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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: Chris Belcher on March 22, 2016, 10:10:36 AM
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So last nite I installed the wing. used a Robart meter and everything..had 'er all squared up and true. Glued in with epoxy and baby sat as long as I could. THEN...I get up this morning and my set up was moved! I think it was the cat! SO...now the incidence is the only thing still correct. Horizontal is out by 1/16" and measurement from tip ribs to tail post is out by 1/4".
I DO NOT want to remove the wing........Do I? This is just dis-heartening. I can level the stab but the tip to tail post is off pretty bad. Should I just make adjustments and call it a day or remove the wing adn get it perfect...again?
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I say just fly it, you'll never notice that.
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More than a few people recommend shimming and using CA in at least 3 points around the wing. This makes the system stable enough to pick up and not worry about the alignment changing, yet it is lightly enough fastened that if something is wrong the glue joints can be broken with minimal effort.
Won't need to worry about a cat then!
Phil
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I say just fly it, you'll never notice that.
A 1/4 of skew?! I think he will notice that! I am not sure how to get the fuselage off without destroying something - heat gun, maybe, depending on the glue used for the ribs? It's epoxy attached to the silkspan/dope on the wing, right?
Brett
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I have taken apart profiles with one of these
http://www.harborfreight.com/oscillating-multi-tool-62279.html
and a 3/8 blade.
After opening up most of the way around with the power tool, use a pinless coping saw blade to go around the LE and TE. It is VERY easy to plunge right through the sheeting though.
Phil
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I had a similar issue when I built my Gieseke Nobler (but I don't have a cat, so I think it was all me), and I pretty much destroyed the fuselage taking it apart so as not to damage the wing. I just built another fuselage and kept on plugging. Came out heavy but it was straight and flew quite nice on calm days. Good luck!
Don
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I would grab a buddy or two and use multiple heat guns to try and soften the epoxy all the way along the wing. Mark the needed lines where the wing should be and move it carefully with NO forcing to those lines, then leave it cool down and the epoxy will harden back up. I had to do this to a profile, which was, of course, a much easier task.
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Will has a good idea...
I did this once by myself but I had only epoxied one side when I noticed it was misaligned
held the fuse in a work mate and heated the epoxy and slowly forced it back near square
Full epoxy on all four sides will be a challenge requiring two heat guns and friends with a set goal of new alignment stop point
My other though based on my skills and flying experience...I would just leave it alone a fly it as it will not be perfect and never a good contender in a competition...simple learning experience for all future builds
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.I would just leave it alone a fly it as it will not be perfect and never a good contender in a competition...simple learning experience for all future builds
Psshhhhttt.... Cut a 1/4" off the edge of whichever flap will fix it, measure it again and fly it.
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I had a similar issue when I built my Gieseke Nobler (but I don't have a cat, so I think it was all me), and I pretty much destroyed the fuselage taking it apart so as not to damage the wing. I just built another fuselage and kept on plugging. Came out heavy but it was straight and flew quite nice on calm days. Good luck!
Don
That's the right idea. Salvage what you can from the fuselage and start over. y1 Steve
PS: Don's Gieseke Nobler is lovely!
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Find yourself a heated hobby knife. It looks like a soldering iron with an exacto blade on the end.
Let it get good and hot and carefully cut out the wing. It can be done but go slow. That will get you back to where you can start over with the alignment.
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So last nite I installed the wing. used a Robart meter and everything..had 'er all squared up and true. Glued in with epoxy and baby sat as long as I could. THEN...I get up this morning and my set up was moved! I think it was the cat! SO...now the incidence is the only thing still correct. Horizontal is out by 1/16" and measurement from tip ribs to tail post is out by 1/4".
I DO NOT want to remove the wing........Do I? This is just dis-heartening. I can level the stab but the tip to tail post is off pretty bad. Should I just make adjustments and call it a day or remove the wing adn get it perfect...again?
Hi Chris, I realize that this is a pretty late response to your post & it may not be relevant at this point, but you said that you measured from the *TIP RIBS* to the tail post. Did you take into account the offset in the wing from inboard to outboard panels?
Just a thought.
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Yeah...I measured form center to get my marks...good question though.