Need to move a rib

[MOFlyer]

I don't think that I can continue to look at this. I have a rib that is at a downward angle and want to move it to correct position. I'm thinking a dremel tool to remove the epoxy. Has anybody done this and come up with a better method?Rib.jpg

[jiott]

Some careful use of a Dremel sanding drum (so you don't damage the powder coating) and then heat should break the rear joint loose. Then just move the rear joint up, without disturbing the front joint, and reglue.

[efwd]

It appears that its pretty close to paralell with the rib below. Im not sure you need to pull the trailing edge up as high as the dotted line to have it look better. If you do it may not parallel one or the other adjacent ribs. If you agree, then what I would do is use a heat gun to heat up the metal tube on the trailing edge and the hysol will soften enough to free up the wood. We discussed this recently with someone who was removing a rib from the leading edge spar of his wing. Its important to soak the metal part with heat vs. heating up and burning the wood while trying to heat up the hysol. The problem with the leading edge is that you are likely going to melt the fiberglass. If you only need to push the trailing edge up 1/2 inch I believe the flex of the rib at the leading edge should accommodate the minimal move of the trailing edge. The way it looks to me it only needs to move half way between where it is and the dotted line. If you must do the front then I would use a dremel there vs heat.

[MOFlyer]

Thanks all. I used a dremel to knock down most of the epoxy and then used a heat gun to get it to move. All worked well and the flex was very minimal. Looks much better now. i gotta say though, seeing the epoxy become gooey with the heat gun had me thinking of Icarus. There's a lot of parts being held by epoxy.

[David47]

There's a lot of parts being held by epoxy.

MOFlyer, yep aircraft built of composites by both Boeing and Airbus use Epoxy based resins and adhesives and they fly a lot closer to the sun than we do ..??!!

[southwind32]

It takes a lot of heat to soften Hysol, and then it appears to me to still be a very strong bond even when gooey.