Building tips and hints

[jtpitkin06]

The same questions keep coming up on the forum so it might be helpful to post your builders tips. Tell us about any homemade jigs or tools. And if you have the courage, tell us about your errors and how you corrected them.Potential construction pitfalls.

While building the Kitfox, I noted a few areas that can lead to problems later in construction, and a few areas that could have been a lot easier with just a little clarity.

I’m sure others have some great tips, so jump in here and share them with those about to embark on the journey.

There are so many things to cover it is not possible to put them all in a single post. Instead, I’ll add to it every few days or so. I hope you'll do the same.


Installing elevator bushings--- Reaming the elevator bushing sockets is tough. You can get the reamer in position but there is no room for a chuck handle. You’ll need a small wrench to turn it. That is a bit awkward. Try using a 1/4 inch drive ratchet with a square drive socket on the reamer. A short extension with a U-joint will give you room to turn the reamer and it will avoid turning the reamer in reverse. (Turning a reamer backwards will quickly dull it.) Some of my bushings were oversize and would not fit in the reamed holes. Put a sacrificial nut and bolt through the bushing and chuck it in a drill press. Hold a file against the bushing as it spins to reduce the size. To press the bushings in the stab sockets use a C clamp. Do not beat on the bushings with a mallet.

To drill out the 3/16 inch (0,187”) holes in the elevator and many of the fuselage tabs get a 24 inch long drill bit at Home Depot found in the electrical section. You can reach into spots not possible with a regular drill bit and motor. You can even flex the bit to drill around slight bends. The long drill bit is about $5 and invaluable for those hard to reach spots.


General tips on Hysol – Cheap veterinarian syringes make good applicators for Hysol. They can be purchased at most farm and ranch supply stores for about 50 cents each. They come in several sizes. The best ones for gluing are the type that use press on needles. The screw-on needle type nozzle is too wide to get in tight spots. To allow the thick Hysol to flow through the nozzle better, drill the tip to a larger opening. I buy 10 or so at a time and drill all the tips at once. Load the syringe using Popsicle sticks. To make nice looking fillets use a plastic soda straw dipped in denatured alcohol to smooth out the adhesive. Note on Hysol: Keep the lid closed as much as possible. The white colored part will granulate if exposed to air for extended periods.


Bonding preparation – Do not skip this step or your bonds may fail. Scrub all areas to be bonded with a Scotchbrite pad and clean with denatured alcohol. Especially clean and scrub powder coated items.


Flox or Micro balloons? What's the difference? -- Both thicken up the Hysol so it doesn't run or sag during application. Flox does not appreciably reduce the strength. Micro balloons add air and do reduce the strength. So use flox for strength where the glue might sag or run. Use micro balloons to make "Bondo."



Coming soon.... those $%^&* rudder torque tubes and how to deal with them.


John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[rogerh12]

Great tips !!!!

Regarding the elevator bushing bearing stock. I cut mine to lenth and then put them in the freezer overnight. This makes them shrink and toughen up enough to allow them to be tapped into the metal bushing housings (I filed one end of the busings to bit of a point to help the process). Once, installed, I bored them out using a 12 inch flex-o-shaft on my drill. Drill bits with a 1/4" hex socket fit on the end of the shaft and lets me drill the bushings out to size.

Hope this helps

Roger

[jtpitkin06]

When trimming fiberglass, stretch a line of blue masking tape along the scribe line. It’s easy to see and you can sand to the taped line after the rough cut is made. This works well on the seat pan, cowling, glare shield, windshield.


It's especially helpful when laying out curved cut lines like the cowling flange.


JP

[jtpitkin06]

Those #@$%^& rudder torque tubes. --

The rudder torque tubes are quality products. Recent improvements have added gussets to prevent failures. However, getting them to fit and rotate smoothly can be a problem.
The tubes fit together fine until you add the bushings. Then things start to bind. Check the tubes for straightness. Also use a rod on the inside of the outer tube to check for welding sags or bumps.
A long rat tail file can help smooth the internal bumps. Some builders have reported success with a wooden dowel wrapped with sandpaper.
One of my torque tubes was badly warped. I finally stripped the powder coating and heated the weldment with a torch to straighten it.
spend some time on the torque tubes to get them perfect. Any drag on the assembly will be worse when you load it up with foot pressures.
John Pitkin
Greenville,TX

[jtpitkin06]

Walking around the fuselage to get hardware from stock can require hundreds of trips. Why not bring the stock room to you?

I made this rolling parts bin from two wall shelving units bolted back to back. They are from Harbor Freight and set me back about $60 each on sale. I added a plywood top with fiddles to keep things from rolling off the top. On the bottom I attached four swiveling casters, also from Harbor Freight.

The bin rolls easily around the shop and it saves countless steps. I use the top shelf as a tool tray to keep reamers, taps and drill bits close at hand.

I labeled the bins with strips of white plastic electrical tape marked with a super fine felt pen. The tape just peels off when I need to relabel a bin. The bins hook on the shelves and are easy to rearrange for sequential part numbering and sorting.

Right now is it exclusively Kitfox parts and hardware. When the aircraft is done I'll have a nice roll around bin for the next project.


John

[hansedj]

Great idea I like it...

[jtpitkin06]

When mixing small batches of Hysol, epoxy or two part fillers, I like to use paper cups. The hot drink type without the wax coating works best.

I cut the cups with scissors at an angle prior to use. the angle cut allows easier access for the stirring stick and keeps the product off my fingers.

If desired, I fold over the pointed high side and use it for a handle.

My favorite mixing paddle is a tongue depressor. I cut the end square with scissors so it will get into the corner of the mixing cup.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[jtpitkin06]

Those dang solvent can caps.


I’m sure everyone has used one of these cans with plastic snap caps. They are a pain in the cartouche to open requiring a screw driver almost every time. Soon the pry tab breaks off and it’s a bear to get the can open.

Push a drywall nail through the cap to make a tiny hole. When you need some thinner or solvent just pick up the can and squirt out what you need.

You can use the nail as a plug, if you like, but I found the hole is small enough to prevent noticeable evaporation even over extended periods.

[Lion8]

Paint runs? When I was restoring old cars, I would on occasion, get a run in the paint. As soon as I saw it, I put the gun down, get my 2" masking tape that I have attached to my hip, pull a piece about 10" long. Sticky side towards the run, make a loop in the tape(omega sign). Gently make contact with the tape to the middle of the run and let the tape splay out to the ends of the run. Gently reverse this by pulling slowly back. The tape will lift the run. Let it set up a minute or so then give one or two short hits from the gun. The fresher the paint, the more success you will have. Lion 8, form Southern N.J.

[jtpitkin06]

RE: Paint runs and sags

Thanks Tom!!! (Lion8)


I have to admit, I didn’t think this would work as well as it does.

I decided to give it a try. I primed an empty Dr. Pepper can (we’re in Texas). I purposely sprayed until the primer ran, then pulled out a length of tape and mashed it onto the run. Much of the paint was picked up by the tape but it did lift the run. The surface didn’t look that great with a sort of mottled appearance , but it was flat. I waited a couple of minutes and hit it with a few fresh shots. To my surprise, the primer blended well and produced a usable surface.

So on to the next test… I shot some color on the can and made a saggy run. This time I let it sit for a bit as you might do when painting, not discovering the run until it’s almost too late. Out came the masking tape. It once again lifted the run and much of the surrounding paint. Without further prep I shot on a few short sprays and the paint blended and leveled out. Presto! The run was gone.

Just for fun I tried the technique with drywall tape instead of masking. It worked, but not as well. Something about the adhesive and sticky surface that makes masking tape the material of choice.

This is a great tip!
First photo shows the run area after daubing with the tape. Second photo is after re-spray. Not bad!!!

[Lion8]

Thanks for the nice review John. I hope I've redeemed myself for snapping at the McBeam's for not giving up drawings for an engine mount I needed. They,
you and everyone here at this site are nice people willing to offer some valued help. Hope everyone can use this tip
In my area, there is a family of Kitfox's and Avids growing. . -Tom from N.J.

[jtpitkin06]

Setting Pop Rivets

Sometimes a pop rivet is a bit tight and doesn’t set all the way in the hole leaving the rivet head slightly proud.

Use a short length of brass tubing as a setting tool. The tube slips over the pop rivet shank A light tap with a mallet drives the rivet home without knocking the shank out the back side or damaging the rivet head.

John

[jtpitkin06]

Wire ties


Sometimes you need to snug up a wire bundle to hold things in place, but have plans of adding more wires to the same bundle. I’ve tried leaving the ties a bit loose but that creates a problem of sloppy looking wire harness with loops and sags. If you zip the ties up tight to get a nice looking harness you must cut off the previously installed ties to add new wiring. That wastes a lot of wire ties.


I use a technique of temporarily installing wire ties backwards. That way the bundle can be snugged up for proper routing. There’s just enough friction to hold things in place but the tie can be loosened or removed for additional wiring.



Ties installed backwards may be readjusted dozens of times. I use yellow colored ties to remind me which ones are temporary and installed backwards or purposely leave the tail long to indicate it is a temp tie.

JP

[colospace]

John, you stated "To press the bushings in the stab sockets use a C clamp. Do not beat on the bushings with a mallet."
Did you use the recommended Loctite 680 Retaining Compound? The tech info with that product states to apply to both surfaces and "assemble with high press rates". I have managed to install 3 of the 7 so far, but for 2 of the 3 I had to resort to a small hammer against a backing plate to get the final 1/8" or so. It seems the RC680 sets up really fast. No way would I be able to use a C-clamp fast enough. I used a Vise Grip 11R on my third one to get most of the way quickly after making sure the bushing/bearing was starting square. The aft center location looks like it will be really tough due to the decreased accessibility between the ribs.
I would be very interested in hearing your (and others) thoughts and experience on this step.

[szicree]

I used threaded rod with nuts and washers on each end. No trouble at all.

[jtpitkin06]

Stabilizer Bushings

Yes, I used 680 Loctite when installing the stab bushings. After reaming the sockets a few of the bushings were still very tight. I used a bolt and nut through the middle of the bushing to chuck it in a drill motor. Holding a file against the outside barrel of the bushing I removed a bit of material to have a nice firm press fit without forcing. [I have a lathe, but this was quicker]

I smeared the 680 on and pressed the bearings in using the c clamp method.

The suggestion to use threaded rod or bolt with washers and nuts is a great tip, too! I like it better in that it keeps the bushings aligned as they press into place. More than one way to skin an empenage!

The problem with beating on the bushings is they get deformed and will require redrilling and reaming back to size.

A note on Loctite 680... if you haven't used this stuff before you're in for a surprise. It is not like other Loctite products that set in hours. This 680 goo is FAST. You get about 15 to 30 seconds and in some cases less. It is also pretty permanent. Once set, it takes a lot of heat to break the bond.

JP

[Dorsal]

A building tip I picked up somewhere that makes dealing with Adel clamps less annoying. Using pliers (or vice grips if you don't have a helping hand) to hold the clamp together put a small piece of safety wire around the base of the clamp. This tend to make the clamp loose enough to move yet easy to assemble. I recently swapped out the autopilot servos and they are mounted with Adel clamps which where a huge PITA. I put safety wire on the clamps before disassembling them and putting the new servos in was a snap.

[colospace]

John,
Your right about the 680 setting fast!! :eek:
I like the bolt/nut or rod idea, but think I would be too slow with that, like I am with the C-clamp.
I am debating installing the bearing half-way dry and then applying the 680 to the two surfaces that remain exposed. Seems I could get it pressed on fully quickly enough although I would in effect have only applied 680 to one surface of each end. For what it is worth, Loctite specifies applying to only one surface for a shrink fit application (where the other surface will be heated prior to installation).

[colospace]

Just a follow-up to my last post. I just talked with tech support at Loctite. They said that the working time for the 680 should be on the order of 10 minutes!!
They could provide no explaination for why I am observing significantly less, but did note that lower temperatures should allow more working time. My work area has been no more than 72 degrees for this though.

[Esser]

Hello John, great bunch of tips. I am just setting up shop as I patiently wait for my kit. I have already jumped on your parts bin idea. There was one on sale that was already on casters and two sided at princess auto. The Canadian equivilant to harbor freight i think.

Just a quick question. You bring up the use of a drill press a lot in your posts. I intentionally bought the prefabbed parts option so I would avoid buying tools like that. Would you say if a person didn't have to fabricate all the parts that he should still have a drill press, table grinder/belt sander. etc? Here is a picture of the prefabbed parts I ordered.
http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/images/Web%20Pics/pre-fab%20kit%20-%20web.jpg

[jrevens]

I can't imagine building an airplane, prefabbed parts or not, without a drill press, belt sander/grinder, & a lot of other tools, although I suppose it can be & is done by some.

[jiott]

Yes, you would be way ahead of the game if you had a drill press, even with the prefab parts. Wait until you try to drill a 1/16" hole thru the side of a 1/4" pin (x3) with a hand drill! There are many, many holes to drill that are much easier and accurately done on a drill press. It doesn't need to be a large industrial type, just a small bench top type is fine.

