Both my wing and canopy bolts vibrate out. I used Locktite blue, but when I tried to loosen them the nut in the wing and on the canopy tabs broke loose. What is a good way to secure the parts in place?

Ive ussed a slice of fuel tubing behind the washer to help with this works well for me and i allways have a piece of tubing around

Or use bonded washers, we send some with the HW kit.

TF

Bonded washers

Teflon tape works real well on the wing bolts. All I use are fender washers, flat washer, then a lock washer. I can go 7-15 min. flights in one day with my DA50/WH combo and they never come loose. Check and make sure your prop is balanced properly. Now the canopy is a different story. What I've come up with that works great is don't use blind nuts on the hatch. I glue in yellow nyrod in both the hatch hold downs and in the fuse sides. Drill out the ones in the fuse so a 2/56 bolt will just slide threw it, and the bolt will thread right into the hatch hold downs and NEVER vibrate loose. No need to tap them either, they thread right in.

Teflon tape, also. no mess and works.

Im telling you guys..get the bonded washers from Microfastners! Ive been using them on my cowl, canopy, wheel pants and wings and in 80+ flights they NEVER have come off..

The bonded washers I use for the cowl, and pants.
For the wing bolt the teflon tape, and fender washer
spreads the load better than the smaller bonded washer.
Not that theres a lot of load on this bolt but, repeated tightenings
do compress the wood some.

Ditto for the bonded washers. Also, I use a product called Vibratite from Don's Hobby Shop. One coat and after it dries you can screw them on and off many times, unlike Loctite.

Here is my solution to my giant scale birds

1 is to glue a locknut inside for the canopy and cowl.

2 for wings and stabs is to glue all-rod M4 and use locknuts to fit all


not a problem, and is fast to mount.

Locknuts wear out with repeated use.

The bonded washers are great. I also use blue-locktite sparingly... act like vibratite. I need to acquire some of that stuff... looks like a great solution.

I purchased my bonded washers from the hardware bin at Lowes. Down the nut and bolt isle.

They hold great.

Craig

You are wrigth but i don't repeat use for cowl, for wings and stab it is a matter of changing after 8-12 days, the only problem would be canopy but after 50 fligths no issues there i thing there you dont need streng and a used locknut is enougth

Here is another vote for Vibratite. I use this stuff on Snowboard Hardware screws. Trust me most boarders are Very Very hard on there equipment. I get it locally but Dons Hobby carries it.
Bruce

SCREW THAT,,NO MORE SCREWS

magic box!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been using nylon 8-32 or 10-32 screws for the last year and haven't lost one for both the cowl and hatch. On the wing bolts I use standard blue silicone fuel tubing, its bolt then put on the washer and last put on the blue tubing cut at about 3/16" long. Haven't loosened up or fallen out after flying all day.

For Canopys and Cowls on all my planes I use nothing but nylon. On the WH Edge I use 8-32 on both. You tighten them just a 1/8 or more after they snug up and they act like they have a built in lockwasher. Over 200 plus flights and not once have they vibrated out or had one pop a head off.

On the Cowl remove the 4mm blind nut and chunk it. Fill the hole with a wood dowel and tap it for the 8-32. put in some thin CA and tap it again. I would never use metal bolts on cowls. They cause too much damage to the hole and the cowl over the long run.

As far as the wing retainer bolts. The 4mm socket head and one single flat washer and dont be afraid to tighten it up untill the washer takes a little of a concave set. Same as above, over 200 flights on one of the Edge 540 from the first batch two Christmas ago and never have I had a wing bolt come loose.

Gary

I use the same method as some others. Tony Russo from Dalton Aviation setup one of my planes using the nyrod and screw method. Works well, and doesnt vibrate loose. Plus no need to use locktite.

Kudos on those nifty canopy latches with no screws! That looks so cool.

Out of curiousity, I wonder if you had strong enough magnets if that would work?

For the wing bolts I just use the stock lock washers and fender washers and am fine. For the harch I came up with a custom system: I passed a piece of blue goldenrod pushrod sheathing through the holes where the t-nuts were in the hold down tabs and cut it flush with the outsides of the tabs. Then I ran a piece of goldenrod through the screw holes in the fuse with a servo screw/washer on one side and a hole drilled that I pass a car body clip through on the other. Slide the "pin" though the entire fuse and secure - hatch on and locked down. Pull out retaining clip and push pin back out and hatch is loose. This is great for those of you who like to fuel up with your hatch open to keep an eye on things. It makes accessing everything fast and easy, doesnt crush the sides of the fuse over time from repeated tighning of bolts into the balsa and it never comes loose. I'll post some pictures later.

Ian

That magic box idea would be great but it kinda looks like cr@p. If it was a neater installation maybe.......