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Re: Building tips and hints
Wire rope is made from cold drawn strand. In the case of stainless the material's ultimate tensile strength increases from about 73ksi to about 197ksi through the drawing process. Heating the cable anneals it, returning it to it's unworked strength of about 73ksi, for a 63% reduction in strength. If you were using 3/32" stainless 7x19, you'd reduce the strength from 920# to about 341#.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Not quite sure if it's worth posting here, but this ruler is super handy for marking out tape locations. It's two inches wide, flexible, transparent, and has the centerline marked. You can just line up the centerline with the seam between the fabric reinforcement tapes, and mark a line down each side.
On one side, there is a line at 1/2 inch in too, so you can mark end ribs and false ribs with only a little more effort. Purchase link.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TR...K3Lxhf1ACLTOLo
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Re: Building tips and hints
I used something like that to layout the holes for my rib lacing also, Brian. I cut some strips out of very thin plastic and made my own... worked very well.
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Re: Building tips and hints
I bought that very same ruler; very useful thru the whole project.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Yes,very handy. I got mine at the sewing store my wife goes to.
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Re: Building tips and hints
If you are going to install a 914, don’t install the intake in the cowl to the rear right as far back as you can like the instructions say. The new oil cooler mounting location interferes with the air filter. You will have to fibre glass over the old hole and move it forward about 2.5”. Ask me how I know....
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fuselage a kitfox s5
you know how much it is worth and where I can get it fuselage a kitfox s5 and if this can be converted to tricycle
Thank you
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Re: Building tips and hints
This may have been addressed before but, it works so well, I'm going to share. I use 5 and/or 10 cc syringes to make up small quantities of epoxy. I drill out the orifice of the syringe tip to a #40 bit or 1/8". I get the syringes that come individually encased. The case works to store them when not in use. I use one for part A and one for part B and then put them away for re-use.
I draw up the required glue parts in the syringes and then squirt it into a 30 cc medicine cup. These are calibrated by 5 cc increments. These medicine cups are also great for making up small quantities of SuperFil by volume.
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Re: Building tips and hints
WARNING:
I just had another example of a terribly inaccurate Rotax analog tachometer. This example was reading very low causing the initial run and first flights for a friend of mine to over-rev the engine. No damage was done, but the tachometer was over 1000 rpm off.
IMO - Do not use a needle tachometer on a (CDI) Rotax engine without confirming that it is accurate.
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Re: Building tips and hints
The short version of this story begins with: I really don't like working in stainless. So, in a call to "Kitfox John" on another subject, I thought to ask him what he recommends for cutting the necessary holes in the firewall. His multi-part answer included reference to something called a Rotabroach. I'll admit that I've never heard of such an animal and thought that there just might be someone else in the hinterlands with my level of knowledge on such matters and I should share this tidbit. I'm telling you, this is one great tool!! I still have a love-hate relationship with stainless but am learning to live with her.
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Re: Building tips and hints
The rotabroach works good for cutting paint around painted over screws. Doesn't apply much to a kitfox though. But yes they do make a great hole.
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Re: Building tips and hints
DW,
Ah....! As soon as I saw the photo you posted, it all came back to me - I have used a device that looks just like that called a "Blair cutter" it wasn't on airplanes, but for cutting spot welds on body work on cars.
I think I might have to ressurect this so I can cut some neat holes in the bottom angle of the firewall to access the rudder torque tube bolts.
Thanks for the reminder!
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Re: Building tips and hints
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Re: Building tips and hints
Wing stands anybody? I was building specialized saw horses in preparation for mounting and rigging my wings - using a pair of saw roller stands due to the length of the 2x4s that would end up as part of the saw horses when the light came on!!! I had been researching what several had reported as their choice de jour for supporting the wings when rigging and saw the answer (for me anyhow) under the 2x4. Fully adjustable and plenty strong. Anyhow, I'm not sure I would buy them just for this but if you have em, why not. If you need them for future project, why not?
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Re: Building tips and hints
Your mind is always in the thinking mode--nice.
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Re: Building tips and hints
This is what we used when remounting my wings on my 3.
Attachment 16325
It is a Drywall Jack from Harbor Freight.
Ralph
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Re: Building tips and hints
I used that HF roller stand as the basis for my trigear tail support used when wings are folded.
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Re: Building tips and hints
I used an under hoist safety stand I got at HF. It has a pretty nice jack screw that you turn to raise and lower the wing. Not as nice as the drywall rig Ill admit.
Gary, do you think that roller stand would support the weight of a Tail wheel KF. It looks like a pretty dang good economical means of moving the tail around when pushing the plane back into a half hanger. I could secure it to a solid base board and put wheels on the board.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Eddie,
I think that I measured something less than 50 pounds at the tail skid unfueled. I'm out of town currently and do not recall what the stand was rated for, but it is much higher than that. I set the HF stand on a small HF furniture dolly (also rated a lot higher) to aid in moving the plane around. I must have the nose a couple of feet out the hangar door to get clearance for swinging the wings.
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Re: Building tips and hints
perfect, I have that dolly. checked out HF today wile picking up some split wire loom. They didn't have the stand in the store.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Another (not in the manual) way to leak check the fuel tanks.
Edit: First picture too small, added a close up.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Yep, good idea. And that obviously checks the cap seal as well....
Another idea that came from someone in my local builders group was to use Helium. Reason being is that Helium molecules are small and they will pick up the tiniest of leaks.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Hasty means for lifting a wheel.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Nice (shiny gear too), will be building one of those.
