ca pin hinges
 

I'm up to the point of covering and hinging my OMP FF 540. I don't like ca hinges, too stiff and they'll crack after awhile . I like the flat pin type hinges and I like the strength of epoxy to hold them, but I don't like the mess. So , I experimented the other day , I made a slit put a pn type hinge in an used super glue , worked great broke the wood and still never got the hinge out.I believe your hinge slit has to be just that, thin, no picking to enlarge, and I believe the few holes in the hinge gives additional holding power. and of cpurse vasoline the hinge pin first.

RE: ca pin hinges
 

Hey did this work? I'm building a four star 60 my second model. My first was a Kadet Senior. Hated the hinge work. The CA hinges folded or got stuck in the balsa when joining the control surface. I then switched to Du bro flat pin hinges with epoxy. Messy got in my pin and stiffened it up. I now know the Vaseline trick but a light oil works too and is easier. On the four star 60, I too tried CA to glue the pin hinge and found the hinge pulled apart before it came out. I found that using CA with a pin hinge is easiest. Long term I do not know if this is reliable however. Any experience with your model? I have not yet finished the work. Thought I'd look here for some knowledge before committing all the four star hinges to the above method.

RE: ca pin hinges
 

I understand from Frank Tiano (scale and CA guru) that all CAs will cause nylon to become brittle after a short time. So, you could be leaving yourself open to future hinge failures.

RCPAUL

RE: ca pin hinges
 

Had this happen on my GP Extra rudder. From now on, it is the dubro, round hinges for me.

RE: ca pin hinges
 

Faced with cutting off hinges on my elevator I emailed CA manufacturer about nylon embrittlment with CA. See below for his reply. Probably still cut them off because of fear factor.

Scott,

I have seen it written several times in the past that CA won't bond nylon but
all my experience is like yours: either the wood or the nylon breaks before
the joint. I have never heard about, or experienced, CA turning nylon
brittle. Maybe this came about from the fact that nylon will lose some of its
flexibility when coated with CA due to the stiffness of the CA. All
indications are that there is no change in the nylon itself. I do always
lightly sand the surface of nylon before bonding it with CA.

Charlee Smith
Bob Smith Industries

[email protected] wrote:

> I use your CA glue during model airplane construction.
>
> A modeler recommended that I not use CA glue to bond nylon to balsa. The
> bond is excellent however. I tried to pull one out and the nylon broke
> before the bond. He said that the CA brittles the nylon and this leads to
> the weakness. Any truth to this?
>
> Scott Happel
> Plant Engineer
> Borden Chemical, Inc.
> 910-485-9240 voice 910-483-3147 fax

RE: ca pin hinges
 

Try this glue at your LHS AT $2.99 Ea it will do about two 60 size planes I you can use the tip it comes to squirt in hinge slot. I use a hobby syringe to apply . Work fast will set up after about 4 hinges . I have it in two planes and holds great also dries clear best of all it cleans up with water. They say it will work with CA hinges ? haven't tried it yet. I Think I will stick with thin CA for that.