Thought that the 20 minute epoxy will provide ample time to position all hinges in place and have none of the issues with using CA (i.e., CA is not getting to all area of the hinges and wood).

Anybody has done this way?

Adding a lot of weight compared to CA.

It will add some but probably not much weight? But I see your point. Thanks.

I'd be surprised if that worked.

CA hinges require CA to saturate the paper on each side of the hinge for a proper bond. Unless you get some MGS laminating resin or similar, I think that epoxy will be too viscous to saturate the paper AND the wood. For what it's worth, a fresh bottle of CA works best. I didn't realize this until I opened up a new bottle of thin during hinging an airplane recently; the fresh stuff wicked in ten times better than the old stuff. The old stuff was a month old at best- I build a lot of airplanes. If you're concerned about glue penetration, it may be worth your while to go to your LHS and get a 1/2 oz bottle of thin just for hinging each time you build an airplane.

Quality CA is another factor. I use Mercury/Flash and Zap exclusively. I prefer Mercury, but I don't worry about using Zap. I haven't really had luck with other CAs, but your mileage may vary.

I hope this helps!

And don't forget the applicator...this makes things much cleaner and easier. Drill a 1/16ish hole at the center of the hinge slot and place the applicator at that spot. One or two drops top and bottom with fresh CA is all that's needed.

does anyone have a source for the pipet other than the local hobby shop "bulk"

Epoxy may make the CA hinges brittle in time.
V

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I gotta agree, I'd think the epoxy would form a thick coat on the hinge and make it very stiff.
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If you drill a 1/16" hole in the center of the hinge slot, that will help the CA wick to the back of the hinge.  Take the end of your pipette and and pull it apart with two pliers.  The part that gets drawn apart will be about twice as thin as it was originally, that will be small enough to get a few drops onto the hinge.  Once you're done, wipe down the hinge line with acetone to get rid of the white powder that forms around the hinges from the CA.
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Dave Brown Products, has CA Applicators, 12 for 5.95.
Vince

Thanks but bulk they are prolly .05 a piece ... thats what i'm interested in

G

I agree with the others that CA works much better for this than epoxy does. Another thing I have to add is advice to avoid a common beginners mistake. (one I admit I used to do). It is tempting to glue the hinge into one surface so that it is easier to insert in to the other. The problem with this is that some CA will wick into the exposed hinge material and seal it, making it not adhere to the other surface well. I never had a failure from this, but admit I was pretty lucky.

What I do is put a straight pin through the hinge in the middle then insert it into one surface. Then I position both surfaces, CA them, then pull out the pins.

I punch a hole on both ends and use white canopy glue. What's the biggie? Gives me all the time in the world

Temptress is still going some 2K flights and 8 full seasons under her belt. Actually it's time to retire her, come to think of it

I think you missing the prime attraction of CA hinges in their ability to get the entire surface set the way you want it, with hinges in place and your gap set the way you like it without binding AND THEN just wick in the CA with the pipet or applicator.

If too much CA is used, it too will make the hinge brittle and can lessen travel. Inspect your hinge slot area and if there isn't extra CA visible (when you know you've added the appropriate 10 drops or so depending on size) then you're good.

I always use the thinnest CA I can obtain for this, and then saturate both sides to be sure it wicks to anchor the joint where needed.

The major issue I've had with CA hinges is they will fail when used in planes having very harsh operating environments for example:

1) high vibration (think 4 strokes .82 or larger)
2) extreme surface travel (think 3D applications of 45 degrees or more)
3) cold operating environment (winter)
4) continually soaked by high nitro fuels

One or more combinations of the above will shorten the life of CA hinges. I've attempted to use the more stout "giant scale" variety, but even these will eventually fail where more robust designs will not.

If the plane must cope with the above conditions, I will substitute robart or dubro (steel pin) hinges of the appropriate size and use 30 minute epoxy or polyurethane glue to adhere them. It's more work and harder to set up but it beats digging out the old hinges when they DO fail.

For small planes and small loads under "normal" conditions CA hinges can work fine.

Joe

Thanks for all replied.

The plane will be e-powered so vibration is very minimal.

Whether epoxy can effectively bind the ca hinge material to wood is a valid concern. Some experiment probably should be conducted.

Since epoxy can be applied in such a way to avoid the to narrow center section, the hinge should be quite flexible and not brittle at all.

Iam certain epoxy would work, and work well. Just dont try using a thick/gummy or real tacky exoxy mix. Use a real thin, almost finishing resin like epoxy, so it will soak in. Keep the 'hinge' area free from getting soaked up, and should work great.

Ilike the hole punch tip too. Toothpicks to anchor through them would be still efective as well, like the plastic dubro style.

It's important to recognize that all CA hinges are not equal. An easy test is to grasp a hinge with two pliers butted together at the "hinge line" and try to separate / tear the hinge apart. Many tear as easy as paper, others can't be torn. I find Radio South Pro hinges always pass this test and hold up for thousands of flights in both glow &amp; E powered pattern airplanes.

I have used these and the quality is quite good.

According to Radio South instruction, Radio South hinges should be CA glued to the control surface first, let dry, and then CA glue the other half(s) to the LE (see Radio South's instruction photo below).

This is different from most of the CA hinging methods I read: put the control surface in place first and then apply the CA to all hinges.

I wonder if the Radio South method allows a strong bound at the LE side. How did you install the Radio South CA hinges?