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Re: Building tips and hints
As I wait for my kit I am doing as much studying as I can in preparation for the build. I have found this forum to be particularly helpful (as I did with the Van's Forum when I was building my RV10). Since, like many, I have a good memory but it's not very long I have found as I go through tips and hints and other posts it is helpful to copy and paste ideas that I know will be useful later on. I just keep a word document open as I read on the internet and throw everything into it as I go along. Later I print a hard copy to keep in my shop without all the extraneous comments and without having to do a search.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Stellar idea and tip Bill. Also welcome aboard Bill. Enjoy the forums and the build process.
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Re: Building tips and hints
How is the best way to polish the aluminum landing gear?
Thanks,
Maverick
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Re: Building tips and hints
Take it to a professional place that polishes aluminum on transport trucks. Cheap and waaaaay cleaner
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Re: Building tips and hints
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Maverick
How is the best way to polish the aluminum landing gear?
Thanks,
Maverick
I used to have an Ercoupe that was polished.... it was a lot of work. However, try this website for guidance for how to polish and recommended products: www.perfectpolish.com. Their products and process works.
Ralph
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Re: Building tips and hints
Wish I had known about the professional outfit. I had an orbital sander/buffer. Got some sand paper at the Pep Boys Aircraft supply place. If I remember correctly I used three grades of sand paper. The finest grade was 1200. I also had an 800 but can’t recall the next one. Takes a while. Hands were numb from the buffer. If you look real close you will still find swirls from the factory sanding. The painful part is that you think the last grit has reached the depths needed only to find that when you start seeing gloss, you also see that your last run didn’t go down deep enough. So back to that grade of sandpaper and you get to work awhile longer.
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Re: Building tips and hints
Came across these nifty nylon cable brackets at the hardware store. 50 cents for the 1/2" and 25 cents for the 1/4". I was trying to route the brake lines so that they would not be rubbing up against control rods and rudder cables. These made it much easier.
Attachment 21668Attachment 21669Attachment 21670
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Re: Building tips and hints
Good idea. I think you can find those in the electrical section of Home Depot.
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Fabric shrinking is NOT two dimensional
When planning the location for anchoring cable and electrical wire runs in the fuselage I (incorrectly) thought I could lay a straight edge across two opposite longerons to check if I had enough clearance between the plane I thought the fabric would shrink too and any tie off. Hint - give yourself a pad - the fabric shrinks between (probably) four points and Murphy's law says that you won't be placing your straight edge between the two lowest.
Here's the bump in the fabric caused by a culprit I was lucky enough to be able to get to and fix - the straight edge shows (hard to see) the bump and clearance that "should" be there because the fabric is taught.
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Re: Fabric shrinking is NOT two dimensional
You don't want ANY of those hot spots. The fabric on the fuselage drums like mad in level flight and pushes in a lot depending on the angle of attack. (Sides for slips, and bottom for high-alpha.) You'll have wear strips for the tubing, but these hot spots wear like crazy and can even crack the paint, if using urethane. I had to adhere aluminum disks wherever I had tie wraps. Even the thin metal Adels would wear. I think the best way would be to run everything down the side, near the stand-offs, so the fabric can't get to them. Or maybe use string, in place of tie wraps. (What the hell's that stuff called? It's black, flat, and waxed and is what we used before tie wraps. I have a whole roll that I seldom use.)
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Re: Building tips and hints
Yes, I have a tie wrap that is just touching the fabric after shrinking. It's painted now and didn't see it beforehand but fortunately I can get to this area. One of those bothersome things that'll have to be a last minute fix and maybe those discs might be the bees knees ....
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Re: Fabric shrinking is NOT two dimensional
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Guy Buchanan
Or maybe use string, in place of tie wraps. (What the hell's that stuff called? It's black, flat, and waxed and is what we used before tie wraps.
Hi Guys and Gals - I'm new here :)
After lurking a long while and just browsing so much great info, I finally have something useful to reciprocate:
It's called Lacing Tape: there's quite a range available these days - black, white, coloured - and different materials too: nylon, polyester, nomex. Here's a couple of links:
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...acingTapes.php
http://www.is-cabletec.com/downloads...acing_Tape.pdf
Hamish Mead
Ledbury, UK
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measuring hysol
Finally Building!!
I am using 10cc syringes with the ends cut off for measuring hysol. have to be a bit patient to suck up no air, but it's working well. I just scape off any excess into the can and wipe with alcohol after use
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Re: Building tips and hints
I just installed my completed rudder for the first time and had quite the time getting the bolts in the holes but also getting the nuts and washers in place. I found a few things that helped enormously! First get a nice strong magnet for the parts you do drop, you can carefully guide them to an opening when they fall. Second, tie a loop knot to the top of the bolts and tape to the outside skin, that way when you drop it you don't have to go hunting with the magnet, and when you get it in place you can pull the knot with hemostats to release. And third, I added a tiny drip of super glue to hold the washer and nut together, then another tiny bit of super glue to glue the top edge of the nut to my finger. This allowed me to get it in place and carefully start the first thread. I used hemostats as well but this seemed more reliable.
And if you are still covering your rudder, make the access holes bigger than mine! ;) Im playing the tighten 1/10 of a turn at a time game!
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Re: Building tips and hints
Good tips Joe.
Also, I made my access holes a little larger this time. Made covers out of light aluminum that are painted the same color as the rudder . Curved them to fit the profile of the rudder leading edge and made sure they cleared the back of the tail post with full deflection of the rudder. So much easier to assemble the rudder and much more wrenching room.
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Re: Building tips and hints
I've used the super glue trick also. Another good option is a toilets wax seal. I always keep some in my toolbox. Works good in sockets also for holding nuts and bolts.