Jim

[Esser]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm not scared to spend the money on the proper tools. The major reason I went prefab was to save time since that is what I have the least of. I jsut thought I might not need it still. But now that I know I'll keep my eyes peeled for some good sales.

[jtpitkin06]

Drill press tips



Having a drill press is in my opinion essential for building an airplane. You just can’t get the accuracy drilling even the simplest of holes with a hand held drill motor. Yes you need a hand held drill motor, too.


For a budget minder builder a bench top drill press will do fine. Even the smaller ones in the 8 to 10 inch class will do 90 percent of the jobs. Prices at the import stores are under $80 for a small one. That’s a small investment when compared to the price of the aircraft. And… you’ll own it when the airplane is complete. Of course, a larger floor model will have the advantage of power and many more speeds. Floor models are about $250 and up. Fast spindle speed is not needed. Slow is better. Look for ones with slowest spindle speeds lower than 200 RPM.



Throat depth is not that important. Rarely do you need to drill in the center of a large piece. Most of the time you drill near the edges.


If your drill press is a smaller version, clamp or screw on a larger plywood table for added stability. It's amazing how just an extra foot will help support your workpiece.


Always bolt the drill press down to the bench or to the floor. I know it seems sturdy but the first time it starts to tip over when you are drilling is too much excitement for the average shop. It's easy to drill two holes in concrete floors with a masonry bit, slap in a couple of anchors [Hilti bolts] and your in business. If you decide to move the tool or wish to clean under it, just unbolt it.


Clamp a board on the drill press table as a fence and you can drill perfectly lined up holes in a row without the bit wandering. [Door frames and Plexiglas.]



Cut a “V” shape into a 2x4 to use as a steady rest for drilling tubing and rods. Always use a center punch for a starter divot when drilling rod stock.


If your chuck is a screw-on type (most of the smaller ones are) Use the drill press as a vertical drum sander. A 2 inch diameter sanding drum to fit 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch chucks is available at most woodworking supplies. It is perfect for smoothing edges on sheet metal.



Clamp a plastic coffee mug to the drill press column to use as a catch all for drill bits and the chuck key. A hose clamp or bungee through the finger grip works well.



LED flashlights make inexpensive work lights. They sell for $3 or $4 and come with batteries!



Keep some cutting oil in a used Visine bottle. Just a drop makes a huge difference in speed and a straighter hole, too.


Many drill presses have lousy drive belts that cause them to shake like ten year old washing machine. Replace the v belt with a Power-twist segmented belt.(Rockler.com) You'll be amazed at how quiet and smooth it will run. Pricey belts but worth it


A circular fly cutter for wood will cut nice large diameter holes in sheet aluminum. Make sure the metal is firmly clamped. Use a wood back up board, run at the slowest spindle speed and proceed VERY SLOWLY.
_____________________


Things not to do with a drill press...


Never leave the key in the chuck unless you like flying chuck key demonstrations. [yeah, I've field tested that, too.]



Do not use a sanding drum or end mills in chucks that use a MT or Jacobs taper mount, they will pop out when you least expect it.

Never hold sheet metal with your hand while drilling. The bit can grab the workpiece then slice and dice. [Ugly red color follows.] Always use a clamp or drilling vise.

I'm sure the readers have more tips.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[jiott]

The other power tool you must have is a Dremel tool with an assortment of cut-off disks, grinding and sanding drums, metal cutters, etc. You will use this tool endlessly.

Jim

[Esser]

I ended up picking a used floor standing drill press for $200 I'm going to take up your advice and pick up a new belt for it to smooth out some of the vibration on the motor.

I do have a pneumatic die grinder which is the same size as a hand held dremel that I was planning on using. After I had $2000 bucks of eletric power tools stolen I've been slowly replacing my collection with air powered tools.

[Jbonewitz]

Here's a tip to determine where to cut the hole in your lower cowl for the exhaust stack exit. The problem is a typical "Catch 22". You can't mount the muffler with an uncut cowl in place, and without the muffler in place, you have no idea where to mark the cowl.

Raise the tail on a stand and chock the wheels. Get yourself two pieces of PVC pipe, one that slips over the exhaust stack, and another small enough to slip inside the larger pipe and slide telescope style. Now, mount the muffler and attach the larger PVC pipe to the exhaust stack. Next, slide the smaller pipe downward until it touches the hangar floor, and glue it in place with a glob of hot melt. Now sliding the larger tube down out of the way, remove the muffler, reattached the cowl and slide the PVC pipe back up until it touched the bottom of the cowl. Draw around the pipe where it meets the cowl, and presto! You've got a perfectly marked cowl.

[HighWing]

Not a must have, but without a doubt the most frequently used tool I own is the expander wheel from Eastwood. It mounts on a typical bench grinder motor. It is very useful for deburring outside edges on tubing, fittings or sheet metal. I will also use it to debur holes in steel. The bands last almost forever and the older they are, the finer the finish on the metal. I've had mine for almost thirty years. Vhttp://www.eastwood.com/expander-wheel.html

[jtpitkin06]

Aileron control rod protection

There are a few reports of seat pans cracking at the front lip. To prevent the seat from dropping and possibly interfering with the aileron push rod many builders install wood supports. The supports are sized to just touch the bottom of the seat pan. By bonding to the frame instead of the seat pan, control rod clearance can be checked when making rigging changes.

I installed supports on both sides of the control rod and on both left and right seats. The supports take most of the pressure off the front lip of the seat pan which should prevent cracking.

Even if the seat breaks, it will not contact the control rod.


John Pitkin
Greenville, Texas

[jtpitkin06]

Wire Chase

Feeding wires from the instrument panel to the aft fuselage is a challenge. There is very little room in the center cockpit tunnel with few places to tie anything. Make a chase to keep the wires safely away from control cables and levers.

A sturdy and inexpensive chase is made from thin wall 1 ¼ inch pvc pipe. Make V cuts in the pipe where you needed to make turns leaving a small PVC “hinge”. The hinge keeps the pipe pieces aligned. The best way to close and bond the joints is to use 2 inch Polyfiber tape and glue it down with Polytack. The bond works almost instantly and it is hard as a baseball bat in about 15 minutes.

The 1 ¼ inch pipe has room for lots of wires and coax with room to spare. The inside is smooth without ridges so wires pass though with ease.

Make oval shaped openings in the pipe where wires need to break out of the bundle.


It's best to run the chase on the left side of the tunnel. You will need to dip down a bit to clear the seat pan and then com back up to just left of the rudder cable sheaves.


John Pitkin
Greenville, Texas

Here's the chase before installation. This one has five joints to snake around frame tubing. The opening int the pipe is for the trim control wiring.

[jtpitkin06]

1 X 19 SS cable.

When routing Stainless steel cable though eyelets and guides the ends have a tendency to fray. Stop the fraying with a few drops of super glue on the end to keep the individual wires in place. Wipe the end after you apply the glue to smooth the wires.

To cover the ends of wires to guard against "meat hooks" use heat shrink tubing. But what do you do if you already have a ferrule crimped in place? A simple solution is to coat the exposed wire end with hot melt glue. It forms a nice smooth coating that can be molded when it cools a bit. Or simply heat the glue witha heat gun to smooth out any strings or blobs.

[DanB]

Good tip John,
Another one that a few of us in the Phx area have used for a wire chase is the 1" drip irrigation hose. It is usually black with a blue stripe, very light and quite flexible.

[HansLab]

Rib stitching is not too hard for itself: it is more or less a therapy IF you get the hold on it! And since there are several YouTube films on the internet (and the FAA-films, not to forget) i had lots of help from them.
But most of my learning-process was done on a practice-board: just tie your knots, starterknot, modified- and endknot - and see how it looks!!

[n85ae]

Learn a few simple knots, like a clove hitch, half hitch, etc. Get yourself a roll
of rib lacing cord, and free yourself those nasty nylon cable ties forever.
Much better way to tie wire bundles.

Here's a link to some pics, examples, etc:

http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/cable_lace/cable_lace.html

Jeff Hays

[Dave Holl]

Thats the way us professionals do it!!!!;)
Whats more when you get good at it it is quicker too and you dont cut your hands behind the panel!!!!

[MotReklaw]

I use an Olfa Knife to cut aluminum sheet. It works very well on the thinner aluminum sheets. I've actually used it to cut 12' lengths of .016, .020, .025, and .032 sheets. It's a tool for cutting countertops but works well for aluminum. I've used this tool to help build 3 homebuilts.

[DanB]

That is a great tip...one that I have used many times in the glazing trade. To describe how the cut is made, take a straight edge and clamp it along the line to cut. Make several passes along the line until you guestimate you are about half way through. Then just bend at the score line a few times until it breaks.
This proceedure is used extensively to make straight cuts on plastic sheeting (plexi, acrylic, etc) as well.

Interesting how many of us picked up tips from the "ole timmers" years ago, made them a practice in our work, and never think to share with others as it just doesn't come up. Makes one wonder how many tips/techniques have been lost because of this.
Good thread :cool:

[MotReklaw]

Thanks for filling in the details Dan. I guess we all got little tips we can pass along. The is a good place to put them, isn't it?

[Dick B in KY]

This is in reply to Jbonewitz suggestion on locating the exhaust cutout in lower cowling. I just tried his method on my SuperSport and it works perfectly for locating the exhaust pipe hole location. Everything works as advertised and is a very simple process. Thanks for the info.

Dick B

[DesertFox4]

Thanks to a suggestion from Dick B in KY , I just made the "Building tips and hints" a "Sticky" so it can easily be found now at the top of the General discussion page.
No need to use the search feature now if a new post hasn't been added under this subject heading in a few days.
Thanks to all who contribute their experiences so others may enjoy their builds and finished aircraft even more.:)

[DanB]

As I was setting up my garage I was building a peg hole cabinet and landed on an idea to make rather simple shelves like this... http://www.azshowersolutions.com/Shop3.html
Dan

[MotReklaw]

Thanks to a suggestion from Dick B in KY , I just made the "Building tips and hints" a "Sticky" so it can easily be found now at the top of the General discussion page.


Thanks for that. I have a little problem navigating on this link. So much info here.

TW

[jtpitkin06]

Spray Lube Nozzles

Those skinny tubes that come with spray lubricants often pop out and find their way into an invisible hole. I discovered they have less of a tendency to pop out if you cut them in half. Perhaps it's because it doesn't bump into so many things on the workbench. The shorter spray nozzle works fine for reaching into most locations. I save the other half when I lose one.

After cutting with scissors, poke a needle into the end to open the hole and improve the spray action.

After a few cans with modified nozzles I find I have extras for when I need the full length.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[DesertFox4]

One of our site sponsors, SteinAir ,out of Farmington Minnesota, has produced videos for builders that are available on their website. Visit SteinAir periodically for new videos. Current videos available are about hand tools used during aircraft electrical work, wire terminals used in experimental aircraft and a basic overview of connectors. Browse his site for all kinds of great products for Kitfox building. Remember to support our site sponsors and tell them you saw their adds here on TeamKitfox.

[jtpitkin06]

Milling Machines

Make friends with a mill owner. Somewhere in your area is a hobbyist who owns a vertical mill. The owner may be a motorhead, a tool junkie or a retired machinist. In any case, it’s to your advantage to be on a first name basis. Most home shop mill owners are happy to show you how to machine parts.

Vertical mills can make short work of otherwise difficult tasks. The accuracy of milling machines is fantastic.

Here’s a milling operation cutting a bird mouth in the spar inserts. This job would take a lot of elbow grease with a hacksaw and files. It took less than five minutes on the mill.

Ask around and you’ll be surprised how many private machine shops are tucked in garages and barns.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[MotReklaw]

Here's a tool you can use to quickly shape aluminum sheet metal, especially when you have curves. I've used it on long sheets too, but on the Kitfox most of the aluminum skins are fairly short. The tool shown here is made from a standard vixen file, used by body shops in shaping bondo-ed surfaces. It works on the thicker aluminum parts too. There's almost no final dressing when you finish contouring with the Vixen file.

[jtpitkin06]

Making Rudder Cables –( Model 7 with foot wells.)

The Kitfox does not use turnbuckles for matching the rudder cable lengths. If a thimble is swaged on a rudder cable out of position, one pedal will be ahead of the other when the rudder is neutral. Here is how to get them perfectly aligned.

When you are ready to swage the thimbles on the rudder cables, clamp everything in position. Clamp a board across the forward fuselage to hold the rudder pedals even with the firewall. The foot pedal springs should be installed on the adjuster pulleys to keep tension on the assembly. Clamp another board and shims to hold the rudder in line with the vertical stab.

Plan on swaging the full length master cables first. When the master cables are taut, you can follow with the co-pilot spliced cables.

