Fuse to Wing joint

I am building a Brodak Super Clown after a gazillion years of R/C and have lost some of the know how on C/L ships, especially the wing joint. When I was kid the local Guru insisted on a whole tube of Ambroid just for that joint. I have such a nice tight fit I was going to use thin CA and then maybe an epoxy fillet. This OK? Should I use strictly epoxy? loosen the fit and force epoxy in the gap? Thick CA? Half inch bolts? Also, I would like to use the cloth hinges in the kit, OK to use CA on them? When you cover with monokote, or silkspan, do you just go right over the hinges with the material? Any help is appreciated.

I am not a cloth hinge fan, so won't comment on that. I used them when I was a kit because that's all we had. When I became a man, well, I found there were other things available.

On the wing to fuse, joint, you want it as close a fit as you can get. If it is not a good fit, make it one. Put wedges in the cracks, etc., if you have to. Are you covering it first and then gluing it on, or are you putting it on and then covering it? If you cover it first, the CA probably won't work. If not, it will. You can use epoxy to glue it on as well (maybe recommended) but in either case apply a small epoxolite or similar fillet on each side of the fuselage. That will add all the additional security you need and will serve to spread out the joint as well. If you ever have a crash where you need to remove the fuselage or the wing, you will realize that it was in to stay. (I have rebuilt several planes where I had to do this--wanting to save the wing or save the fuselage--and it wasn't fun. But you also realize how strong this type of joint then becomes.)

Leonard Neumann

Leonard I didn't know you were built from a "KIT" Is that what makes you so good at what you do?

>Leonard I didn't know you were
>built from a "KIT"
>Is that what makes you
>so good at what you
>do?
>
>Bob

That was a typo, Bob. I meant I was a "kid", not a "kit".

A model kit is a copy of the original usually using inferior materials and sometimes inaccurate cutting in what is often a compromised package that produces less than desireable results and is hard to distinguish from all of the others just like it.

Come to think of it, maybe I was kit, not a kid.

Leonard Neumann

Thanks Leonard, I will use thin and thick CA and a small epoxy/filler fillet. I really hate to try and sand those though. I bought silkspan and dope, thinkin' of grandpa, but I hav a ton of monokote and am getting itchy to fly. I also have a huge selection of hinges, will pick something nylon, thanks, badabing.

If you are worried about sanding, put masking tape down on each side as far as you expect the fillet to go. Then apply the fillet material and wet your finger and use the finger to smooth it out. Pull up the tape before it gets hard, and if done right, very little sanding should be needed. (This works with microbaloons, too.)

Leonard Neumann

Something to remember.
Epoxy exposure over time causes sensitivity
and possible allergic reactions. Purchasing
some rubber finger cots at the drug store
is a good thing to do . They work as well as
gloves on filletts and are much more reasonably priced.

Try using epoxy with microballons for the fillets.
They require very little sanding. It has made
fillets so much easier & nicer looking for me since
I learned about it. I also use that technique
for fin fillets on rockets.

Speaking as one with nearly 33 years experience in a bodyshop, if you want ANY kind of finish to stick permanently to ANYTHING, you'd better sand it thoroughly first.

Nils

Disclaimer: With the exception of your cloths or your wife's favorite table, etc.

As to the cloth hinges. I've recently used them with CA on two airplanes. One a JR Flite Streak and the other an old original Flite Streak. Although I was advised after the fact (I asked on this board after I already did it)to not use CA and to use something along the lines of ambroid, I can report that the hinges are doing quite well so far. I used thin CA and just let it wick through the cloth and into the wood. Sand smooth afterwards so the paint will stick.