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Thread: One Lucky Fox

  1. #71
    Senior Member
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    Steilacoom, WA
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    729

    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    ^Thanks Harlan, that's the one.
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  2. #72

    Join Date
    May 2020
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    Boise, ID
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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    Harlan emailed me a copy so I put it in my Google Drive in case anyone else wants it:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rtz...w?usp=drivesdk

    Thanks, Harlan!

    Dan
    Building N137DF
    STi, Rotax 915is, Airmaster

  3. #73

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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    Gary,

    I was wrong! Reinforcing tapes and finishing tapes are different!

    Since I’m not stitching I know nothing about reinforcing tapes - these are the tapes that go between the rib stitching and the fabric.

    I *am* applying “finishing” tapes to any sharp edge - the ribs and false ribs - per the AC43.13 2-13c I mentioned before. That “reinforces” the fabric and will add extra strength to it.

    I really wish I had got a copy of Lar’s tips and Tricks manual from the get go. Ugh.

    Dan
    Building N137DF
    STi, Rotax 915is, Airmaster

  4. #74
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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    Got it Dan and thanks for the follow up. You hit the genesis of my original question about the two because you laid it out so well but the false ribs don't get stitched. Was afraid I had missed something along my way. Couldn't agree more with all the comments on the manuals versus Lar's instructions and such. Lot of chaff in that wheat that you had to get through to make some sense of some of this. I am done with the covering but if it hadn't been for guys like Shadowrider and Harlan (FarmFox) who did a great job of showing what they were doing and sharing how it worked out after they started flying I am afraid my bourbon bill would have been much higher trying to figure all that stuff out.
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  5. #75
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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    I have the bottom of my fuselage all webbed out with finishing tape everywhere fabric contacts structure.

    Marcel Nölle just covered his series 4 at a Lanitz (sp? The Oratex factory) workshop. He saw my recent video and sent me a message about it. Apparently they say those tapes are completely unnecessary.
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  6. #76

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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    That’s the gist of what I just read in Lar’s Tips, too. Any place the fabric is glued down doesn’t need a finishing tape to reinforce the area.

    Needless to say, I’m a bit put out finding this out now, after masking off all those areas and applying adhesive. No going back, now.

    Oh, another Tip I gathered: 3:1 water and vinegar will remove unactivated glue. Pure Acetone will too, but there’s a better chance of damaging the latex* with it because most cheapo acetone contains other solvents (like MEK). 🤨

    *Latex is one of the few materials that is resistant to acetone.
    Building N137DF
    STi, Rotax 915is, Airmaster

  7. #77
    Senior Member
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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    The vinegar and water thing works awesome by the by. When I did the transition from the vertical stab to the fuselage and it required the finishing tape but you removed the glue from the tape and put the glue on the fuselage I messed up the layout of the glue and had to start over. The vinegar and water was really easy and was a no brainer.

    G
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  8. #78
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Toledo, WA
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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    Quote Originally Posted by alexM View Post
    Apparently they say those tapes are completely unnecessary.
    Finally, a reason to be happy that I've fallen behind...
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  9. #79

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    May 2020
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    Boise, ID
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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    Some of my own observations and tips so y'all don't go down the same path as me when using Oratex:

    1) Get an IR temp sensor! Do NOT trust the temp of the Toko digital iron. It can be 10-15C off/high.
    2) Use 90C for the initial placement of your finish tapes. Work out the bubbles and hold the iron on for 5 seconds.
    3) Use 120C for the final glue activation of the finish tapes. DO NOT GO ABOVE 120C! Use your IR temp sensor to ensure it is NO HIGHER THAN 120C!

    120C is the lowest temp the glue really activates for a good bond and the highest temperature you can use before the fabric starts shrinking. It's the sweet spot. You do NOT want your finish tapes to shrink and expose the edge of the glue you painstakingly masked off immediately prior. Once it's exposed and activated there's no way to get it off without damaging the paint and fabric.

    If you have glue starting to squeeze out from the finish tapes at 90C you can scratch at it a bit with your thumbnail and it'll come off. But once it's cool, it's game over.

    4) 90C for fabric applied to composite, i.e, the leading edge - fiberglass and carbon. 2 passes. 90C for 5sec and and again 90C for 10s. These are big surfaces and a lot of glue is holding the fabric on. It'll never come off.

    Make sure you watch Harlan's videos on how to apply the fabric to the LE and follow that to the letter. Get get you a spouse/partner who likes you a lot and will stretch the fabric while you do the first pass.
    Building N137DF
    STi, Rotax 915is, Airmaster

  10. #80

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    May 2020
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    Boise, ID
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    Default Re: One Lucky Fox

    I’m at the cowl fitting stage and the manual says “Temporarily bolt the cowling face positioning plate onto the prop flange.”

    👀

    What’s this “face positioning plate?” Is it something that should have been in the kit? Do I build it? Is there a template or blueprint of it, somewhere??

    Thanks!

    IMG_1747.jpg
    Building N137DF
    STi, Rotax 915is, Airmaster

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