Take up any slack in one cable and clamp it just aft of a fairlead near the rudder. A quick clamp or vise grips work well. [refer to picture 1]

Now to crimp the thimbles. Hold a thimble between the rudder horn links and insert a bolt through the links and thimble. No need to attach a nut as you will remove it in a few minutes. Pass the cable through a Nicopress sleeve, then around a thimble, then back through the Nicopress sleeve. Take up any slack in the cable. Next make an index mark on the cable and the loose end next to each other. Use a red felt pen for marking. Black on stainless cables is hard to see. [ refer to picture 2]

Now remove the thimble bolt. The cable will be easier to swage without having to hold all of the pieces in tension. Line up your index marks and slide the Nicopress sleeve as close to the thimble as you can. This ensures the thimble stays captive on the cable. Slide your Nicopress tool onto the sleeve. Just before you compress the sleeve, double check the index marks. [refer to picture 3]

If you mark things carefully you can get the rudders matched within 1/8 inch.

When you do the co-pilot cables, attach the full length cables to the rudder to keep tension on the cables. Once again, use a red pen to make reference marks.

John Pitkin

[szicree]

I don't have the manual in front of me, but I seem to remember being told not to swage the aft cable ends until after fabric. I assumed this was to avoid a large hole in the fabric.

[jtpitkin06]

Rudder cables - Before or after covering - All Models

The manual says to wait until after covering to swage your rudder cables, without explanation. I don't think it makes any difference. The rudder cable thimbles are small and a piece of reinforcement tape over a small slit in the fabric is hardly going to be noticeable under a cable. If you install fairleads at the cable exit points, they will cover the slits.

Also, if you are re-covering an aircraft, you wouldn't toss out the existing rudder cables and make new ones just because they had swaged ends. You would simply simply work around them.

To avoid getting any of the finishing materials on the cables, just tape the ends and retract the cables into the fuselage as far as they will go. Cover and spray normally.

JP

[DanB]

Making Rudder Cables –( Model 7 with foot wells.)

The Kitfox does not use turnbuckles for matching the rudder cable lengths.

John Pitkin


Correction...The Kitfox kit does not come with turnbuckles. They are, however, a nice upgrade. Several folks use them as they are a handy addition. :rolleyes:

[jtpitkin06]

Swaging Rudder Cables - Model 7 and maybe some others.

Correction:
The Kitfox [kit] does not use[a] turnbuckle [in the standard package of parts for the Model 7SS with adjustable rudder pedals option] for matching rudder cable lengths [because, in this builder’s opinion, it would only be used once, never being adjusted again during the life of the cables, add unnecessary weight and expense of two turnbuckles, four thimbles, four sleeves; and, add potential failure points.]



So, if you might have difficulty swaging the cables at the proper length read my previous post [at your discretion] prior to swaging the cable ends. It may, or may not, be helpful.


If you do decide to add a turnbuckle on the Model 7SS [with adjustable rudder pedal option], note that you will [likely] only require one turnbuckle per side. The springs on the adjustable pedals [are supposed to, i think] hold the cable tension.



A single turnbuckle on each side, pilot and passenger, may be used to match all four pedal positions to the others [You may use more turnbuckles if you wish if you like the look but they are not needed]. At least one turnbuckle must be located forward of the “Y” in either cable in order to be able to match both sets of pedals unless you don't care about the person, or animal in the other seat.



Please note that all tips posted here, by me, are for your amusement and reading pleasure only and in no way should be considered as instructions of how to build an airplane, car or boat. The use of any of my building tips for anything other than a doghouse without signed authorization is not permitted and may result in injury, illness and/or death.


I hope this clears up my previous posting.


Thank you,
John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[DanB]

I suppose when reading these tips one should take into consideration which model ( if applicable) is being referred to. In this case, the building world I float around in is the IV and John the SS. It sounds to be big differences in the way the cables are run between the two. For me, The turnbuckels were (in my opinion) a good addition to the IV. I also have the tabs with different holes for position attached to the peddals, but liked the added adjustment to include the buckels. They were added aft just before rudder attachment and have already proven to be an asset in adjustment of the peddals and or tension. I believe the V thru SS all have the pedal adjustment (didn't think of that). Guess I should withhold correction statements for at least 0600 hrs and not 0400 ;)

[jtpitkin06]

Swaging Rudder Cables - Model 7 and maybe others.

Yep, the cable routing is different on 7's with the optional adjustable rudder pedals.So is the tensioning method. But one thing is constant. Swaging those cable ends is a lot easier if you clamp and mark the cables first.

I really like Dan's tip that got buried in his reply. Put multiple holes in the cable end links. You might consider making the links longer to accommodate 2 more holes. It's a lot cheaper to make new links than to purchase new cables if you already swaged the ends and things aren't perfect.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[Dorsal]

For doing the cables I used two of the temporary cables clamps shown per side. This was after painting and all else was done and allowed me to check rudder alignment, full travel clearance and the adjustable peddle range. As a result of doing this I turned my break cylinders 90 deg to get more leg room and was confident of the setup once I got to swaging. When I had the setup I liked I marked the cables with a sharpie (as John did) which has the added benefit of providing an easy visual inspection for pre-flight (I covered the free tails with clear heat shrink).

[HighWing]

I would like to comment on Dan's post. It is a fact that we builders have a world of help in mind when we repond to posts or make suggestions. On another forum as I type this is a note responding to a charging issue with a Rotax 912 UL with a lengthy post on alternator issues - copy/pasted- "Another thing that can generally go wrong with the alternator is the field coil can burn open". Sorry, but as this Rotax doesn'st have the optional alternator - no field coil, so what's the point. These posts are not helpful and don't necessarily refect well on the poster. I have also read posts which clearly stated aircraft model and engine type and responses not applicable to either and then follow up questions asking exactly what this or that are you having problems with. I would like to kindly suggest that when responding, we read carefully the questioning note and reply when our experience or expertise is applicable or at least type a short disclaimer indicating that the first post has been read, i.e., Never seen a Kitfox, but my MaxoStrato does this when I do that. Also, and this may sound a bit whiney, but the fact I am building a Model IV and like Dan am soundly in the IV world should in no way diminish my feeling of welcome on the forum. But when many build questions seem to be answered (without thought) from the Super Sport manual, as if the very latest info. is surely the best info., the forum does tend to sound a bit exclusive to me or maybe, more accurately, a tad dismissive.

Submitted Respectfully,
Lowell
Model IV-1200 Rotax 912UL 900 hours over nine years, Lancair IV 2-1/2 years build experience full time - to completion, Kitfox V Outback six months - to completion, Model IV-1200 Rotax 912UL 3 years almost almost finished

[jtpitkin06]

Making bushings – All Models


My seat belts get attached to the airframe with AN4 bolts through 1/4 inch holes. However, the belts come with 3/8 inch holes. I needed reducer bushings not included in the kit hardware package.What to do?


I had some left over scraps of 3/8 inch aluminum tubing. Using a pipe cutter I sliced off a short length of tubing and sanded the cut ends. Voila! A perfect bushing seen here inserted into the seat belt end.

Cost = zero


John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[jtpitkin06]

Epoxy Thickener –all models


Sometimes you find a combination by accident. This was one of those times.
I was needing some epoxy thickener to use as a filler. I was out of flox and micro-balloons so I looked around the shop for something that might work. I’ve used sawdust in the past but the mixing is not consistent. Sawdust is not uniform in size.
So, on a whim, I mixed up a test sample of epoxy and added shredded toilet paper. I was surprised to see the paper dissolve almost immediately into tiny fibers. The tissue fibers soaked up the resin and wetted out like chopped fiberglass.
When the test sample hardened, it was extremely strong and very hard.
Using toilet paper for epoxy thickener turned out to be a royal flush!


John Pitkin

[jiott]

Epoxy Syringe-all models

I have found that I can use the plastic syringe that Kitfox sells over and over again-have been using one now for 20 or more times. I just leave a little in the bottom (not too much) and let it set up. Then I use a flattened off nail that just fits inside the spout and smack it with a hammer from the outside. The setup epoxy breaks loose in the spout and also the small plug left in the bottom and can easily be pulled out. A small penknife easily breaks loose whats left on the plunger and whats left inside the barrel is also easily scraped out. It only takes a few minutes and allows me to use the syringe for most of the glue application-way easier than trying to spread it on with a popsicle stick or an acid brush.

Jim

[HighWing]

While wiring my first Model IV, I read a suggestion to label the wires using white heat shrink and fine line colored magic markers to encode the wire numerically with the electronics guys resister codes. I liked the idea and it looked good until I found that over time the colors would fade and tracing wires was a little more difficult. It also required a code sheet for identifying what coded number meant what circuit. This time I am using typed strips under clear heat shrink with a white heatshrink strain relief underneath. Maybe not as pretty, but bulletproof and quick when tracing circuits. One side benefit is that it requires a bit of attention to detail which helps eliminate wiring errors. So far so good in that arena.

[Av8r3400]

Lowell, plus one on that idea. Absolutely awesome!!

(I think they look great, too.)

[DesertFox4]

You can also use a label maker like a Brothers http://www.ptouchdirect.com/ set on a small font and then use Lowell's method of clear shrink wrapping. More expensive than making them on the computer at home but may be handy if you are wiring out at your hangar and don't have a computer or printer available or you have to make a change to your wiring system.

Our sponsor SteinAir carries several sizes of the clear shrink tubing if you have trouble finding it locally.

[dholly]

There has been some thread chatter lately on clamps potentially working loose. A fellow Avid builder got me into the habit of safe tying radiator, fuel and other 'critical' hose clamps. SafeClamps also reduce the inclination to automatically and unnecessarily tighten clamps; over-tightening of hose clamps is a common mistake that leads to premature failure. Extra work, but time well spent IMHO.

[Dave S]

Other threads have covered fuel system testing, etc.; however, while building I wanted to get some idea how much fuel had to be in the wing tanks to supply the header tank with a measured amount of nose down.

Our front driveway is brick cobbles so it was a simple matter to pull some bricks, dig a hole for the nose gear, measure the deck angle then fill/drain/measure the tanks.

The attached photo is with a 10 degree nose down which resulted in a minimum of 6 gallons on each side for the fuel to be available to the header (That's on this particular series 7 trigear - sure it is different for other builds and models). In reality nobody is likely to hold that position in flight long enough to exhaust the header - but I wanted to have some facts to deal with. Found out it was basically proportional as the deck angle is reduced (3 gallons on each side at 5 degrees - perfectly level the unusable fuel in the wing tanks was less than a quart.

Sidebar suggestion - if you do this in town - probably a good idea to let the neighbors know first so it reduces the number of uninformed earthlings who might call up the local constable about the "small plane crash in someone's driveway" :o - don't ask me how I know this........

Dave S
KF7 Trigear
912ULS - Warp

[szicree]

First thing I thought when I saw that picture is that somebody would call and report a crash.

I spent over 10 years on/off building my RV-4 and I'm sure the whole neighborhood thought I was a nut. I remember one Halloween when some little kid behind a Frankenstein mask asked: "are you the guy with the airplane in the garage?"

[HighWing]

This is valuable info. I suppose it is worse in the earlier models with the full aft localtion of the fuel tank port. It reminded me of the flight home from Homedale, I made several years ago in my IV when I opted to forgo the fuel stop in Winnemucca because of favorable tail winds and a bit of curiosity. I crossed the Sierras at 10,000 ft. and then proceeded to drop down to the 2300 ft. pattern altitude in the ramaining 25 minutes of flight. I used a 500 fpm descent as I liked the airspeed - all the time watching the fuel level in the vent line and the glass fuel filters. Eventually I saw the low fuel warning light come on as I unported both tanks. Reducing the descent took care of that, but it can be an issue and should be considered when long descents are planned on relatively low fuel levels.
Lowell

[jtpitkin06]

Hysol Application - All Models

There’s not much guidance in the instruction manual that came with my Model 7 SS for using Hysol. You are pretty much on your own after reading, “Bond the ribs to the spar.”

Making a nice fillet with Hysol is like trying to pinstripe with finger paint. Mistakes and smears show up as dark gray smudges on the light wood ribs and silver spar. Not pretty! I know it won’t show when the aircraft is covered, but l know it looks bad now. It’s one of those pesky pride of workmanship things.

I played with several different methods and got a lot of epoxy under my fingernails. It took a combination of methods to develop a suitable technique. A couple of modified syringes seems to be the best.

Because Hysol will barely flow through a 12 ml syringe tip, I drill out the tip to 1/8 inch. This allows the Hysol to flow much easier, particularly when it starts to thicken after 15 minutes or so.

At one time I used a Popsicle stick to load the application syringe. It was a bit messy.

Now, to load the application syringe I use another syringe that has the entire end cut off; not just the tip. The wide opening makes it easy to suck up a good load. Using the loading syringe I transfer the Hysol to the application syringe. Very little spill and clean up is easy with a rag and some denatured alcohol.

Now, with the application syringe loaded I can apply the Hysol without a lot of mess. When the parts are bonded or I run out of Hysol, I clean the syringes with denatured alcohol. I get multiple uses from syringes.

Using an application syringe with a 1/8 tip opening I can put the goo just where it needs to be or lay down a nice fillet.

