Drying Racks

[Mike Griffin]

Looking for some ways to hold components (ie.  flaps, stab, elevators etc) for them to dry after painting and before assembly.  Anyone have any pictures or descriptions or racks or holders you have made to do this?

Thanks

Mike

[Tim Wescott]

I was recently faced with that dilemma, and solved it by bending some strips of tin can into right angles and screwing them onto a random board, spaced to fit into my hinge slots.  Then I threaded the elevator that I was painting onto the strips, and painted away.

Don't try this with a whole wing, but it should work for stabs, elevators & flaps.

[Mark Scarborough]

Mike,
I use a piece of 3/4" particleboard, I make a slit in it lenghtwise on my table saw, almost all the way through, and then I use short sections of brass stock, about 1/32" thick, by 1/2" wide, and about an inch and a half long. I put the brass in the slit, and in the hinge pockets on the control surface. Then I wedge the brass into the table saw kerf with scrap balsa and a drop of CA to lock it in. I make separate pieces for each surface normally about two inches wide, that way I can spray Up onto the hinge face while painting.

[Paul Wood]

Mike,

I use the Robart hinge points, so I just drill holes in a piece of plywood that matches the spacing of the hinge holes.  I then use a piece of coat hanger wire placed into each hole of the board to hold the painting surface up about 8" when inserted into the hinge hole.  I use a separate base board for each item to be painted.  I can move each assembly to and from the paint table and avoid overspray.  I would use the same method for flat type hinges, but use a piece of metal cut from something like a tin can instead of the coat hanger.

Paul

[Bootlegger]

  Mike you might use 1/32" ply wood as "tabs" to hold the piece to paint it. Cut slots in some scrape balsa as a holder. Seems that I have read that this works.
 Keep us posted...

[Wynn Robins]

I use a corrogated carboard box and wooden meat skewers - you put the blunt end of the skewer into the flap/elevator horn hole or the slots for hinges in the stab etc - then poke the shap end into the box - you could also use foam - but the weight of the box usually stops it tipping over

[Allan Perret]

Hey Mike:   
Check out this post I did on this subject back in 2010 when I was finishing the RMD-3.  I have used them on 2 more planes since then, they work great.

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=18607.0

[keith varley]

I have used tabs of melamine (arborite counter top material) for years , and they last about forever, and are easy to clean off any old dope residue. Keith

[Randy Powell]

Well, you can go all crazy like Allan and build showpiece jigs or just build some out of scrap balsa and 1/32" plywood like I do.

[Mike Griffin]

Some great ideas here guys...thanks...seems like everyone has their own favorite method and they all work...appreciate the time you guys took for the answers...

Mike

[Joseph Patterson]

AH! Allan too purty!!
  Doug

[john e. holliday]

I like Allan's idea as it can be reused.

[Randy Powell]

The other advantage of Allan's setup is that it can hold things like flaps very straight so you don't run as much risk of painting in a warp.

[Ward Van Duzer]

Don't forget, if you are going to make permanent jigs all your hinges have to have the same spacing.

That's why I make junk jigs for each job. K & S brass strips bent and CA'd to junk balsa...


W.

[Mark Scarborough]

A@ Randy,, yeah thats one reason I used the brass strips in the hinge holes, and a solid heavy base

@ Ward,
I like the heavier base, I can spray the part without it dancing across the bench from the air pressure,, when I tried balsa it would not sit still