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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: James Mills on August 19, 2008, 04:07:47 PM
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I'm have some Kleet hinges from Tom Morris that I'm planning to use on my new plane. What do I need to do to them to get them to move as freely as possible?
Thanks,
James
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I use Vaseline to make the hinges stick free.
1. Put some Vaseline in a small cap of some sort and use your hot air gun to melt it.
2. Fold the hinge back on it's self and carefully dip the barrel of the hinge in the Vaseline.
3. Dip the hinge in water just before you place it on a paper towel. This will solidify the Vaseline and keep it from migrating to the rest of the hinge.
4. Install your hinges.
#^
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TOM!!!!!
WHERE HAVE YOU BENN SINCE 1956? I've not seen such a great little hint in all my borned days! I have always struggled with the oil thing because sooner or later I'll goof and let it wick over to the glue surface of at least one hinge an airplane and then have to clean -clean-clean until I get it off. HB~> HB~> HB~> HB~>
Your simple little technique is pure genious - THANK YOU!! #^ #^ #^ #^ #^ #^ #^
Blessings,
Will
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Will,
Glad you liked the idea. I can't remember where I picked up the technique as it was so long ago. Back when the hinges first came out or shortly after.
If I could find some way to dye or color the Vaseline it would make the task even easier as you could readily spot a slip up. (no pun intended)
Ever notice how thing have a habit of moving to places you don't want them? Sort of like having pancakes for breakfast. No matter how hard you try to keep the syrup off your hands, it has the habit of climbing right up the fork and getting you any way. LL~
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I think I have read a thread somewhere by Bob Reeves- that he had machined out of alluminum, a tray to soak the hinge barrels in melted vasaline to do this.It was a very neat approach of encapsulation of the hinge pre-installation. I will try it next time instead of dipping it in fresh vasaline! I like the idea of wetting it to cool it down to solidify the vasaline! Neat idea! This is what makes this place great!
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You talking about my hinge dipper.. It's just a scrap piece of aluminum I machined with a 1/8 end mill and a coffee cup warmer.
I just dip and lay on a paper towel to cool, by the time the hinge hits the towel the vaseline is fairly solid and any excess is asorbed by the towel.
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Does it help to lubricate a nylon hinge with a petroleum product? I have used the big Klett hinges for awhile now without any lube, and the flaps and elevators have no trouble with free movement. I know some people had trouble with ball links and pet lubes which caused the ball link to swell and tighten up after a time.
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The vaseline isn't necessarily for lubrication as much as it provides a blocker for whatever you use to glue the hinges in. It keeps epoxy or whatever out of the barrel and insures the hinges won't get stiff from glue in the wrong places.