Speaking of fillets… Mask off both sides of a rib on the spar or leading edge. Then use a plastic shield cut from a milk bottle to keep excess Hysol off the ribs. The shield should be cut with a radius about 1/8 inch larger than the spars. Hold the shield against the rib while you smear the goo. Retract the shield and remove the tape for a clean looking fillet. Wipe the shield with alcohol before doing the next rib.

Top photo shows modified application and loading syringes.
Bottom photo shows plastic milk jug fillet shield.

JP

[jiott]

Need Lots of Clamps

I am finding that I need lots of clamps to do various jobs like: gluing wooden ribs to vertical & horizontal tail, apply rudder post fibreglass fairings, and applying door framing. I have 20 spring clamps and about a dozen mini quick grip bar clamps and have used nearly all of them on some of the above mentioned jobs. A few steel C-clamps are useful but not as necessary as the other type. I borrowed a bunch as well as bought more of my own and am glad I did. You can get by with lots fewer clamps, but must do things in multiple stages instead of all at once with one batch of epoxy.

Jim

[dholly]

When gluing ribs to spars, it is recommended to use a digital postal scale with tare feature to properly portion Hysol 1:1 by weight. After mixing thoroughly, I just spoon it into the corner of a heavy duty quart-size zip lock freezer bag. Then I twist the baggie, cut off the corner and use it like you would a piping bag for cake icing. Hysol goes right where you need it in a perfect bead. Can cut the corner to adjust bead size accordingly, and toss the empty baggie directly into the trash can when done. No muss, no fuss.

A good tip... move the rib off to the side of your final position marking, then apply your bead of Hysol around the spar just slightly inside the final line (between the offset rib and final rib position), then drag the rib web through the Hysol into it's desired position. This helps ensure any voids between the rib web and spar are filled, providing greater glue contact area for a stronger bond. I made up a garrotte with some strapping tape to clamp the spars tightly together and hold the ribs in place as the Hysol sets up. Since the capstrips are not always glued perfectly perpendicular to the rib web, I also used a straight edge to keep the rib caps flat as I worked down the wing.

As noted, let the Hysol skin up a bit then smooth the bead using your finger wetted with isopropyl alcohol. It will produce a nice filet and the Hysol will not stick to your finger. When dry, pipe Hysol on the other side in the spar/rib junction, then filet as described above. In the pics attached you can see how this method produced much nicer workmanship than the one I tried pasting Hysol on with a Popsicle stick. Best of all, you can apply the Hysol very quickly and never get a speck on you, your tools or clothes.

[HighWing]

I like this baggie idea a lot, especially the part about doing one side of the rib at a time. It would allow for easy checking of rib positioning as the alignment marks will remain visible until the Hysol sets on the glued side. Nothing is more frustrating in the build than finding when mounting the flaperon brackets that one or more of the ribs drifted during the curing process.
Lowell

[szicree]

Haven't done the wings, but on the tail I "tacked" the ribs in place using a small amount of hysol between tube and rib at the exact location of each rib. I then used tightly wrapped zip ties around the tubing to hold the ribs in place until set. I then came back later and did all the filets without having to worry about stuff shifting.

[dholly]

Thanks Lowell, I am a fan of K.I.S.S. technology! Clamping the spars together with the garrotte to keep the ribs immobile worked very well. You can't see in the previous pics, but I ran a strip of painter's tape down the length of the spars to note the rib location, which I then used to mark a position line all around the spar. I just left that tape in place. Figured if I lost the position line in the Hysol I would still had a good reference handy. I would add that I tried wrapping tape around the tube at first as a position line, but found it difficult to get perfectly square. Simple solution... just wrap a piece of paper around the tube, align the edges, mark away and remove. -Viola- a perfectly square position line around the spar!

[MotReklaw]

Just some really great tips. Thanks for making this a 'sticky'

[jiott]

Crooked False Ribs & Tail Ribs:

I found that quite a few of the plywood false ribs and tail elevator ribs were not straight. Some were pretty bad. I found that if I wetted just the concave side with water, the fibers in that side would swell and push the rib straight. With a little help gently bending with my fingers I was able to straighten all the bent ribs, even the worst ones. When they dried they stayed reasonably straight.

Jim

[dholly]

You will need to clean up your aluminum spars before you glue your ribs. Many builders use Scotch-Brite™ cleaning pads. These work excellent to clean, finish, grain, denib or defuzz aluminum, and may be used by hand, with a hand pad block, or on an in-line sander.

If you are going to use Scotch-Brite™ pads to clean aluminum spars, only use the maroon color pads (item #7447). They are manufactured with a very fine grade aluminum oxide grit abrasive. Do NOT use the gray pads (item #7448), as they contain silicone carbide grit abrasive.

The silicone carbide could break down and stick in the aluminum causing corrosive stress points, very much like marking aluminum with a pencil (which is why we only use ball-point or felt tip pens when marking on bare aluminum).

[P Morel]

I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with this idea. I really didn't like the idea of having the panel shock absorbers in view on the front of my panel. I manufactured standoffs, mounted the shock absorbers and flush riveted them to my panel.

[jtpitkin06]

Clothes Pin Clamps - All Models

Clothes pins are cheap clamps but they don't open wide enough or get in close for most applications. A few seconds on a disc sander remedies both shortcomings and will convert a clothes pin into a handy clamp for just a few cents.

Sand the handle ends on the inside so the jaws will open farther.

If needed for close clamping, sand the nose inside and outside to make a “needle nose” clamp.

Picture: Top clamp has needle nose jaws and shows wide opening when modified, second clamp has shortened handles, bottom clamp is stock clothes pin.

JP

[cap01]

another version of the clothes pin clamp . dissamble and reassemble with the wooden parts upside down and the spring installed backwards . clamps well

[896tr]

With all of the time that I have been out of work I really appreciate the tool tips and am always looking for a less expensive way to get some of them. I made my own stitching needles out of metal coat hangers. I flattened the end with a hammer and drilled a hole for the lacing cord. Flattening the end made the needle too wide so I used the grinder to thin it down. The pointy end was also done with the grinder. Someone you know will have old metal hangers that they will give away for free. Nothing better than free tools!

[HighWing]

The home made needles are a favorite. I used them in both of my projects. One side benefit and the driving force behind my initial use is that the hangar wire (or welding rod) is bendable. I tried modifying one of my store bought needles and broke it. I found the soft wire with custom lengths and bendable to be essential when lacing the partial rib under the fuel tank and in other places where I inadvertently routed such things as the pitot tube line in exactly the wrong place or going around drag anti drag fittings.
Lowell

[Dorsal]

Simple method for remote mounting pressure sensor.

[jamesmil]

hi guy's, wanted to post what we did to support the fuel line and wireing through the seat tunnel. used some left over alum, tubing from a rans s7 build and clamps to the air frame tubing.
also added a swing down fuse panel. hope someone can use this.
please keep the tips coming no matter how small, they are a great help.:D

[HighWing]

One tool I absolutely love and might be a good idea on the Acrylic windshields and bubble doors is a Zero Flute counter sink. It is perfect for non chatter duburring of holes.

[DanB]

Fabric covering tip (this one's for Jiott):

I'm sure others have different ways to get the tape lines on the wing wrap straight, but this is what I found to work well. Make use of those chalk lines and don't make the mistake of grabbing black chalk (use the blue)...don't ask how I know that :D
http://www.azshowersolutions.com/Wing1.html
Dan

[szicree]

Spent yesterday working on the wing spars. Things went very well but I thought I'd pass along a small piece of wisdom. The spar inserts are a pretty snug fit in the spar tubes and can gouge the tubes if not inserted carefully. I've seen it suggested to use some sort of lube, but I was hoping to avoid that as I intend to slosh the insides with primer after the inserts are rivetted. I found that the long spar tubes will sag a very small amount when positioned on the building jig and that this slight curvature can cause the straight inserts to bind as they go in. Things go much better if the spars are laid flat on a table and even rolled back and forth a bit.

[szicree]

This is gonna sound pretty silly, but I stumbled on a pretty simple tool for marking the rib locations on the spars. If you've not done it yet, the trouble is making lines on the spar tubes so that they run perpendicular to the spar. I've seen folks simply wrap paper around the tube and that seems fine, but yesterday I noticed that the little cardboard tube that safety wire comes in looked to be the same size as the spar tubes. Well, it turns out that it is almost a perfect fit, being just a tiny bit snug. After a few seconds on my spindle sander the tube slides perfectly over the spar tubes and makes drawing the lines a snap.

[jrevens]

The 5/16" Nylaflow tubing used for the rudder cable guides comes coiled in the kit, & will have a pretty good curve to it. Simply cut your sections of the tube to length, then put them in your oven at 180 deg. for about 2 minutes. They will straighten right out, and can be "helped" a little with your hands while they're still warm. Works great.

[jtpitkin06]

Wing Assembly - All Models with wing tanks.

If you plan on lacing the ½ rib under the fuel tank at rib location #2, you need to plan ahead. The rib under the tank is nothing more than a cap strip that you glue to the bottom of the fuel tank with scrap pieces of wood for spacers to form the profile.



Make a template of your planned rib stitch locations and transfer those marks to the lower cap strip. Then glue your cap strip spacers in position avoiding the stitch locations. You can plan on making a custom needle to reach under the cap strips.


John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[jtpitkin06]

Rib Lacing - All Models

As suggested in the Polyfiber manual, you should make a full size template of your rib by tracing around the wing tip rib. Draw the stitch spacing on your template. I found this template to be invaluable. I made my template out of poster board. My cardboard wasn’t long enough so I joined two pieces with duct tape and cut out the pattern with tin snips.


Use a chalk line for layout of the rib lacing stitches on the wing. Blue chalk works well and is cleaner than red or black.


Pre-punch all the holes prior to lacing to assure even spacing of your stitches. Pre-punching the holes also speeds the job. Use a sharp needle for punching. When the holes are punched, blow the chalk line residue away with compressed air. Do not wipe the chalk line as it will imbed into the weave of the fabric. A faint chalk line may remain after using the blow gun, but any chalk will be sealed in next two coats of Poly Brush. The chalk will not affect you final finish.


The Kitfox has 1 inch wide ribs, but reinforcing tape is not available in 1 inch width. You must use two strips of 1/2 inch tape side by side. If you pre-punch the lacing holes before you apply the reinforcing tape you can use the holes as a guide for the tape. Do not let the tape overlap a hole as it will cause a dimple in the tape when the stitching is tightened.


Sharp needles are great for punching holes, but they are not good for locating the blind hole when lacing through to the other side. The sharp tip will snag the fabric inside the wing and make it very difficult to tell when you have the needle in position to push through. A dull needle with a smooth rounded tip is much better. A few seconds on the disk sander created a smooth ball tip. Simply push the dull needle through and feel for the edge of the rib on the opposite side. Slide the needle up and down along the opposite rib edge and it will pop into the pre-punched hole.


Rib lacing goes a lot faster if you have an assistant, but it’s not impossible to do it alone. I had my wing in a rotisserie jig so it was easy to flip. Vertical positioning worked best for me as I could reach over the wing to pull the needle through. When I was half way down the rib, I flipped the wing to put the trailing edge up and finished the lacing.


Because internal structure may get in the way of your needles, you may have to skip a hole when passing through, then double back to reach the desired hole. Rest assured, it is possible to reach every stitch location on the Kitfox wing.



John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[jiott]

Good post John. I did a couple of things differently on my SS7:
To layout the rib stitch spacing I used a flexible 1" wide piece of fiberglass (actually a trimming off the wingtip) and laid it on the tip rib capstrip and marked the position of the trailing edge. Then I marked the 2.5" stitch spacing on this piece, doing my best to avoid internal structures. Then I moved this marked piece to the next rib and the next, etc. to check every rib to make sure my stitches would freely go all the way thru. I found that I had to readjust the spacing and starting point slightly, but when I was done every stitch was evenly spaced and lined up down the wing. Using this marked strip I then marked and prepunched the holes with the needle. Of course I also made a similar strip and transferred the markings to the opposite side of the wing, using a square to keep all the stitches parallel and vertical. This method avoids the chalkline and its mess.

When I actually stitched the ribs, all stitches went thru without problem and none had to be skipped and backtracked. There are many ways to skin a cat and this was my way for what its worth.

Jim

[jtpitkin06]

Rib lacing – All models

When you reach the end of your lacing cord, or the last stitch on a rib, you are left with a knot and short piece of lacing cord that must be tucked inside the fabric.

Trim the cord to about 2 inches long and turn a needle around backwards. Thread the cord through the eye and poke the eye end of the needle inside the exit hole. Hang onto the cord as you push the needle inside and the knot will drag down into the wing. Release the cord and push the needle a little further to slip the cord off the needle inside the wing. Be sure to hang on to the needle so you don’t drop it inside the wing!

