Esser's Build

[Geowitz]

I completely agree with Lowel. Of all the Kitfoxes in the sky over the years there hasn't been, to at least my knowledge, a single failure attributed to this kind of damage... and I bet there are a bunch of wings out there with unoticed scratches. Certainly you should check it out and make your own determination, but you may be worrying about nothing.

[jiott]

I agree with the others. I would polish it out with Scotchbrite, rubbing only in the direction of the spar.

You will still need a striker plate of some sort, even with the new SS7 door frames because the frames get covered with fabric and you don't want the door latch rubbing and fraying the fabric. Use a small piece of U channel over the fabric, or a full length U channel that will also act as a scuff guard.

Jim

[Esser]

Thanks for all your input everyone. After talking with my quality control department at work they said the best bet is to remove the scratch by sanding so there are no stress points and then bobs your uncle.

[jiott]

Do not use sandpaper, especially the kind with silica grit or something-check the Builder's Tips section in the front of the manual before you do anything.

Jim

[cap01]

i can understand the part about polishing out the scratch but dont know how to " bobs your uncle "?

[Esser]

Must be a Canadian saying. Bob's your uncle is usually said when you conclude a simple task or set of instructions.

As for the actually sanding of the spar, I was going to see how far I could get with a scotch pad.

[cap01]

really a good idea not to use sandpaper . there are scotch-bright disks that are on a mandril for use with a drill motor and also brightboy wheels that are used with a drill motor . depending on the damaged area it could take a very long time or never with a pad to remove the scratch . bob the uncle .

[Esser]

So I havent been very diligent in my build the past bit. I'm hoping to start rigging the wings tomorrow. I tried my hand at superfil and I kinda super sucked at it. I put too much so I had to sand a lot but i still managed to get low spots, must have been air pockets or something. Natalie started make wing stands for when we work on the wings more from plans we got from Tom Waid of his site.


Nat making wing stands

Fabricated the hinge parts for the door. Was pretty easy with just a hack saw.

Superfil Sanding


Natalie had to fly her plane to Athens during the week and got stuck there for 3 days....I should have been a pilot.


Getting ready to level the plane for rigging the wings. 2 - 2t bottle jacks which i drilled holes into and tapped to 5/16. I then cut 5/16 threaded rod long enough for the rod to go through the landing gear hole. So now my bottle jack is bolted to the plane for stability. The jacks cost me $15 each a princess auto. Should be faily easy to level.

[Dave Holl]

I have found that you can smooth down the superfil before it sets too hard with IPA and that reduces the sanding!

[Esser]

Hey Dave, thanks for the tip. The next time i used it I was going to let it set up a bit before I applied it. What exactly is IPA? I see you are in London, Natalie was in Stansted last night.