Thought I would share this with you if you haven't tried it. Here is how you can run a continuous and completely concealed hinge to hold the elevator to the stab. If your stabilizer thickness is 1/8", cut 4 pieces of 1/16" balsa the shape of your stab and elevator. Two pieces for the stab and two pieces for the elevator. I this case I am showing a stab for a Ringmaster. Hold the pieces together and sand to contour and match. Go to the fabric store and buy some 1 1/4" nylon ribbon and cut it to the length of the stab. Make sure you have rounded the trailing edge of the stab and the leading edge of the elevator by putting the two pieces of 1/16 of the stab and the two 1/16 of the elevator on top of each other. I usually just tack glue them together to sand them. Once the two pieces making up the stab and the two pieces making up the elevator are sanded and rounded, break the tack glue apart. We are now going to make a sandwich. Take one piece of the 1/16 that is going to make the stab and one piece of the 1/16 that is going to make up the elevator and Butt the trailing edge of the stab against the leading edge of the elevator. Lay your piece of cut ribbon longways with 1/2 of the width of the ribbon on the trailing edge of the stab and 1/2 of the width of the ribbon on the leading edge of the elevator. Take some 15 minute epoxy or I have even used Elmer's white glue and glue the ribbon to the trailing edge of the stab and the leading edge of the elevator. Then take the other two pieces and place them on top of the ribbon and you will have a continuous and concealed hinge. It is a lot easier to do than it is to write about it. What you are doing is sandwiching the ribbon between the top and bottom pieces that make up the stab and elevator.

Mike

Hi Mike,

That's a great way to do hinges. I do it a little different, I use dubro hinges, remove the pin and install a 1/16" continues music wire, turn the music wire at the end attach the music wire to the wing tip. This way it seals the hinge line and I can remove the flap or elevator. I sleeve the control horn so if I need to adjust or make a bigger or smaller flap or elevator no big problem just remove her and replace what is needed. This works great for me, a little more work but has been a life saver for me. Have a great day, Gary

Interesting Gary! Isn't 1/16" wire pretty big for hinge pin wire? I'd think that would make it tail heavy on the elevator..I've been wanting to try that technique out, maybe on the profile Bearcat. So you turn an end of the wire and insert it from the stab/elev. inboard side outward? Thanks for sharing!

Hi Richard,

Yes, I usually turn an inch of wire to match the wing tip or elevator and attach it with a bracket. Weight wise, not much, most my plane I end up with tail weigh. I've never weighed the wire, doesn't seem like much. Some of the pro flyers, in this area taught me this trick. It works great for me, just have to be sure everything is straight. Have a great day and good luck, Gary

Thanks for the nice comments guys.  I started out doing this out of self defense.  I hate trying to line up the hinge pin type plastic hinges and dipping in melted petroleum jelly etc etc.  I even bought that slot machine and a guide and I am still so spastic I would screw up the slots.  I got so frustrated fooling with those things that I went to using dacron cloth hinges which I really like and then to this method that completely hides the hinge and seals the hinge line.  I build a lot of old time planes and most dont have wing flaps so it is a fast and easy job using this method.

Hope this makes your lives a little easier.

Mike

Hi Luke

I have not had that problem as of yet but I can see how it can be a threat.  You can run some parafin (spelling ?) wax down the center of the material or use a crayon.  The glue should not soak into the waxed line down the center. It does not take a great deal of glue to do this. 

Mike