should only use Thin CA on CA hinges.

If you want to use pacer hinge glue, I would suggest using a different type of hinge

RCVFR

My Feedback: (7)

Ditto what MinnFlyer said. If CA is a problem for you, don't use CA hinges, use something else.

Don41

I have the same problem with CA so I experimented with the CA hinge material that came in the Topflite Elder40 kit. Using scrap balsa, I enlarged the hinge slot so the material would slide in fairly easily then applied a coating of Titebond III. Once dried I had to pull very hard to separate the pieces and what failed was the balsa, not the glue joint.

I did drill the hole in both surfaces but in my case it was just to aid finding the slot center once the monocote was applied.

NOTE: I don't know if all CA hinging material is the same. This stuff looks like some sort of fibrous material.

Don

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

Get some Dubro nylon hinges instead. I usually epoxy those in. I would not want to trust CA hinges to any other kind of glue other than thin CA. Good Luck, Dave

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I have been running tests the last two weeks with Pacer glue on plastic or nylon hinges for A couple of friends. OUTSTANDING!! I have only used it on hinge pins before on my own planes. You just squish the stuff into the slot, wipe off the over squish then push in the hinge. The next day I ended up breaking out the wood around the hinges trying to pull them out, the wood stuck to the hinges.
As of now I will be using the Pacer Hinge Glue for all my hinging. Because I don't use the CA hinges myself I didn't do any testing on them so can't help out with the main point of your question.
I also use Gorilla glue on hinge pins if for some reason my holes get too sloppy from test fitting.

fheppenheimer

My Feedback: (11)

Thanks to those who advised to not use CA hinges with non-CA glue.

If I use nylon flat hinges (with Pacer hinge glue) on an ARF designed for CA hinges (GP U Can Do .46), do I have to trim back a perpendicular rectangular flat on either/both the aileron and/or wing to allow the hinge proper movement and/or widen the hinge slots (the nylon hinges are VERY tight in the CA slots)? Sorry, I'm a novice at this.

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

You can make the slots a little bigger to have the nylon hinges fit better. Test fit your control surfaces with the new hinges and when you are comfortable with the fit, then glue them in. Good Luck, Dave

da Rock

What Don41 has done is what's kewl about our hobby. We can test and find out the answer to anything. And he's dead right about using other than CA with CA hinges.

I've been doing testing with Pacer Hinge Glue for awhile now. It's almost no effort to do. I've had 3 different types of CA hinges in ARF kits since starting the testing and all worked excellently. A buddy, who has been building about as long as I have, and I were discussing the deal. We both thought that the slick looking CA hinges would probably not work. He tried them un-modified and they were the first we've seen where some of the glue failed. But enough of the test hinges he did took wood with them during the destruction testing. Enough that he said he decided they were good enough. I didn't feel that way, as glue can debond from plastic with age, but tested the ones he gave me. I modified them by drilling holes in them like the ones you see in Dubro flats and other hinged plastic hinges. Those holes are there for a reason. They work as virtual pins through the wing/hinge. The glue in those holes bonds the wood on either side through the flat hole and will hold even if the glue debonds from the flat. And those shiny CA hinge material hinges works ok for me with the holes. No way they were coming out of the wing without taking the TE along. Truth is, the CA hinge with fuzzy sides is almost all I've seen, so as far as I'm concerned, screw the shiny stuff.

The way I see it, the Pacer Hinge Glue is magic. And it'll work way more than adequately with any hinge that I'd choose to use in the first place, CA or Dubro flat or whatever.

Good thing is, you can always test for yourself, and not have to depend on advice.

Keep the holes in mind. They provide lots more security with somewhat less work than straight pins.

rctrax

I've had those ca hinges with the fuzzy stuf on them fail by sliding right out and leaving the fuzzy stuf in the wing. I now never use ca hinges, mostly steel pined hinge points