Building tips and hints

[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

[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 if you want to make this job easier. The .dxf file is attached in the .zip.


IMG_1095.jpg

[LetMeFly]

Those look great! Where were you 18 months ago?

[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.

[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