Photo 1 shows holding the needle backwards with the cord in the eye.
Photo 2 has the needle poked inside the wing and the cord released.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[szicree]

So today I was running some epoxy primer through the insides of my drag/anti-drag tubes using the same animal syringes that I use for Hysol application. I took the syringe from its unopened package and squirted primer into one end of the tube and caught the runoff in a cup at the other end. I immediately noticed that the primer wasn't wetting out the surface very well but didn't think much of it. When I was done with the tubes I filled my paint gun with the runoff so that I could put a coat of primer on the brackets that attach the tubes to the spars. As soon as I began spraying I got the worst case of fisheyes I'd ever seen. My first thought was water in my compressor as I had been running the drill most of the morning. I drained the tank and still no joy. Well, I finally came to my senses and realized that the syringe had some sort of lube in it and that this had contaminated the whole enterprise. I cleaned things up, mixed another batch of primer and this time everything worked just fine. Bottom line is that those syringes need to be CLEANED before using, especially for something as critical as the glue that holds the wings together :eek:.

[t j]

True story. about 15 years ago when I was building my kitfox I heard a tip about using an animal doctor's syringe to apply epoxy to the ribs. I looked everywhere around town but couldn't find one. I then had an idea to go to the local veterinarian office to get one. Sure enough they had them on a shelf with the horse doctoring items. They were very expensive...about $25.00. I went home and mixed up a batch of epoxy then opend up my horse syringe and found it was already loaded with horse medicine.

[jtpitkin06]

Glue syringes- All Models

We operate an equine training facility. In twenty five years I've never encountered a sealed, unused syringe with any kind of lube on the inside. If you do, I'm sure the FDA wants to know about it.

There are some products that do come preloaded in large syringes but it's pretty obvious. Ivermectrin, Zemectrin. Electrolytic paste, come preloaded in an oral application syringes. But you wouldn't be able to use them in your shop because they are already full with a very sticky paste. They are also about $12 each. Not your typical toss out syringe.

We get new syringes from Tractor Supply. They are about $0.80 each in bulk. They are sealed and sterile and never have lube.

John Pitkin

[SkySteve]

(John, I think Tom's story was suppose to be one of those strange, true, and funny stories. Having had horses all my life it made me laugh)

[szicree]

My syringes are from Exel and are sealed. I believe they are for feeding, not for needles. The manufacturer describes them as non-sterile. Regarding the lube, it was a minute amount, but you could actually see the tiniest little blob on the very tip of the plunger. You can say it ain't so, but I was there and it was.

[DanB]

While on the syringe thing...When I was building my plane I asked my wife (a dental assistant) if she could bring a few home to try with the gluing applications. She brought a straight one with about 3/8 diameter tube and a curved one (I think she called it an irrigation syringe...help me out Lowell ;) ). I fell in love with the irrigation syringe which is a tube of at least 1/2" ID. Usually had to snip off half of the curve to open it up enough, but these worked so well I had her buy a box at cost from the dental supply.
Dan

[HighWing]

I buy the irrigaton syringes by the box and use them for epoxy and anything else I need to apply in precise locations and quantities. They are indeed lubricated by what I always supposed was a light silicone oil on the rubber plunger tip. I have never removed the lube as I remove the plunger and fill from the rear and the lube only touches the resin in contact with it and it is impossible to extrude that last bit of whatever. Mostly I use it for small quantities of structural adhesive and so far have had no adhesion issues I am aware of. After this experience it might be wise to at least wipe off the tip, or if planning on using it for a solvent based mix rinsing it off with acetone. I suppose with the primer, the solvent attacked the lubricant and it mixed throughout. The attached photo of a new syringe plunger shows just above the highlight on the left a small puddle of the lube. The other photo shows the syringe for a relative size - about 3/4" OD.
Lowell

[jtpitkin06]

Well, it just goes to show you there are lots of products out there and they are not all alike. Some syringes may have some sort of lube in them. If it is a silicone lube then it would definitely cause some fisheye problems with paint or primer. I don't know what it would do with Hysol.

Seems pretty easy to pop open the assembly and use a bit of denatured alcohol on the plunger as a bit of prevention.

JP

[szicree]

Knowing zero about syringes, I went online today and learned that sterile silicone oil is the industry standard lubricant used in medical syringes. A few cutting edge manufacturers use alternatives, but they all use something. I'll never use one for paint again, and I'll wash em before using them for glue.

[Tom Waid]

This is what I use. (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=14957&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=50218&subdeptNum=50219&classNum=50227)

These are marketed specifically for dispensing epoxy. They are probably an adaptation of a medical irrigation syringe. The tip can be cut to adjust the size of the "bead."

[DanB]

I'm going to give credit to Desert Fox 4 for this one as he told me about wrapping the door areas with a clear protective film a while back. After seeing a few wear marks beginning to develop (due to getting in and out), I finally started calling around to see if I could find this stuff http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard_Paint_Protection/Film/

It took a few calls to various installers, but I finally found one that was willing to sell me a few feet of the stuff. It went on easy and now I'm less concerned about marring the paint in this area. :cool:
Thanks for the idea Steve

[DesertFox4]

Dan, I'm pretty sure the film I used was not a 3M product therefore it has yellowed very slightly ( I don't care) from Sun and heat. You'll have no problem with the better 3M product over the same period of time.

Dan & I both have the model 4 wide body modification which makes this probably more important than for the stock model 4's but it's still a good solution to high wear areas where you want to maintain the paint scheme integrity.

[SkySteve]

Is this stuff tough enough and flexible enough to use as gap seal between the horizontal stabilizer and elevators?

[airlina]

It took a few calls to various installers, but I finally found one that was willing to sell me a few feet of the stuff[/quote]

If you are talking about the bottom square tubes of the door frames, i found that plastic drywall edging fit perfectly on my series 5. Trim it to fit and contact cement it in. 9 years later it still good as new. Bruce Lina N199CL

[DanB]

I found that plastic drywall edging fit perfectly on my series 5. Trim it to fit and contact cement it in. 9 years later it still good as new. Bruce Lina N199CL

Nice Bruce, It's amazing some of the things we come up with when a need arises.

[DanB]

Is this stuff tough enough and flexible enough to use as gap seal between the horizontal stabilizer and elevators?

Steve, I think this stuff would be quite possibly a good material for gap seal. It is very strong and certainly flexible enough. Adhesion is very good and it would stretch just a little. I have a little left over...might be an interesting test.

[jtpitkin06]

reducing bushings - all models

Sometimes I need a bushing to reduce the size of a hole. The seat belts on the Kitfox, for example, have 3/8 inch holes but use 1/4 inch bolts for mounting. It's not a precision bearing so there's no need to go to the lathe to make one.

In this case, I just cut a small piece off the end of some 3/8 aluminum tube left over from the stringers. Just a touch or two on the belt sander to flatten the cut ends and it fits perfectly

John Pitkin
Greenville, Texas

[jtpitkin06]

Cheap Metal Shears - all models

Need to make a straight cut in some thin sheet stock and the snips just don't do a good job?

It's easy if you have a metal shear but most home shops can't justify the expense for the occasional need. How about a $25 version that will do many of the smaller jobs.

Visit your local office supple and get a paper cutter. A paper cutter will slice through 032 Aluminum stock with surprising ease and it will still slice through paper after hundreds of cuts in aluminum.

You'll find lots of uses for it in the shop.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[Esser]

Well I wish I would have though of this a lot sooner. But anywhere it says to remove the powder coat, don't waste your time sanding. It can take hours in the case of the rudder torque tubes. Instead go to your hardware store and buy permatex gasket remover. Tape off the area you want to remove the poweder coat, spray on the remover, and hit it with a wire brush. Finish up with a wipe of the rags. It takes seconds. For removing the powder coat from the inside of a tube I found using a plumbing brush for copper pipe to work well. http://www.beltco.com.my/catalog/image/cache/data/permatex/PERMATEX%20GASKET%20REMOVER%204MA-500x500.jpg

[War Eagle]

That's pretty cool. I could have used that help when I was building.

How did you come up with this idea?

I wonder if it will work on my smoker to remove backed on crud and not be hazardous to cooking food.

I suppose you could wash everything off with soap and hot water after you used the remover but not sure I want to be the guinea pig on that idea.

Anyway, that's for the idea.

[Esser]

I use the stuff at work and it makes short work of all paints and gasket gunk so I thought I would give it a try. It is some pretty wicked stuff. I'm not sure if it would work on the baked on crud or the hazards but you might find somehtign you want to test it on.

[jiott]

You guys probably already know this but I was real pleased with my first use of solder sleeves in my wiring project. Someone suggested I try using solder sleeves to terminate the shields on my shielded wire (for radios, intercoms, ignition, etc.) I got some to try and Wow! Makes the job much easier and quicker than hand soldering or crimping to the shield. You can just slip a pigtail for grounding the shield into the solder sleeve and when you apply just enough heat to melt the internal solder ring it flows all around the connection and seals up the shrink sleeve ends with adhesive to make a neat and compact quality joint. Even I had a perfect result on the first try!

Solder sleeves are kind of spendy but worth every penny. The original brand is RayChem, but ACS and other avionics shops also sell a Japanese copy, Sumitomo solder sleeves, for about half the price.

Jim

[jiott]

I previously posted how great the Sumitomo solder sleeves were for work with shielded wire. I have to back off on that post and say that they were the reason I had to scap out my first intercom wiring harness. I found that there is not enough solder in the little ring to saturate the shield and some pigtails you insert into the sleeve, so the solder joint becomes kind of questionable. By pulling on the pigtail I found that some of them came loose rather easily. So I redid the whole thing. The second time around I made sure my pigtail and any bare wire was pretinned and then added solder to the joint before I put on the solder sleeve. This gave very strong joints but kind of defeats the purpose and convenience of the solder sleeve. Being a beginner at this I probably wasn't doing something right the first time around. Just be aware that there isn't much solder in the ring in the solder sleeve. I think hand soldering the joints the old way and then covering with shrink tubing is still a good way to go.

Jim

[P Morel]

How I removed dry, brittle protective plastic from my aluminum flaperons.

I'm on my 2nd Kitfox project and found an easy way to remove the protective plastic covering from the aluminum flaperons that have been on for over 20 years. Some might have gone through this process and have their own way of handling this. I used Jasco paint stripper purchased from my local Lowes hardware store. Just a warning though, I used several pair of rubber gloves to protect my fingers, but the stripper is very nasty and will go right through the gloves and do a number on your fingers. Tape your fingers with masking tape first before putting on the gloves.

Enjoy the 3 minute demonstration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvTJyIaatCQ

[SkySteve]

Paul,
Very informative video. However, the absolute best part (for entertainment purposes) was the beginning: 20th Century Kitfox. What a hoot! Loved it.

[MotReklaw]

Yeah, great video Paul

[N981MS]

Please don't critique the weld but this fitting on a tall bottle jack works well to lift a main. I Plan to put a broader base on the jack some day for stability.

[JohnB]

Vertically alligning wing spar inserts

The wing build fixture end blocks as shown in the manual prevent you from looking into the root end of the wing spar and using a square to vertically align the spar inserts. I used my table saw to cut a vertical slot in the stop block. Now I can sight through the slot and line up the web of the spar insert with the edge of the slot.

4819

[Esser]

When you are adjusting washout when you are rigging your wings, it can be hard to move the rear spar attach point with out going to far or messing up your front attach bracket. To aid in this I simply put a ratchet strap between the door frame and the bracket. One little adjustment moved it in place and held it there until i could verify the washout and tighten the spar attach.

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b423/joshesser/Kitfox%20Build/file_zpsb7936705.jpg (http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/joshesser/media/Kitfox%20Build/file_zpsb7936705.jpg.html)

[Peter B]

Well I wish I would have though of this a lot sooner. But anywhere it says to remove the powder coat, don't waste your time sanding. It can take hours in the case of the rudder torque tubes. Instead go to your hardware store and buy permatex gasket remover. Tape off the area you want to remove the poweder coat, spray on the remover, and hit it with a wire brush. Finish up with a wipe of the rags. It takes seconds. For removing the powder coat from the inside of a tube I found using a plumbing brush for copper pipe to work well. http://www.beltco.com.my/catalog/image/cache/data/permatex/PERMATEX%20GASKET%20REMOVER%204MA-500x500.jpg

I intended to pick up some gasket remover today but forgot it when I was in town. I decided to try MEK (which I have on hand) because I noted the other day it tended to make the powder coat a little sticky if in contact with it for any length of time. I found that by saturating a small rag (or piece of cotton) in MEK, wrapping it around the area where the powder coat is to be removed, and then covering the area with a piece of plastic (or tape) to keep the MEK from evaporating, within just a few minutes the powder coat became soft enough to easily remove with a soft wire brush.

Peter B

[n85ae]

Slightly off topic, but hey it's food ...

Build a super duper fire in the smoker without the water pan, that'll do the
trick. At least that's what I do. Smoker #1 became a wood fired pizza oven
after a few mods. It runs up around 800-900 degrees F so it never gets crud
anymore. Smoker #2 (Weber Smoker) is still a smoker. The wood fired pizza
oven sees 2-3 times as much use as the regular smoker though. Cooks a
pizza in about 4-5 minutes.

