| day |
notes |
hours |
| 2 |
Move all epoxy sample envelopes from the end of the garage workbench into the box that the CSM Abrasives
order came in. Clean up TEs of closeouts with new Perma-Grit needle file. Check positions of FL1 & FL3 on jigs and apply masking tape & parcel tape to area outside flap. Mark out and cut 3 off 440mm x 140mm & 3 off 280mm x 140mm BID for root layup and store in plastic bag to keep clean. |
374.3 |
| 4 |
Rub off zinc chromate primer from root end of FL1. Cut 3 short pieces of matchstick to support FL7s away from flap flange. Climate about 16C and 70% RH, so turn on both heaters for a while. Down to 65% RH and up to 20C quite soon. Abrade inside surfaces of starboard flap root flanges with small fine Perma-Grit sheet. Mix 1 stroke epoxy with 1 dose q-cell for micro slurry and paint onto root foam face. Mix 2 strokes epoxy and paint flanges. Use foam offcut to support 1st layer BID while positioning. Not entirely successful. Wet out. Scissor trim, remembering to use Tuff-Kut scissors. Apply 2nd layer and wet out. Mix 3 strokes epoxy with 3 large doses flox to make fairly stiff mix. Using foam backing piece, cut slot for FL1 in BID. Abrade end of FL1 again and quickly slide into slot, then coat all over with flox. Bring to vertical, insert lineup pin and clamp in place. Build flox fillets around FL1. Abrade FL7, butter with flox and position, putting piece of matchstick between FL7 and flange to stop it sliding down. Add flox fillets all round. Mix 2 strokes epoxy and apply 1st short BID piece. Abrade 2nd FL7, butter with flox and apply, using another matchstick piece for support. Apply 2nd short BID piece. Abrade 3rd FL7, butter with flox, which is getting slightly thicker now (so turn heat down a bit), and apply. Position with matchstick piece as before and add flox fillets before it gets too thick to butter on easily. Apply 3rd short BID layer and wet out almost completely before running out of epoxy. Mix 2 strokes, position final full-length BID layer and wet out. It looks much better than the port one, with little sign of flox spreading away from desired areas, and there is no problem with the layup sagging away from the upper flange. Cut green peel-ply into narrow strips and apply all over root closeout. Flange opposite hinge plate is springing downwards slightly. Insert a foam block to keep it straight and wedge a small piece of wood between the opposite flange and the foam to hold it in place. Erect curing tent and leave with fan heater on 3. |
378.4 |
| 5 |
Switch off heat in curing tent. Everything looks fine. |
|
| 6 |
Order 48 brushes (& other stuff) from Screwfix. |
|
| 11 |
Brushes from Screwfix arrive. |
|
| 13 |
Outstanding Perma-Grit 3mm coarse rod cutter for Dremel arrives from CSM Abrasivess
. |
|
| 21 |
Take down curing tent. Crack jig off starboard flap root hinge plate and clean up remaining polyester resin. Break out foam block and piece of wood that were keeping slotted part of flange straight. Pull off peel-ply; some difficulty at one place where the wooden wedge I used under the foam block has caught up what looks like one layer of BID in a small pucker. (If anything like that is needed again, I will split the foam and insert the wedge in the middle instead of against the layup.) Try cutting off surplus layup with hacksaw blade instead of Dremel. Works quite easily once I fix the padsaw handle to clamp the broken-off hacksaw blade properly. File down to size and remove sharp edges. Take flap to Martin Carolan and he says the pucker is only cosmetic. Could be ground down, but not worth patching except for looks. Cut out BID for tip closeout (3 off 390mmx130mm, 1 off 230mmx130mm) and leave in plastic bag until ready for layup. Shape a new piece of foam for a slot-cutting anvil as the other one got destroyed when used to support the root flange while curing. File samples from last layup. |
380.6 |
| 22 |
Climate about 14C, 70% RH so turn on both fan heaters. Grind off pucker in starboard flap root layup with 3mm Perma-Grit rod in Dremel. Abrade area round it for a layup. Find a small piece of BID to suit. Rub off primer from root end of FL3 with Scotch-Brite. Cut off some green peel-ply and divide into strips. Now about 19C and 60% RH. Mix 1 stroke epoxy with 1 dose q-cell for slurry and paint on. Using new stock of brushes now; they seem to shed a lot of bristles. Rinse in vinegar instead of acetone, to see how it compares. Mix 2 strokes epoxy, and make small layup to cover area of ground-off pucker on root end. Paint inside of tip flanges, apply and wet out first 2 layers of BID, scissor-trimming each. Cut slot using foam block anvil as before. Mix 1 stroke epoxy and 1.5 doses flox. Re-scuff FL3 root with Scotchbrite and immediately insert and butter all over with flox. Clamp in position. Make flox fillets around and in hole of FL3. Mix 2 strokes epoxy and apply short BID layer and final layer, scissor-trimming each. Erect curing tent with heater set to 3 and leave overnight at about 27C, 35% RH. Drill holes in handles of 3 paintbrushes used today and leave suspended in vinegar jar from a piece of 0.25" steel rod. |
384.4 |
| 23 |
