OK Let’s see how the poll ends up. What do you prefer for hinges on your scratch built projects. I seem to bounce around between the CA type and Robart Hinge points.

All my planes are scratchbuilt from Coroplast. Hinging is just a matter of cutting away one side of a flute. US Air Core also uses Coroplast and are hinged the same way. We've designed a very simple hinging tool, so the Coroplast hinges are made in seconds (as fast as you can pull the tool) http://www.spadtothebone.com/SPADT/hingetool.jpg

I like kevlar hinges, fiberglass skin hinges, Monocoat hinges and tape hinges.

i sew all mine from the covering. never a gap and strong.

I use monokote hinges, Granite State iron-on hinges (no longer available unless you make them yourself), or Goldberg/Klett nylon hinges (glad I bought a whole lot of them)

So I checked "other"

Don

Hey Pilots
I like the CA type on sport and sportscale. I also like the hinge points . it depends on the model. some models I have built used
scrach built ones like The F100 Super Saber I built, plans by Col. Art Johnson. I have never had one of them fail. Thanks to dip$#^% what was left of my F100 all the hinges were in tack. I cant say that for the rest of the plane!!! Balsa + 160 MPH + ground = A broken Hart

Tape works the best on my fanfold foam wings.

i'm tight and cover all my planes with solartex [all 60's and up]. i find that it makes great hinge, and there always some left over.



tinker

On 3mm coro i just cut away 1 side uf a flute on 5mm coro i cut away 1 side then use a 1/8 drill in a dremel and cut a 1 inch slot every 2 inch or so.

i've also tried robarts hinge points but for the extra cost there hardly worth the effort

All of my hingelines have to be sealed. So I like double monocote hinges or tape on both sides hinges (same as the monocote). On ARFs set up for CA hinges I've used crisscrossed strips of monocote with half of each hinge strip turned over to expose adhesive (boy that doesn't make much sense, but you probably know what I mean).

What is the recommended way to use CA hinges or point hinges, primarily in regard to hinge sealing. From everything I've ever read hinge sealing is extremely important. So what's the best way to seal a CA hinged line?

Balin

What other way is there?

All my planes are scratch built from Coroplast.
Just cut one side of the flute.
Doesn't get any easier than that.

What is Coroplast?

Mpilot,
Check out http://www.spadtothebone.com and don't miss the showcase for some of the best examples of what can really be done with Coroplast. It is the same stuff that U.S. Air Core makes their airplanes out of, but it is more commonly known as corrugated plastic sign board...you see it in the form of pop, beer, and cigarette signs every time you drive past a gas station. Building airplanes out of it is getting popular...from simple basic designes to some incredable scale designs. Thanks to RCU, there is also a topic here just for the Coroplast airplanes! The best part is that it's CHEAP!!! Signs are free and thrown in the dumpsters across the nation every day...they can usually be had just by asking...and if you buy Coroplast, it's usually around $8-$10 for a 4' x 8' sheet...and comes in a variety of colors! It's totally fuel proof, and no covering is required. It's also strong as heck, so very little internal support is needed. Properly built, a Coroplast airplane rivals the weight and performance of a balsa or foam plane...but much more durable...the stuff is a scratch builder/designer's dream! I converted from Balsa to Coroplast 5 years ago (after 20 years of Balsa and foam) and am having a blast with the stuff!

Having come from a pattern background, Ive had to re-think my hinging program for little, fast racing & electric stuff with teeny weeny stabs & surfaces. Cutting a center slot for an insert hinge & aligning the flying surface on something 1/8 - 1/4" thick stock is no fun, so...

Heres a surface kevlar hinge integrated in a vac bagged stab application

Heres another method where the left/right balsa sheets are laminated on a 1/64" ply center section. The 1/64 has 'pockets' cut out of them spaced & sized to accept those mylar ca glue-in type hinges. After the shaping the profile, the flying surface is cut away exposing the pockets (the 1/64 is the right thicknes to accept the ca hinge). The hinges are glued in place & are perfectly centered, no messin around. The 1/64 also helps define the c/l for those oh-so important razor blade trailing edges. I like everything about this method except the extra weight so I ended up making lightening holes.

...the (stab) template for making the 1/64 ply section showing the hinge pockets. Forgot to mention, getting the outboard hinge real close to the tip edge without splitting is no longer a problem.

I prefer to sew my hinges with dental floss!

cheap
light weight
cheap
very strong
cheap
no gap
cheap
easy to remove the surface if need be
cheap
no slots to cut!!!

Oh yea and did I mention that a roll of dental floss will last forever and only costs .99 at Walmart!

Think about it next time it's midnight and you just ran out of your CA hinges. If you want to fly in the morning here is your answer! You may never go back!

I dont get it. Whats is the 'sew' pattern that bridges the gap, allows surface hinging deflection & prevents lateral movement? Do you actually puncture the surface with needle & floss or glued on one side or...? Doesnt it show a bump under covering/paint? Maybe a picture will help.

The method used is called a "figure 8" stitch. Yes you use a needle and thread or in my case, dental floss. You always pierce the surfaces from the same side and come up through the hinge line. It's is VERY free moving, extremely secure and tight! It works GREAT on 1/2A and park flyers which are sometimes difficult to slot due to the wood sizes. On smaller planes, regular dacron thread works or even better 1/2a control line string. On larger planes I like the dental floss.

Normally there are small bumps where the thread goes through the wood. However you can hide this for the most part by removing a sliver of wood where the hinges are then applying putty over. It does show somewhat if done in the normal fashion, however I don't find this a problem at all. Kind of makes for a conversation point.

A long time ago this was how it was ALWAYS done. Still works great and may prevent a trip to the hobby shop.

Give it a try sometime.

I'd love to see a picture of the stitch. Do you have one to share?

-Q.

For those of you using Robart hinges on built up wings, how much stock do you add at the trailing edge to accept the hinge? Do you add as much as the length because most kits do not have much stock added.

I cut a flute from Coroplast on a lot of planes now.
I still use the CA hinges and Klett pinned type and Robatr hinge points, among others. Depends n the application.

I ended up replacing the CA hinges for the rudder of my Fokker Dr1 ARF with 3 TIGHTLY spaced Great Planes plastic hinges, using one piece of 1/32 music wire for the pin. It was the only solution to flutter. (High tension on a kevlar pull-pull system and a high power servo did no good.)