CA Hinges

[Dick Pacini]

Has anyone ever successfully used Brodak CA hinges?  I have a new stab and elevators for my P40 and they came with CA hinges.  The bottom covering is blue instead of camo.  I believe these parts are earlier model since my plane is camo top and bottom and it came with barrel hinges.

I know I have read here that many people say absolutely not on a C/L plane because they are too stiff.  Well, I have dry assembled these parts and the elevators droop.  Flip the stab over and they flop the other way.  I would like to try them.  The plane has had a belly flop once because of lack of response due to the barrel hinges that got CA in them.  I really have nothing to lose.  I still have to cut the old stab out of the fuselage.

[Clint Ormosen]

It kinda' sounds like you've made up your mind to try them. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time. They're springy and will fracture and break in short order.
Use pinned hinges again. Just leave the CA out of them. You should probably be using epoxy to set them, anyway.

[Brian Massey]

I like pinned hinges; I use air tool oil to lub the hinge line, then epoxy to glue in. Never has a hinge bind due to glue.

Brian

[peabody]

Brodak CA hinges have been used by several GSCB members...mostly on ARF's.....They work okay, but ARE stiff.....I believe that it would be tough to wear one out to the point of failure....
They DO offer resistance and add considerably to the control's being difficult to move freely......something that you will see all of the top level stunt flier's airplanes exhibit. They seem like an easy way out, but I think pinned nylon hinges are what you should chose.

[john e. holliday]

Go with the cloth hinges that CLC aka Tom Morris(actually Jim Snelson) has.   No worry about glue in the hinge point and also seals the hinge line.   Using dope to put them on takes very little time.

[Dick Pacini]

Go with the cloth hinges that CLC aka Tom Morris(actually Jim Snelson) has.   No worry about glue in the hinge point and also seals the hinge line.   Using dope to put them on takes very little time.

Dope on an ARF doesn't sound good.

[Marvin Denny]

  I had---repeat HAD an ARF Pathfinder that I used the furnished  CA wicking type hinges on it.  It flew pretty good with little stiffness bother.  These first two flights were gentle "feeling it out" type of flights.  On the third flight I decided to try the pattern, so I hauled it into the Reverse wingover.  On the pull out to inverted turn, the plane "went dead" feeling on the lines and hit the cement at about a 45 degree angle inverted.  In vestigation of the wreckage showed that the "wicking material" on the hinges  in the elevator separated from the plastic  (or nylon) and pulled out.   The wicking stuff stayed stuck to the wood, so it was NOT any lack of sticking on my part.   I lost a good OS LA 46, a new 5.0 oz fuel tank, and a good plane due to material failure of the supplied parts.---  NO MORE ARFs for me!!!

Bigiron

[peabody]

Hi Marv
So I guess that's a NO vote then?

[David M Johnson]

I've used them but I'll be the first to admit I'm not either a master builder nor a Competition flyer. I do use them by setting the hinge and then drilling a hole to pin them with a toothpick the toothpick is what I touch with CA so the actual hinge area never gets CA in it. Most of my planes are of the lighter profiles so advice is free and you get what you pay for.
David Johnson

[Marvin Denny]

Hi Marv
So I guess that's a NO vote then?

\

  You might come to that conclusion.  but in all fairness,  I won that plane in a raffle, corrected 16 defective items during building (assembling) and still wound up with only a smidgin over two flights.  I AM going to attempt to salvage it somehow.  I am currently rebuilding the entire nose area ?( surprisingly there was very little glue used there by the original builder.  I can rebuild the tail feathers.  I think I can cut off 1 inch of the forward end of the tank and salvage the rest by replumbing it.  Engine???  Hopefully only a new crank shaft will fix it.  OH--- new spinner too.
  I HATE throwing anything away that can be salvaged.

  Bigiron

[Frank Imbriaco]

Don't totally dismiss them.  They are well-suited for use with 1/8 " and 3/16 elevator and flap applications .

Sig and Radio South  brands are very popular with the R/C pattern crowd. Properly installed, they hold up for hundreds of flights on two meter aircraft.

My RD-1e profile has them and the controls have worked great since day one.

Granted, they're  a bit stiffer than pinned nylon hinges.

Recommend fully inserting them (with a thin "shirt pin" as a spacer in the middle) in both the movable and fixed surface, wicking with just 3 drops of super thin CA on each side, flex surface both ways 6 or 7 times and you're done. Do the tug test and you should be home free.

Just my .02 based on 40 or more R/C ships

[john e. holliday]

My bad on the ARF.   Try monokote hinges.   A search should show you how to do it.   It would be like cloth hinges, only you use an iron instead.