Posted Monday, May 23, 2011 @ 07:08 PM  

I have not posted much this past year but I have been making progress on my rebuild project. Getting the wing ready for covering was much more difficult than the fuselage.. it was as if the factor used super glue to attach the wing fabric. Using a heat gun to remover the fabric became problematic... a small section of fabric would often flash into flames as it was removed. I have completed a number of items for the 4 this winter.

After seeing and flying Eugenio's pristine RF-4d last June, I wanted to take advantage of his experience(s) and recommendations. Eugenio's reminder to keep things simple was lost to me for a while and I went down the wrong paths only to be frustrated and disappointed. As an example, for some reason I had it in my mind to make fiberglass wing tips with built in LED position lights, etc. I learned a lot about mold and actually made the tips. But it was the wrong path. Often my first "solution" was not the best solution, and even though I was invested in a solution didn't mean that it could not be dropped in favor of something better.

Below is a link to a very short album showing my wing and fiberglass covering to the box section. Everyone seems to have different ideas how things should be done and what materials to use, but for me, my plan to follow Eugenio's suggestions regarding fiberglass. This became especially important since once I had the wing open it was cleat that a number of parts had to be replaced due to water damage. Living in Oregon often means wet/damp conditions for flying.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=Bomar1&target=ALBUM&id=5610020697684587153&locked=true&authkey=Gv1sRgCLCd3eC0rYzKtQE&feat=email

Collin has my engine. I asked Collin to plan the rebuild as if he were building the engine for his own RF-4d. Frankly, it would be foolish for me to NOT take advantage of his engine knowledge and skills. So sometime in the next few months I expect you will see pictures of my engine being rebuilt and perhaps some of the rational for doing things a particular way. I expect to learn from the process... just as I have been leaning from the other parts of the rebuild.

Posted Wednesday, June 1, 2011 @ 10:25 PM  

I will have lots more coming soon, esp. regarding the fabric job, paint and primer(s), which will be the Superflite system. I have all the PolyFiber system materials and have used it on fabric aircraft like my Cessna 140 wings with very good results; however, since I will have both fiberglass and fabric I wanted to make sure everything worked together. In fact today I talked with the Superflite factory technical person (they are really helpful) and asked about the primers they recommend for fiberglass and metal... according the their expert, they recommend the fabric primer over "raw" fiberglass, i.e., no gel coat, so I can use the same primer for the entire aircraft. The PolyFiber primer, Poly Spray is the aluminum particle primer with UV protection that goes over the PolyBrush... anyway, it does not work very well on fiberglass and is much softer than the Superflite primer/paint. Interestingly, and I think Eugenio knows all the history, PPG makes the paint, primer, etc., for automotive use (esp. with flex agents for plastic auto parts like bumpers) and the Superflite often just puts their labels over the PPG products. A few of the products like the Superflite fabric cement ($ 21.00/qt) is aircraft specific. For some reason, perhaps competition, Aircraft Spruce does not carry Superflite Aircraft covering systems, but Wicks Aircraft Supply does. I am very lucky that I have an excellent shop on my field with lots of paint/fabric experience. Hopefully I can have them shoot the primer and paint... otherwise I will have to trailer the wing and fuselage off site to paint it. And as we all know, the wing is a handful.

Posted Friday, June 3, 2011 @ 10:25 AM  

Admiring your shiny glossy wing I thought for a fleeting moment, Plug for a fiberglass mold as done by the sailplane manufacturers.

It will be interesting to see what it weighs as it might even turn out as light as the my PolyFiber & Ranthane finish.

I count about 11 or 12 coats of paint with my PolyFiber/Ranthane method by the time its done.

Damm, I just realized I forgot to weight it before I started painting.