Vixen Flaperon Update and Another Flaperon Question

[efwd]

I used dimple dies on my flapperons. I have very small, flush head rivets. Worked perfectly, and at over 250hrs, no problems yet. Countersinking is a different story. You will oversize the hole without a doubt.

[CoClimber]

Regarding the KNIPEX, if I remember correctly, one of the positions allowed me to fully close the pliers and get the correct amount of squeeze. These pliers keep the jaws parallel so they work quite well for this application. They are fairly expensive but are so versatile that it was easy to justify the cost.

For the streamlining, you need to understand that I am really cheap so what I plan to do is to cut out foam with a cnc hotwire foam cutter glue them to the struts, then cover them with dacron. Initial testing looks good. They would probably crush if you pulled on them so I was thinking about taking a short section and wrapping it in thin aluminum to create a grab zone. I already cut out a bunch of sections but I want to get my plane flying first to do before and after tests.
IMG_20200529_183401191.jpg

[Maverick]

For the streamlining, you need to understand that I am really cheap so what I plan to do is to cut out foam with a cnc hotwire foam cutter glue them to the struts, then cover them with dacron. Initial testing looks good. They would probably crush if you pulled on them so I was thinking about taking a short section and wrapping it in thin aluminum to create a grab zone. I already cut out a bunch of sections but I want to get my plane flying first to do before and after tests.

Sweet! Have you considered covering them with carbon fiber instead of the aluminum?

[jrevens]

... They would probably crush if you pulled on them so I was thinking about taking a short section and wrapping it in thin aluminum to create a grab zone.

I don't think you want people pushing or pulling on your wing struts anyway. I put "No Push" decals on mine.

[tim.green]

Thanks for all of your help so far. Update: 32 hours of work with stripper and plastic razor blades and all of the protective plastic is gone! Satisfying!

More questions:

- scoped the flaperon spar with a f/o camera and there are mud dauber nests in the spar. I scraped most of the nests away but there is residue left behind. I'd like to get all this material removed - any suggestions?

- also scoped the hinge bays. Two of them have similar nests. No great access to try to remove them - any suggestions? Can I just leave them?

- the skins are in good shape with a couple of dings. Suggestions for repairing? Would filling with Super-Fil and sanding to shape work and last?

Thanks!

Tim

[Dave S]

Tim,

Its mud daubers so , well mud - I would soak and blast them with water - a little dish soap might help. Any remaining dirt can be a source for corrosion to start so I would elect to flush them out as best as possible. A little cleverness with a bottle brush or extended gun cleaning rod might help with the spar - if the outboard end is not capped should be doable. Dragging a rag through the spar on a string might help with dislodging the stuff. Bottle brushes which come in different diameters have a wire twist core which can be bent to work around the corners of the hanger bays.

Others might have a favored method but I'd sure try to get the stuff out.