The Gasket remover is a good idea for other stuff though ...



I wonder if it will work on my smoker to remove backed on crud and not be hazardous to cooking food.

[jtpitkin06]

Fiberglass Work: Alll Models


If you do fiberglass work on cowlings or other fiberglass parts the appearance on the inside often looks like a chicken with gastro-intestinal problems was in the area.


To make things look professional use a layer of “peel ply” over the repair area.


What the heck is peel ply?


Peel ply is a Dacron fabric covering pressed over the fiberglass cloth and resin to smooth out the laminate and squeegee out the excess resin. The theory is that polyester resin does not stick very well to to Dacron. The Dacron is removed or peeled off after the resin sets. The result is a high fiberglass to resin ratio and a pro look to the finish.


You can get peel ply from Aircraft Spruce and several other sources but chances are with a Kitfox you have some left over Polyfiber from covering. It will work nearly the same as peel ply.



The procedure is to lay down your fiberglass cloth and resin as usual. Then place Dacron cloth over the fiberglass and resin area extending beyond the area of repair.. Squeegee the area with a tongue depressor or plastic spreader to squeeze out excess resin. The resin under the Polyfiber will feather to a clean edge. Mop up the excess if it comes out from the edge of the Dacron. You do not need to wet out the Dacron all the way to the edge. It is OK to have some dry edges of the Dacron as long as your fiberglass is fully wetted. Leave the Dacron cloth in place until the resin sets.



After the resin has hardened you can grab a corner of the Dacron cloth and peel it off the repair area. It will be firm but not difficult to remove. The result will be a smooth finish with a bit of fabric texture visible. The resin will taper nicely to a feathered edge. Any “stringy” areas you would normally have will be smoothly tapered.


The fabric texture imprinted in the resin makes a great surface for adhesion of subsequent layers if needed. Otherwise leave it as is.



Another benefit is the Dacron cloth acts as an air shield while the resin sets. This allows for a complete cure all the way to the surface. Laminating resin will not be tacky or slightly soft as it is when exposed to the air during cure. This make construction easy. There is no need to buy separate containers of laminating resin and surfacing resin.
With this method you get a better looking and stronger repair.


John

[ken nougaret]

I attached an airbrush to the end of a piece of pvc. it was just small enough to fit in the end of the wing spars for priming the inside. I taped the button/trigger and then connected and disconnected the air feed to turn on and off. my wife held the jar of primer at the end while I moved the airbrush in and out. I went in from each end of the spar and used a tennis ball to seal the opposite end. it worked well. ken

[Dave S]

I discovered that I had a unique and useful deburring tool for things like fittings, bolt holes, etc, when a simple hand held tool will do; and, it does both inside and outside deburring.

Apparently the reason I didn't figure this out earlier is that the tool was in my rifle reloading cabinet and is intended for deburring rifle cases:o.....however....works on a lot of other stuff including airplane parts:D.

The outside diameter is approximately 5/8" and will do inside holes up to that size while the other end will do up to 1/2" outside diameter deburring.

Don't recall what the price was when I got it but this tool can be procured from Sporting goods places like Cabelas, etc, and other stores that sell firearm reloading tools.

Sincerely,

Dave S

[Tomfox]

On the elevator bearings/bushings - - fortunately I had a friend who has a machine shop in his garage. He watched me for a while and then said "lets just take all of those down and remachine them to the right size". Now all of my bushings are custom fit to .001" - along with the bushings.

Tom Livermore

[TahoeTim]

Varnishing the wing ribs -

I discovered that you get a lot less all over yourself if you varnish the false ribs first and then the main ribs once the false ribs are dry. Your hands bump into the false ribs when trying to varnish the main ribs. Also, the wife feels that it is easier to varnish with the wings on the plane than on the stands.

We have a small stool to jump up and hit the tops.

[N981MS]

Perfect fuel flow jug. Graduated in quarts (and liters). Clear so you could see if there is any junk in there. It even has a spout so you can set it on the wing and empty fuel back into the tank.

http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/n981ms/media/Fuel%20flow%20jug.jpg.html?o=0

[DesertFox4]

Neat, simple drill stop. Piece of wooden dowel. Works great.
Thanks Desertfox1
11243

[jtpitkin06]

MASKING TAPE

I have a klutzy habit of dropping rolls of masking tape onto the shop floor. Usually into a pile of sawdust. The edge of the roll is then covered with dirt and dust.

My solution is to cover the sides of the roll with tape and trim the outside excess with scissors. I also cut tabs on the inside then fold the tabs inward. I can now drop the rolls of tape on the floor and the edges remain clean and I undamaged.

The method has a side benefit of protecting the edge of the tape from those annoying nicks that cause tape to rip on a long diagonal when pulling it off the roll.

John p

[rosslr]

Might be easier to sweep the floor John!

r

[efwd]

:D Thats funny

[colospace]

I hope this will be handy when needing to get behind the instrument panel after the boot cowl and windscreen have been permanently installed.
It's hard to see in the picture, but there is a padded sheet aluminum support temporarily slipped in under the corners of the panel. Braided wire loops over the upper cockpit structure to tabs at the panel brace locations. I have it flipped down now so that I insure that my wiring will have enough slack when complete.

[Dave S]

Hi Gary.....I like it...easy access to the back of the panel.:)

Curious how the throttle cable and choke/enricher cable work into this as they are quite stiff.

[colospace]

Dave, my throttle, choke and cabin heat are on a couple of lower subpanels. The throttle and choke are on one subpanel, but the cabin heat is on a second so that I could move it forward to avoid interference with full throw of the right stick.

[jiott]

I also did this tip-down panel and have been glad I did for almost 4 years now. My supports for the tipped down panel are a little different, but same idea. Yes, the throttle and choke must be mounted on a small sub-panel that hangs below the main panel and can be disconnected with a couple of bolts into nutplates on the main panel lower flange. I find this slightly lower throttle location is very comfortable to the hand.

[Bud Davidson]

I am new to the Kitfox family, but highly motivated about my project by reading daily and a decade of posts. The Australians​ posts about their flights exactly reflects my experience in flying the forested expanse of the East to the high desert of northern Arizona. 58 years as a private pilot with no loss of the thrill of seeing my surroundings from the air.
I do need some help in identifying my project. I thought my project was a IV 1200. But my reading suggests all the drag reduction Incorporated in the components I am restoring my project may in fact be a Speedster.
I may be mistaken, but , is the major characteristic difference between the Speedster and the 1200 the length of the wing??
Can anyone tell me the difference between these wings ? Is it length ??
Bud

[desertfox1]

The Speedster was a 4 1200 with a streamlined vertical tail and 3 feet
shorter wings. Since then the majority of builds of all models have used
the speedster tail. The speedster wings are one bay shorter on each wing.
This can be done on any plane, but it is a trade off. Faster at low altitude,
less float on landing and slightly reduced climb. Living here in the desert
I like the speedster wings and have a 2000 hour plus model 5 with the
short wings

Phil Laker

[Bud Davidson]

Phil
Your info answers a lot of questions. What is the overall length of the 1200 wing, or how many​ bays?? Or, should I measure my full wingspan then ask if it is 1200??
Bud

[t j]

The long wings have 13.5 foot long spars. Wingtips add another foot for 14.5 feet. Speedster Spars are 12 feet long. The Speedster wings came from the factory with long spars and instructions in the manual to cut 18 inches off the root end

[Bud Davidson]

Phil, Tom,. I do in fact have a 1200 wing also confirmed by info from John McBean. Clearly I will be completing a IV 1200. Should be an interesting licensing challenge since my many parts have come from multiple sources except those I fabricated on my own, !Ike the landing gear. I will plan to use the IV 1200 operators handbook and weight and balance.
Bud

[Av8r3400]

Here is an awesome technique that I have found for cutting control cables so that they never fray on the end, yet still fit through the small ferrules on the carburetor control arms.

https://youtu.be/LnTHZhTkg2U

I've used this technique myself with excellent results!

[PapuaPilot]

That method is not recommended for aircraft cables as the heat greatly reduces the strength of the cable.

Another way is to tightly wrap the cable with a little bit of masking tape and cut it with proper cable cutting tool. The tape holds the strands together. I "unscrew" the tape from the cable and the strands usually stay in place and can be inserted into ferrules.

[jrevens]

Something that I've found to work is to put a drop of super glue where it will be cut, then cut with a good pair of wire cutters or dikes. I usually wrap with tape also. That is a cool idea though. Phil's concern is worth considering, but I'm not sure how much degradation of strength might occur where the cable has to be strong. It seems like as long as the cut and "pigtail" is an inch or two away from where the cable has to be clamped that there might not be much concern. Just a thought.

[PaulSS]

That method is not recommended for aircraft cables as the heat greatly reduces the strength of the cable.

I'm interested in why you say that. Surely heating the metal to red hot and then letting it cool afterwards is the same as annealing, which I understand makes metal stronger. I'd like to know why this process would prove to be the opposite.

[Flybyjim]

Surely heating the metal to red hot and then letting it cool afterwards is the same as annealing, ??

I have worked with brass instruments for 40 plus years and doing the above will only soften the brass, we do this for several reasons, one reason is to make the material more pliable to be able to rework the material to reshape, such as removing dents. Another reason is the change the tamber of tone. I would think cable would have some of the same properties. Now if you heat the metal and quench it in water or oil while it is hot will make the material harder but can also become more brittle not just harder. These are my experiences with brass, silver, gold, nickel.

A cable cutter, a tool for this job is not that expensive, the correct tool for the job usually pays for itself in just time savings.

[PaulSS]

These are my experiences with brass, silver, gold, nickel.

Which are not really materials I'd associate with aircraft cables.

Maybe I should have been more specific and mentioned annealing steel; as in steel aircraft cables and not trumpets.

[Av8r3400]

I am using this method for cutting throttle and choke cables. I don't believe it needed on flight surface control cables (rudder). The thimbles and ferrules used in this application are sufficient.

The holding pliers acts as a heat sync and does not allow the heat to travel further up the cable. I played with this technique on several scrap pieces of cable and found that I could immediately put my fingers on the cable above where the pliers were clamped after the heated break was made.

From my experiments the heat effected zone was about 1" in length. This is less than the length of the extra cable left on the assembly. I have no concerns of embrittlement on the cable further up.

With the small diameter wire used in some of the cables - Choke and Throttle - the tape or heat shrink method will not hold. Plus inserting the cable through the crimp ferrule will certainly fray the cable end with out it being secured somehow. This method is far easier than soldering or brazing the end, IMO.

[kmach]

I have used this method too, for installing the 912uls throttle and choke cables. Leave enough tail on the working side ( heat sink). works great.

Flight controls , NO, the amount of strength required to activate a 912 throttle with lighter springs and choke cable , YES.

[PapuaPilot]

Sorry guys, I replied to this late last night before I went to bed. I didn't take time to find a reliable source to back up my statement. I really wanted to nip this tip in the bud. As an A&P-IA (35 yrs) and aviation maintenance instructor (7+ yrs) it's in my DNA to stamp out aviation ignorance. :)

I also hold a CPL, SEL/SES, MEL with a instrument rating and have just under 10,000 hours flight time. I have been flying and maintaining aircraft that operate in some of the most challenging airstrips in the world (Indonesia, Africa, Asia, Latin/South America). I spent 20 years flying in Papua, Indonesia from 1992 to 2011. I am not trying to boast here, but rather let you know that I am bringing something to the table on this forum. I like to respond to questions and issues that come up and help educate when needed.

The following (in blue) is general in nature, then I will address the issue of cutting cables.

One of the greatest resources we have for the Kitfox is this forum, but any forum or other information we find online may contain information that is wrong. Opinions and hearsay can easily be taken as factual when it's not.

Most of the green A&Ps that come my way have been taught incorrect information at the A&P schools they attended. Sometimes I am really shocked at what is being taught. They think certain things are gospel because they were taught it at A&P school. I show them the correct information so as to stamp out ignorance.

I see the same issue, even more so on this forum; I would guess that the majority of people on this forum are much greener than a freshly minted A&P. Others have spent the time to gain some the knowledge and skills that an A&P has.

Yes, we are building and flying experimental aircraft, but what standard do you want to use. Personally I think it is prudent to stick with what the manufacture and FAA (Transport Canada, etc.) says.

This is from AC43.13-1B

7-147. REPLACEMENT OF CABLES.
Replace control cables when they become worn, distorted, corroded, or otherwise damaged. If spare cables are not available, prepare exact duplicates of the damaged cable. Use materials of the same size and quality as the original. Standard swaged cable terminals develop the full cable strength and may be substituted for the original terminals wherever practical. However, if facilities and supplies are limited and immediate corrective action is necessary, repairs may be made by using cable bushings, eye splices, and the proper combination of turnbuckles in place of the original installation.

b. Cutting and Heating. Cut cables to length by mechanical means. The use of a torch, in any manner, is not permitted. Do not subject wires and cables to excessive temperature. Soldering the bonding braid to the control cable is not permitted.

