Damien's build

[famo]

Hi all,

First post and I'm pretty far into the build. I'm covering my wings and made a small error along the capstrip when I pulled a rib lace in the wrong direction. It tore about 1/2" down from the hole. How would you go about patching this? Or just leave it? Unsure if this requires the 1" overlap in all directions. I will be placing a 2" finishing tape over this, which should cover 1/2" to the right.

(the small hole above it was me thinking I should reposition my stitch, then realized the stitch would hold in position without needing a new hole)

IMG_0415.jpg

Thanks,
Damien

[bbs428]

Finish tape will cover nicely and reinforce the weak area. Agreed that 1/2 inch on the right is marginal.

If possible - I would glue a piece of fabric under the rip for more support to the right so that it wouldn't show, and it would meet the 1" requirement. If not, you will have to patch it correctly, then place your finish tape over it.
Once painted it would be hard to see. However, you'll know it's there forever, sorry to say.

Tear Repair: Fixing Common Damage to Fabric (eaa.org)

"When repairing Poly-Fiber, you don't need to find a needle and thread; Poly-Tak fabric cement takes the place of sewing. In most cases, to repair a rip or tear, you cut out a patch from a new piece of fabric and cement it in place over the damaged area. When cutting your patch, use this simple rule of thumb. If the tear or damaged area is less than 8 inches in any one direction, the patch's overlap on top of the old fabric must be at least 1 inch in all directions. If the damaged area is more than 8 inches, the patch's overlap must be at least 2 inches."

What process/finish have you decided on? Hope to see more of your build. Good luck!

[D&CJohnson]

I bought some thread from my polyfiber distributor for sewing envelopes. If it were me I would use a needle and hand-sew that tear. You are so close to the reinforcement tape edge and under the finish tape that it would be hard to spot.

[famo]

Thanks folks. I have a 3" wide tape that I'm going to cut down to 2" wide except for that small area. That will give me a 1" overlap around the tear.

[famo]

Thanks Brett, I'm going with Poly Fiber process and will finish with Aerothane. I haven't settled on a design yet, but thinking primary color yellow with black accents, which is the color scheme of my current model IV and something I'm very fond of.

What process/finish have you decided on? Hope to see more of your build. Good luck!

[bbs428]

I am very happy with the Poly-Fiber process and the Aerothane. Love the gloss! A pita to do correctly though.
Check out my thread on painting tips if you need them.

After cleaning the plane multiple times from unleaded exhaust gases (Grungy yellowish residue) and fuel venting and spills over the last 180 hours, the Aerothane is as tough as it gets and polishes up like new, Impressive!
I use a paint polish and hand clean the belly/side aft of the exhaust pipe every so often. It's a pita but has to be done as I have a lot of white and gets unsightly.

On a yellow plane it might not show up at all! Lol, but it'll be there.

Do you have a rendering on the paint scheme yet?

All the best!