Turn off heat and take down curing tent. Knock hinge-plate jig off. Remove peel-ply from starboard flap tip layup and from patch on root. All looks good. Trim edges with padsaw and file down to size. Chip and file off remains of polyester filler that held the jig. File epoxy samples. Set FL2 into slot and clamp between aluminium angles to check alignment. Lift out and mark glass surface level on root of FL2. Unclamp and apply masking & parcel tape to FL2 above glass surface line. Abrade primer off with Scotch-Brite. Mix 1 stroke epoxy with 1.5 doses flox; turns out much too stiff (doses must have been too generous), so mix another stroke epoxy and decant it into the flox mixture. Still comes out only just about thin enough. Abrade inner surfaces of slot with fine Perma-Grit file and spread flox into it immediately. Re-scuff root of FL2 and immediately butter it with flox. Insert into slot, filling centre hole as it goes down (not quite so successful as before, because flox still a bit thick). Scrape off excess flox from flap surface. Add peel-ply & polyethylene sheet to corners, then aluminium angles. Put a couple of lead weights on the angles to keep them in place. Clamp lightly and rig nylon line for alignment. Adjust position using perspex target and clamp firmly. Set up curing tent and re-check alignment. Leave to cure. |
387.3 |
| 24 |
Turn off heat in curing tent. |
|
| 25 |
Take down curing tent. FL2 alignment looks good and when boresighted after removing nylon line is even better than the first one. Peel off masking and parcel tape from FL1, FL2, FL3 hinge plates. Move starboard flap to trailer for storage, inside fuselage beside port one. Clear layup table ready for cleaning and waxing. |
388.1 |
| 26 |
Phone Ian McGuigan to see if he's available for layup assistance later in the week. Thursday is best for him. Scrape resin splashes off layup table, rub down and then apply wax with the rather tired Scotch-Brite that was used for the FL1 - FL3 plates. Resin pump reservoirs getting low. Checking resin stock, discover I have only got slow hardener left (besides the suspect lot of standard that was drawn off after going a funny colour with the polystyrene float on it). Must check if I can mix the 2 types of hardener; if not I'll probably have to cancel Ian as it will take some fiddling to purge pump and re-calibrate. Buff up wax after about half an hour's drying. |
388.7 |
| 27 |
Check SP data on CD-ROM; all hardeners are slightly different SGs & so could not be mixed or alternated for dispensing by volume. Check prices for hardener with SP Systems - the size I want is £15.02 + VAT. Order a tin of hardener & some syringes (thinking ahead to the eventual change of hardener in the pump reservoir) from Marineware, the SP distributor. |
|
| 28 |
Decant a tin of resin into nearly-empty reservoir. A bit more left in hardener side, certainly enough for today's work. Unpack aileron foam parts from jigs and correct small error in one closeout rib where the hot-wire seems to have gone outwards at an angle instead of straight down to form the end angle. Hacksaw trim and rub on sandpaper gives new smooth surface at correct angle. Set up starboard lower jigs and insert shims to get correct 1.1 degree washout. Check alignment of LE & TE. Decide to use a polyethylene sheet between closeout ribs and main core to make digging out easier. Trace round closeout rib with scalpel and attach closeout ribs both ends with 5-minute epoxy both sides of polyethylene sheet. Seems to work fine. Coat mid joint faces with 5-minute epoxy & join. Check alignment of LE & TE for angles and displacements in both planes. Weigh down with lead weights to ensure it doesn't move while setting, and check washout again. Cut 2 lengths of UNI 1650mm and mark with lines 340mm in from edges. Take off lead weights from aileron. Trim 50mm off LE of lower jig blocks. Set up again with LE close to edge of bench for easy access. Mark limit of layup wraparound on lower side of LE. Put masking tape patches on underside of aileron and dabs of 5-minute epoxy on each. Set on jig and check all alignment again. Weigh down and add shims to keep all edges straight and washout correct. Secure jig to table with hot-melt glue. Leave to cure over lunch. Split a length of peel-ply tape for TE joggles of both ailerons. Ian arrives while I am peel-plying closeout ribs and TE joggle. Mark lines at 30 degrees to LE. Climate about 19C and 68% RH with one fan heater and dehumidifier on. Mix 4 strokes epoxy and 3 doses q-cell for micro-slurry. Paint on. As usual, seems hardly enough, but plenty after squeegeeing. Drape first layer of UNI without additional epoxy. Trim large pieces of waste off. Mix 6 strokes epoxy and paint on; just about covers main part but TE and LE mostly dry. Trim LE cloth dry to final size; cutting along line of aileron/jig joint with cloth hanging vertically from LE seems about right. Mix 5 strokes epoxy and wet out thoroughly. Paint surplus epoxy on to prevent it exotherming in pot. Drape 2nd layer, which seems to need more precise positioning as it only just covers. Rough trim. Wets out well with epoxy already applied. Scissor tirm to about 10mm all round. Mix 3 strokes epoxy and wet out edges, corners and LE, leaving small amount for sample. Use tape to peel-ply LE - easier to fit against internal corner where LE curve meets hinge flange support. Cut peel-ply to cover remainder of top surface. Squeegee out, set up curing tent and leave to cure. |
395.1 |
| 29 |
Turn off heat in curing tent. Hardener & 1 syringe kit arrive from Marineware. |
|
| 30 |
Second syringe kit arrives from Marineware. |
|
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