Lastly, AC 43.13-1B - Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices - Aircraft Inspection and Repair is available online at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentID/99861 and can be downloaded for free. As the title implies the FAA gives us the acceptable means to inspect, repair (and build) aircraft. I would suggest any one of you that is building an experimental aircraft invest the time and read every chapter that is applicable to the type aircraft you are building. When it comes time to inspect, maintain, repair or alter your plane, AC 43.13 should be your first resource to go to.

To infinity and beyond . . . ;)

[jrevens]

I'm interested in why you say that. Surely heating the metal to red hot and then letting it cool afterwards is the same as annealing, which I understand makes metal stronger. I'd like to know why this process would prove to be the opposite.

Annealing does not make metal “stronger”. In general, it makes it softer and more ductile. Strength is decreased.

[Av8r3400]

Luckily this is the experimental world.

Phil, if you feel how I have managed the tails of my choke cables on my aircraft to be unsafe and detrimental to the airworthyness of my plane, I truly respect your opinion and experience.

However, I choose to disagree. This choke cable is expensive (https://www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/products/product/MCC101D072-RBC/). The virtually brand new one that was on my plane was frayed beyond use, because it was cut and managed as specified in AC43.13-1B. Time will tell how this new one survives. I am betting on the idea that this technique will work much better for the small wire diameter cable that I used in this application.

If we were talking about flight control surface cables, I would be far more agreeable to your position and cited regulations.

[HighWing]

Interesting topic. My opinion given our airplanes is that the technique has merit especially when considering the application. I personally wouldn't be too concerned even in the flight control cables, though I would most likely leave a pigtail an inch or so long under some heat shrink tubing. Just checked the rated strength of the cable sold by ACS. - 3/32" used on the Model IV and earlier - 920. The 1/8 used on the later models - 2000. Lets see, doing a squat against my Model IV rudder cables, That's only 1840 lbs. At my age squatting my body weight can sometimes be a challenge - though the rudder deflection always seems fine.

[PapuaPilot]

I don't have a problem doing this on a choke cable, as is will not make the plane in an unsafe condition for flight (AE-B aircraft aren't ever legally airworthy). If you get the engine started and warmed up that's good enough.

My concern lies with people that take this idea and apply it to flight control cables. This isn't about my opinion, but rather helping people understand what the FAA or manufacture's standards are. There is difference between doing something out of ignorance verses knowing it isn't being done to the FAA/industry standard.

[David47]

I'm interested in why you say that. Surely heating the metal to red hot and then letting it cool afterwards is the same as annealing, which I understand makes metal stronger. I'd like to know why this process would prove to be the opposite.

I'm with Phil and John E on this. Simply heating a metal to anneal it reduces whatever strength the material had. The way strength is increased is by controlled temperature levels for set times followed by set cooling rates, then for some metals, quenching in either oil or water. For aluminium alloys, additional cold working such as stretching is also done for some strength tempers. So I agree with Phil. There are a lot of myths out there about strengthening metals. Having waffled on about this though, if the heat affected zone of the choke or throttle cable cable is beyond the clamped area, all good. For flight control cables, I think the AC43 reference quoted in Phil's response is pretty clear in order for best practice. However, if you do cut cable by this heating method, I'd leave a good 1" or more under the shrink sleeve as suggested by Lowell. For my build, I just wrapped the cable with a strong tape and then cut it with a good quality cable cutter. No fraying issues.

[Flybyjim]

I am glad to see most of you agree with my earlier post. My opinion in building planes: if you are willing to spend the $$$ for a kit and engine and instruments than purchase the correct tool for the job. When your build is finished you can sell the tools or better yet donate them to an EAA club, who knows perhaps you could also borrow the needed tools.

[Shadowrider]

What is the recommended cutting tool for control cables? Link?

[Clark in AZ]

This is what I have...

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/319fbSGvWeL._SX355_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/KNIPEX-95-62-190-SBA/dp/B005EXOYXC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1517198040&sr=8-7&keywords=knipex+wire+rope+cutter

[Shadowrider]

This is what I have...

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/319fbSGvWeL._SX355_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/KNIPEX-95-62-190-SBA/dp/B005EXOYXC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1517198040&sr=8-7&keywords=knipex+wire+rope+cutter
Thank you!

[aviator79]

I live in a small mountain town without ready access to big-box hardware store, so I order a lot from Amazon. Here is a selection of things from my order history that I was either glad to have purchased in advance, or wish I had purchased in advance. I can add stuff if anyone has more recommendations, but this isn't a bad starting point for a new builder getting a shop ready.

Kitfox Shopping List (http://a.co/bFMe70t)

[mscotter]

I have used this technique for prepping a cable in another application, and another nice feature of it is that the end of the cable is fused together, i.e. it won't fray and let the individual strands come apart. I'm with Larry, for a choke cable this should be fine, and it's a nice little technique to have in your toolbox.

[Guy Buchanan]

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#.

[aviator79]

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://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DZZU8CQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TRfGjbW120SORfLX-JeTYcaIe33GBWXOQOQaS8b6NYmEC-FRevZDJqiDk2x81LmCempPfZbLNZ4j12nbsUAx8ILoUwEa_2Xp xiDH5_dIhAyTVm7iQngILdVStoRODK3Lxhf1ACLTOLo

[jrevens]

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.

[jiott]

I bought that very same ruler; very useful thru the whole project.

[colospace]

Yes,very handy. I got mine at the sewing store my wife goes to.

[Esser]

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....

[oja066]

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

[Maverick]

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.

[Av8r3400]

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.

[Delta Whisky]

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.

[ken nougaret]

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.

[Dave S]

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!

[cap01]

unibits work well also

[Delta Whisky]

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?

[Flybyjim]

Your mind is always in the thinking mode--nice.

[rv9ralph]

This is what we used when remounting my wings on my 3.

16325

It is a Drywall Jack from Harbor Freight.

Ralph

[colospace]

I used that HF roller stand as the basis for my trigear tail support used when wings are folded.

[efwd]

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.

[colospace]

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.

[efwd]

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.

[Delta Whisky]

Another (not in the manual) way to leak check the fuel tanks.



Edit: First picture too small, added a close up.

[David47]

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.

[efwd]

Hasty means for lifting a wheel.

[Dorsal]

Nice (shiny gear too), will be building one of those.

[Fdxflier]

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.

[DesertFox4]

Stellar idea and tip Bill. Also welcome aboard Bill. Enjoy the forums and the build process.

[Maverick]

How is the best way to polish the aluminum landing gear?
Thanks,
Maverick

[Esser]

Take it to a professional place that polishes aluminum on transport trucks. Cheap and waaaaay cleaner

[rv9ralph]

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

[efwd]

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.

[Maverick]

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.
216682166921670

[ken nougaret]

Good idea. I think you can find those in the electrical section of Home Depot.

[Delta Whisky]

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.

[Guy Buchanan]

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.)

[David47]

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 ....

[hairy_kiwi]

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/catalog/elpages/BreydenLacingTapes.php
http://www.is-cabletec.com/downloads/CNLT_Lacing_Tape.pdf


Hamish Mead
Ledbury, UK

[Pmcc]

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

[JoeRuscito]

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!

[DesertFox4]

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.

[ken nougaret]

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.

[David47]

I've done the same as Steve (DF4). The access holes are enlarged and I'm covering with either light gauge aluminium or fibreglass covers. But I like the idea of using supaglue to hold stuff in place.

[DesertFox4]

Vinyl decals have been used to cover those areas also. John McB.’s personal Kitfox has clear vinyl covers to retain preflight inspection ability.

[JoeRuscito]

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.


Oh that's a nice idea! I may open mine up with that type of an option!

[Hawkertech]

Ill have a bit if time to study and note all these tips, about 1 1/2 years, order to delivery.

[Delta Whisky]

To be honest, I haven't read through all of the posts in this thread so this might have been up before - if it has, please ask the admin to delete it.

I worried about how to manage installing the washers and nuts in the very small space at the rear of the windshield/canopy. I ended up with a system that worked really well - place a magnet on the head of the screw and the washer will stay put just fine. (So will the nut BTW.) Then with long nose pliers and a screw driver the rest is a piece of cake. This picture is of the process, not the area in question: but, if the truth were to be known, I used it in a lot of places today - made life a lot easier.

23828

[BobRS]

Nice idea for a few other "buried" fastener locations on my build. However, for your bolt location, I installed nut-plates thereby eliminating the need to install washers and nuts.
BobRS, KF N104Y, Rotax 914
Albuquerque, NM
Flying 2-years

[airlina]

Another idea in these areas, are Clickbond fasteners. I stumbled on them years ago and used them in areas where I needed a bunch of nutplates and didn't want to use a traditional riveted nutplate (such as the window and windshield installation.) Check them out they have solutions for many attachment issues. Bruce N199CL

[efwd]

Those are very cool. thanks for the post.

[Flybyjim]

Darrel is a clever guy and full of good ideas, keep them coming.

[KitfoxDave]

I live in a small mountain town without ready access to big-box hardware store, so I order a lot from Amazon. Here is a selection of things from my order history that I was either glad to have purchased in advance, or wish I had purchased in advance. I can add stuff if anyone has more recommendations, but this isn't a bad starting point for a new builder getting a shop ready.

Kitfox Shopping List (http://a.co/bFMe70t)


I will be a new builder in the spring of 2021 when I take delivery on my SS7 Kit. Your list looks to be useful to me.

Thanks.

KitfoxDave

[KitfoxDave]

Ill have a bit if time to study and note all these tips, about 1 1/2 years, order to delivery.

Hawkertech, I'm with you! My quoted delivery date is 4/2021. What are you doing in the mean time?

Kitfox Dave

SS7 on order

[Hawkertech]

Getting my shop set up and trying not to think about it, as that makes it seem to take for ever. Bought a few minor parts, I.E. stick grips and PTT buttons. ALso some fabric related tools. I am an A&P so have aircraft tools, just not the specialized tools to do fabric.

[Doggitz]

Gentlemen:

Everyone has their favorite list and supplier(s). While waiting for my kit, I have been buying tools and other “stuff”. Fortunately, in Los Angeles, I am within walking distance of a Home Despot (misspelling intended) and a Lowe’s. However, I made the decision to buy as many American- made tools as possible. Not wanting to drain my wallet completely, I have stayed away from the tool trucks (except for a few minor transgressions).

In my travels through the web, I found a store in Kansas City that seems to buy up odd lots of very high quality tools. I have purchased from them several times, and have always received my tools quickly with the parts being as advertised. The company is called Harry J Epstein and their website is Harryepstein.com. I have ABSOLUTELY NO AFFILIATION with this store, just a satisfied customer. They may not have everything you want, at any given time. for example, they have socket “sets” made by SK, Bonney, and others. The sets may be missing a size, but they tell you in the description, exactly what the set contains. I just bought a set of number 1-60 drill bits from them, made by Norseman/Viking in Minnesota. I believe these to be top quality bits.

BTW - Bonney was a top flight manufacturer that was bought out in the late 90’s. They were in Pennsylvania and made a variety of hand tools.


Anyway, while you are waiting, you may consider depleting your checking account by looking at their website. Just to reiterate, I have no arrangement, affiliation, or relationship with them.

Best of luck

Fred

[Delta Whisky]

Fred - a great find, thanks. I see that they carry the Knipex pliers - when my ship comes in (but I'll probably be at the airport) I'm going to buy a pair.

[jrevens]

In the middle of doing my annual condition inspection now, and I thought I'd share what I use to apply the TriFlow and LPS 1 lubricants for the various rod-ends, hinges, etc. I've found out that some people are not aware that you can buy both of these lubricants in non-aerosol bottles (at Amazon, etc.). I've found that using the spray cans is really messy for me, so I use a couple of syringes that I got from a plastic supply house here. They're used for applying glue for PVC & poly-carbonates by those guys. They work great for applying just the right amount of lube right where you need it, a drop at a time if you want. I fill up a couple of smaller bottles for convenience, then load the syringes with a small quantity when I want to use them. I'm sure others have thought of this too, but I wanted to share it with the group.

[efwd]

Nice idea John. I had not thought of that and could have used it. First I crawled down into the fuse to spray the rod ends and got it all over the fabric as well. Thanks. I can ditch the rag I used to pack around and under these bearings.

[PapuaPilot]

Great tip John. Its hard to control the amount with the spray cans. I am tired of getting overspray on my windows when lubing the inboard flaperon hinges.

[Doggitz]

There are a number of on-line sources for blunt tip (dispensing) needles. Remember that the higher the gauge of the needle, the SMALLER it becomes.

Fred
Building 7SS
Plan 914

[sierrahotel]

I live in a small mountain town without ready access to big-box hardware store, so I order a lot from Amazon. Here is a selection of things from my order history that I was either glad to have purchased in advance, or wish I had purchased in advance. I can add stuff if anyone has more recommendations, but this isn't a bad starting point for a new builder getting a shop ready.

