Phase 5 by Chris Foss

PhilF51 wrote: One thing though - installing the servo leads. Slotting the underside?

Your wing is already veneered so you could try one of the following:
1. Cut the veneer and create a slot for the servo leads, maybe install tubes (drinking straws), add 1/16 or 1/8 balsa to cap the gap you've created and sand smooth.

2. Heat the end of a piece of 8swg or 10swg piano wire. Use a simple jig to line it up so that it will melt a hole through the foam to the servo bays. The wire might sag under its own weight, so make sure you are happy that it will get to where you want it to go.

3. Sharpen a, say, 6mm brass tube and roughen it on the outside. Use a jig to guide it though the foam as you spin it so that it cuts and sands through the foam.

The first method is foolproof but takes the longest to complete. The last method is the most risky because there is a chance of the tub cutting through the veneer if you don't line your jig up properly. The hot wire method runs the risk of melting a huge hole near the root if you don't press it in fast enough, or wandering off course if you go too quickly.

PhilF51 wrote: ?? Time of your posts - around midnight. :blink:

Steady on granddad

Thanks Mike. Done some of the other methods before on foamy ARFs with reasonable success but not always. Method 1 is the way to go.

Speaking of slots do you think it is viable for me to slot the wings for a ply/carbon tube spar say around 25 % in to each wing?

PhilF51 wrote: Speaking of slots do you think it is viable for me to slot the wings for a ply/carbon tube spar say around 25 % in to each wing?

Look here

Wing is sanded and joined. Many kits used to tell you to join the wings using epoxy. This is messy and you have to work fast. I use aliphatic (yellow) glue. Gives you plenty of time to line things up and you can use masking tape to pull the two wings together for a tight and neat join. Phil, what does the P6 say for wing joining?

The joint is reinforced with a glass bandage. Again, in the past you would have been given a thick bandage that always gave you an unseemly ridge where it went from veneer to bandage. I've used several layers of thinner glass, each one getting a little wider - 20mm, 40mm, 60mm, 75mm and 90mm. You get a really strong joint this way as well as a fine edge. The widest layer goes on last to cover up any frayed edges underneath.

CF and the Phase 6 does not glue wings together at all. Just use GRP bandage and resin ensuring the wing roots meet exactly. :blink:

Hence me following your build and the fact that I would've not done the wings as per the kit anyway, especially having some experience of foamie gliders and wings getting a lot of abuse on the slopes.

PhilF51 wrote: CF and the Phase 6 does not glue wings together at all. Just use GRP bandage and resin ensuring the wing roots meet exactly. :blink:

There must be some misunderstanding of the instructions. There is no way that you can apply a bandage before the wing roots are joined. The joint does not need to be strong (hence my use of aliphatic and not epoxy) but it does need to be done to ensure that the wing is straight before the bandage is added.

Sometimes there's a lack of enthusiasm after a day at work and the invite of a cold workshop. So it's been no progress for the past few days. I also spent some time playing with (nearly ruining) my radio but that's another story.
Anyhow, after a lot of procrastination I decided how to secure the flap and aileron servos. I'd initially saved the foam thinking I might use that for packing, but the wing is too skinny and ply and balsa are used instead.
Images show the servo attached to a 1/16 ply plate and hardwood blocks for the servo screws. A plate of ply and balsa is screwed to the servo plate and the balsa is sanded so that the servo ends up flush with the bottom surface of the wing.
For the flaps I used 4mm ply and 3mm balsa. Ailerons used 1/16 ply and 1/16 balsa due to the wing being thinner out there.
The balsa/ply plate is then glued into the wing and later the servo plate can be screwed back in place.

BTW, has anyone used rivnuts before instead of captive nuts? The problem I have with captive nuts is that the flange is too wide and often has to be partially removed so that the bolt can be closer to the edge of the fuselage. I spotted these rivnuts whilst buying other items on ebay and the flange is a lot thinner. Possible negative is that the threaded section does not go all the way through so I'll have to use the full length of the rivnut.

Mike - Rivnuts - He may wish to consider drilling them all the way through & retapping so you finish up
with a full length thread.

Colin.

MikeSeale wrote: BTW, has anyone used rivnuts before instead of captive nuts? The problem I have with captive nuts is that the flange is too wide and often has to be partially removed so that the bolt can be closer to the edge of the fuselage. I spotted these rivnuts whilst buying other items on ebay and the flange is a lot thinner. Possible negative is that the threaded section does not go all the way through so I'll have to use the full length of the rivnut.

Mike - search M4 M5 M6 M8 M10 THREADED HEX DRIVE FIXING TYPE D WOOD INSERT NUTS on e bay - possible alternative - I ve used them on various jobs screwed in with epoxy.