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Europa #435 G-RODO Build Journal - 2003 11

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1 Cut out a large flox corner on the starboard side of the CS29 recess. Make up support for the recess face of the flox corner from card with parcel tape & peel-ply. Chop up some BID scraps. Mix 2 strokes epoxy and add flox and chopped BID (more of the latter than flox, in fact). Leave to cure at 22C, 45% RH. 649.0
4 Remove support & peel-ply from big flox corner in CS29 recess. Carve out remaining flox corners from foam around recess. Abrade inside of glass areas. Cut 2 pieces BID 190x110mm. Mix 2 strokes epoxy & 3 doses flox & fill corners. Mix 2 strokes epoxy, apply & wet out 2 layers BID. Peel-ply. Leave to cure at 23C, 41% RH. 650.5
5 23C, 39% RH. Remove CS29 recess peel-ply. Trim BID edges. Check CS29 position - barely goes in far enough to clear rudder surface on starboard side, but distance from hinge is OK. Chamfer rear corners & edge of CS29 in case the internal corners of the layup are too rounded, but it makes little difference. 651.5
6 23C, 45% RH. Phone Andy and he says the original design had the edge of the plate flush with the skin, but looking at it again, he'd be inclined to file about 1/8" off the outer edges of the plate (only above and below the flanges, not between) and round the flox corner to allow BID to extend around onto the skin a bit. Mark up and take about 1/8" off CS29 as advised (with angle-grinder, as it's quite resistant to filing). File smooth, clean up whole part with ScotchBrite and wire brushes. Degrease, spray areas not to have layup with zinc chromate primer. Leave in front of fan heater to bake. Clean off areas to be bonded with ScotchBrite and 600 emery paper. Degrease. Abrade recess. Bond CS29 in place with Araldite 2012 5-minute epoxy. Hold in place with template fitted until epoxy starts to gel. Leave to cure with template propped in place. 653.5
7 23C, 39% RH. Blend the edges of CS29 and the flox corner to smooth curve. Clean & abrade CS29 and recess surfaces. Find 4 off BID offcuts about the right size plus a few other scraps. Mix 3 strokes epoxy. Decant off some & add flox for fillet around CS29 plates. Paint epoxy onto recess and lay on BID. Not quite as difficult as feared although fairly fiddly. Trim to allow flowing onto rudder surface at inboard side. Add small BID patch on surface, bridging the two pieces extending from recess. Add another small patch at base of recess, bridging the 2 layups there. Peel-ply & leave to cure. 655.2
8 22C, 33% RH. Turn off heat.
13 File accumulated samples and index all samples in FMP file, linked to this journal by date. Take peel-ply off CS29 overlay layup and file off sharp edges. Seems to be a large bubble under the BID on the starboard upper flange of CS29. 655.7
15 Get tailplanes and port flap out of trailer. Find mahogany offcuts to make wedges, to match flettner strips on anti-servo tabs. Bandsaw to about 17 degrees and trim to approx 4mm x 13mm to match balsa strips. Tack on with blobs of polyester resin & cramp with offcuts of wedge to provide square clamping surface. 658.6
17 Take rudder to Martin Carolan for his opinion. He grinds off layup over bubble using power file (narrow belt sander) and says to do the usual sort of BID overlay patch, but not to take peel-ply around the corner as it tends to cause the sort of bubble I had. If in future it is essential to peel-ply around an external corner, cut the peel-ply on the bias same as the BID. Discuss painting with gel-coat and he warns that because the chemical cure is not instant, sprayed gel-coat tends to give a lot of problems with the overspray staying wet, particularly on the floor. However, applying it by brush or roller is quite OK. He can supply small quantities so I could try it out without committing to the cost of the entire paint-job. Prices are on the Severn Valley Sailplanes website.
18 Phone Neville again to nudge about the tie-down mod. Phone Roger Huttlestone about brackets for the trailer door gas springs. Clean up the CS29 repair area in preparation for layup. Take the initial drawings of the trailer door gas spring installation to Roger and agree a way of making the brackets for the door. We believe he can make them to my dimensions accurately enough without needing the trailer present.The other end of the gas springs can be held between a couple of long pieces of 50mm angle bolted through the floor and cross-members. 659.2
19 Order a pair of gas springs from Draco by phone.
20 Clean up & abrade CS29 recess. Mix 2 strokes epoxy and apply 2 layers BID, overlapping the removed area on all 3 sides. Apply peel-ply, only on flat surfaces, leaving corner without. Start to make detailed dimensioned drawings for trailer door brackets. 660.5
25 tick Take off CS29 repair peel-ply, file edges. Mark out and drill for rivets. Pull 3 rivets. 661.1
26 Phone SP Systems about post-cure regime for Ampreg 20. They suggest sending an e-mail to Martin Armstrong which I do.
27 Receive e-mail from Martin Armstrong of SP Systems with most of my queries anwered. Reply with a couple of small supplementaries.
28 Martin Armstrong replies clearing up all outstanding items.

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