Kitfox Shopping List (http://a.co/bFMe70t)
Copied!! Thank you!!

[jiott]

I found that most nutplates are too tight, especially when installing phillips head screws into them; its too easy to strip the head. The nutplates get their grip from being somewhat out of round, which is easy to see when looking at the threaded boss. I used a pair of pliers or vice-grips to squeeze that boss into a little more round shape, just a little at a time, then try the screw and repeat until the resistance is just what you want. Easy-peasy. Easiest to do BEFORE you install the nutplate.

[Flybyjim]

What LPS lube are you fellows using 1,2,3 Can you get this in a pint, I do not want the aerosol

[jrevens]

#1 is recommended by Kitfox for the plastic bearings like the flaperon bearings, rudder pedals, and possibly some others. I found it is available in a non-aerosol spray bottle (1 qt?) that it can be transferred from into smaller containers if you wish. The Tri-iFlow is also available in non-aerosol bottles. I think I bought it on Amazon, Jim. Shake well before partitioning it out into other containers and before use.

[Eric Page]

When you unpack your kit, have eight small blocks of styrofoam on hand. Put one of them over each of the flaperon hinge arms and secure it in place with some no-residue painter's tape. The hinge arms are very thin, and they're stiffer material than the flaperon skins. If they're not immobilized, it's very easy for them to damage the skins, like this (https://teamkitfox.com/Forums/threads/4445-Repairing-flaperons?p=29640&viewfull=1#post29640).

[LetMeFly]

For drilling in tight places, smaller drill bits will fit in the Dremel flexible shaft. Pictured is a #30 bit. You have to run the Dremel at a high speed because it doesn't have the torque at normal drill speeds, but for thin aluminum and wood, works great!
28735 28736 28737

[LetMeFly]

My flap and rudder pedal adjustment handles rubbed against the sides of the console slots and brackets. I got some 1.5" wide UHMW tape from Amazon for the handles to slide against. ( https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00823J7E2/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_JWZAS1AWMR4KP4YDR6QT )
Very tough plastic surface but also very slippery! The handles fit perfectly with no slop or binding. :)

28777

[Geek]

If you have been hawking some of the build logs (like Eddie's EWFD for one) you will find a small nugget of info about Loctite Bearing Retainer. You are supposed to use this when you press in the bearings on the horizontal stab. Eddie mentions that it sets up kind of quick. Believe me that's the truth. Here's what you need to know that isn't on the bottle: The set up time is quoted at 4 min. and is fully cured in 24 hours. The shear strength to steel is 4000 psi. (not a misprint or too many zeros). I pressed in my first bearing and didn't have any of those little factoids so I wasn't in any kind of hurry and since it was the first one, didn't have all my tools at the ready. That was almost a huge error in that as I was finally pressing the bearing with about 1/8 inch to go, it got VERY hard to press (read go get a longer ratchet handle for more leverage). I think I literally just made it. Looks like the 4 min set up time was pretty close. To validate that shear number, I was using a stainless steel Grade 5 bolt as my press and when I went to back it off found that I had royally galled the threads. I had to get a cutting wheel and cut the bolt out. No Kitfox parts were hurt in this process. My process after that was to press the bearing in about half way, add the film of 680 to the last half and press it quickly. The rest went in just fine and I am certain they will never spin or come out.

Gary

[LetMeFly]

I was looking around for something to cap the barbed fuel fittings before attaching the actual hoses to keep junk out of the tanks. Found these vacuum caps at O'Reiley Auto Parts. They have five of each size and are only about $9.00. They work great and are easy to come off when ready too connect the fuel lines.

30060 30061 30062

[Shadowrider]

Those look good! Good find. On another note, one of the secret menu items is the banjo fittings. Email Heather and tell her you want the banjo fittings. IMO they should be standard for the kit. I wish I would have listened by another member who told me to get them, but I chanced it and found a fuel leak a year later. Fix was ordering the banjo fittings. It will enable your fuel fittings to be tight, and lined up.

[LetMeFly]

Those look good! Good find. On another note, one of the secret menu items is the banjo fittings. Email Heather and tell her you want the banjo fittings. IMO they should be standard for the kit.

When I test fitted the tank, I saw why everyone was getting them. I’m ordering them on Monday!

[LetMeFly]

30339
I found these on Amazon and they're great for cleaning up small areas of Hysol or varnish off the spars that you might have missed!
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R1WHL4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

[mike92104]

When I was ordering the extended elevator for my Kitfox, Heather sent to to Cardinal Paints website to figure out which color my original kit was. While I was visiting the website I noticed they have color matched paint for touch up. Ordering was easy, and the color is a perfect match.

https://shop.cardinalpaint.com/collections/cardinal-stock

[cpdutch]

Building a 7A (Precursor to the SS) and need to order up a supply of Hysol and Superfil. How much (ml's, quarts, gallons?) did you all use in your builds? I don't really want a bunch of this stuff left over, but also don't want to scrimp.

[alexM]

Assuming you can get past the hump where you mix up 2-3 times as much as you need for the job, the quart (?) size kit sold by Kitfox would be almost exactly the right amount. I finally got to where I could mix up almost exactly what i need, but because it took me a while to learn that skill I have supplemented with the dual mixing tubes used in the squeeze gun. Which is very handy at times and turns out to be a lot less wasteful than I thought.

[cpdutch]

Were you able to find a dispenser/system that allowed you to use the bulk Parts A & B with the mixing gun? Essentially, fill your own tubes and let the mixing dispense take care of getting the 50/50 mix right? I'd like to use the dispensing gun as much as possible, even with the 2 quart-sized cans of the parts A & B.

[alexM]

I never got that far. I know Bryan Bowen figured out the correct empty tubes and mixing tips to go with the dispensing gun, and I'm sure others have too.

Me, I just got the big "horse syringes" and would mix up the batch and load up the syringe. It works really well when you're putting on a thick bead like fillets at the rib/spar joints. The syringes are reusable without much work. The cured adhesive pops right out if the last thing you do is stick the tongue depressor into the nearly empty tube and let it cure. Just clean the rubber part of the plunger before it cures and you can get at least 3-4 uses out of a syringe.

[jiott]

The questions about whether to mount the floor under the baggage sack or inside (as Kitfox recommends) keep coming up on a regular basis. Here is my take on it:

I definitely recommend doing as Kitfox says and mount the floor board inside the baggage sack; then when the floor is screwed down to the mounting tabs you can firmly pull up the sides and Velcro them to the upper tubes and have nice looking fairly rigid sides to your baggage compartment. Doing it the other way will give you saggy-baggy, wrinkled sides that look very poor.

Another thing to note is that you almost NEVER need to unscrew and remove the baggage floor IF you install a round inspection cover in the belly fabric right under the elevator pushrod swing arm. For annuals there is nothing else to inspect under the floor. The swing arm can be easily inspected and lubed thru the belly inspection cover, as well as rudder cables and pitot static tubing. By just pulling off the Velcro at the top edges of the baggage sack the sides, front and back can be folded down (without disturbing the floor) to gain access to flaperon pushrods, ELTs, ADHRS, etc.

If you do ever want to remove the baggage sack floor, it is really not that hard to do. Access to the two front hold-down screws is quite easy with the seat removed. The two rear screws are more difficult, but not bad with some patience. Some folks have put nutplates on these two rear tabs to make it easier-sounds like a good idea to me.

All these comments apply whether or not you have an extended baggage compartment.

[PapuaPilot]

I totally agree with Jim. I like a nice tight baggage sack. I didn't put an inspection hole in the belly there, but I just pull some of the top Velcro strips loose on the baggage sack to inspect and lube things in that zone. If you need to access the tail you can just undo all the Velcro and collapse the baggage sack on top of the floor board.

[Dave S]

Official Rotax tools are prohibitively expensive for some of us. Picked a scrap piece of 1/4" steel plate and angle iron from the shop, sliced a rectangular hole with the torch and a few holes to drill and I had a bracket that could be attached to my inexpensive slide hammer. For extra points, the angle iron also makes a handy stand to hold the gearbox once off the engine.

For some reason the photos are sideways,:o but you get the idea.

Rotax lists the price for their puller @ $523

[Eric Page]

I see how it's a stand for the gearbox, but I don't understand the slide hammer part of it. It's probably obvious to everyone else...:rolleyes:

[Dave S]

Eric,

sorry - norwegian trick on my part - there is a hole in the angle iron on the side the thing is sitting on - 1/2" hole to match the threaded end of the slide hammer - probably didn't help that I neglected to show the slide hammer hooked up.:o

[tswanson_44]

I started out trying to use an assortment of clamps to level and locate the ribs of the vertical stab and rudder before and during the Hysol process, and found they were a pain to do fine alignment with, would fall off and move etc. I ended up just making a quick jig and cutting about 20 of them out, and they worked great. Just zip tie in place and they become a temporary shelf for the ribs to sit on, then cut the zip tie and remove when the epoxy cures. They're about $1.25 each from www.sendcutsend.com (http://www.sendcutsend.com/) if you want to make this job easier. The .dxf file is attached in the .zip.


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[LetMeFly]

Those look great! Where were you 18 months ago? :D

[Pushboy]

I'm just curious what thickness you made them -- they look about 1/4? I'm considering 3d printing some -- seem like a handy tool.

[Dave S]

There are various ways to cut wire rope control cables. I don't have an "official" cable snipper; but found this method to work very well.

High speed rotary tool with a 1" diamond cutter.

I tried thin abrasive wheels first but they cut slow, generated a lot of heat and frayed the ends a bit.

In both cases I taped over where the cut was to be made.

The diamond cutter took 3 to 5 seconds to cut through an eighth inch SS control cable. Very little heat generated and no fraying at all.

[Pushboy]

I’m looking for som tips on cable swaging.

I’ve watched some videos online and have also read the relevant sections in AC 43.13 — most of what I’ve read and seen involves a teardrop shaped thimble not the bobbin like grommet used in the SS7 kit.
I do have the correct swager borrowed from my local EAA, and I have a decent cable cutter, so I’m set on the tool front.

But—

I basically have 2 questions…

1. When I create the “eye” (or bight) and slide the sleeve up tight, the strands of the cable begin to open up… is this an issue? Is there a way to prevent this?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240326/0b86735140c1663eb0c1ac4173a537bd.jpg

2. How tight should the sleeve be to the grommet prior to the first crimp?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240326/b65a6a20f5991cc30bdddd81de39b793.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240326/e7d9339195a12100d05e8e649d6b96fd.jpg

Any help or advice would be great. Sorry if my terminology is not exactly correct…. First time swaging for me.

Thanks,

Dave


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Geek]

I’m looking for som tips on cable swaging.

I’ve watched some videos online and have also read the relevant sections in AC 43.13 — most of what I’ve read and seen involves a teardrop shaped thimble not the bobbin like grommet used in the SS7 kit.
I do have the correct swager borrowed from my local EAA, and I have a decent cable cutter, so I’m set on the tool front.

But—

I basically have 2 questions…

1. When I create the “eye” (or bight) and slide the sleeve up tight, the strands of the cable begin to open up… is this an issue? Is there a way to prevent this?


Any help or advice would be great. Sorry if my terminology is not exactly correct…. First time swaging for me.

Thanks,

Dave

Here's the tip I used to get my cables crimped. Can't take credit for this. I know I found it on one of Delta Whiskey's posts but dang if I can find it to reference. But I did copy it once upon a time so that I would have it to reference.

"I found that by making the first (middle) crimp in the nicopress sleeve when the bushing is held a #13 drill bit in distance from the fitting the crimp comes out just fine (see picture) assuming the 2nd crimp is the one away from the bushing and the last crimp closest to the bushing. A little experimenting showed that inserting a #25 drill bit in the "V" formed by the cable as it went into the fitting and then pulling the cable tight to press the three (nico, drill bit and bushing) tightly together before crimping worked just as well."

I would post the pics he put with this but seems pics don't upload right now. I did use the version of this where I inserted the #25 drill bit in between the nico press and the bushing and pulled it tight. Yes the strands open a little going around the bushing but that's a function of the cable and the radius of the bushing. I will admit that this was one of those places where I was really careful and checked everything three times and was still nervous cause I wanted my rudder cables to be right.

Gary

[Geek]

Dave - Looks like they got the picture thing fixed.

Picture 1 is setting it up with the #13 drill bit. Picture 2 (your pic) - your arrow is where a #25 bit is slid in between (vertically in this pic) the ferrel and the nico fitting. Picture 3 is how mine turned out using the #25 bit method. With your set up in picture 2 where you''re using the cleco pliers to hold it all together (a great way to do it) should make the #25 drill bit method pretty easy. Squeeze it till the drill bit doesn't fall out between the nico fitting and the ferrel and then crimp it. Once you've done the first crimp (the center one) you can pull the drill out. Remember to put some shrink tubing over the cable before you do all this so you can cover it all and take care of any pesky cable wires that might want to pop out at the back of the nico fitting.

Gary


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