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The canopy skirt is looking better all the time. I put some more fibreglas at the back to properly tie the left and right halves together, and it seems fairly strong now. I need to get a bit better fit right at the centre, where it fits around the raised canopy track.

When I put the fibreglas layer on to tie the two halves together at the back, I put a layer of wax paper over the canopy track, and tried to form the fibreglas closely over it. It was definitely a mistake to use the wax paper, as some of the wax paper stuck to the fibreglas, and it was a pain in the butt to get all the wax off. I would use electrical tape next time.

The fibreglas didn't fit real tight over the canopy track in the back, so I tried a bit of an experiment. I put some electrical tape over the canpy track and the surrounding fuselage skin, then stuck some West Systems epoxy and microfibre under the back end of the canopy skirt and then closed the canopy tightly. In theory, I should get a nice tight fit over the canopy track.

This canopy skirt was removed when this picture was taken. You are looking at the aft end of the plexiglas canopy, with a bit of electrical tape on it which kept the fibreglas resin from sticking when I bonded the two halves of the canopy skirt together.


Here you see the back end of the canopy skirt, after I tightened it down with the epoxy and microfibres in the gap.


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The plans for the wheel pants call for the flat-head screws that hold the two halves together to have large countersunk Tinnerman washers under them. I have never cared for the look of those washers, so I pondered whether I could get away without using them. I have seen a few RVs without those washers on the wheel pants, so I'm not the only one with this crazy idea. But I worried about whether the fibreglas would stand up without the additional support that those washers provide.

So, I asked a question on the RV-List, and soon had many responses, both on and off list. Several responses said that they had had problems with the fibreglas wearing around the screw heads, so that idea looked like a non-starter. I want a good looking plane, but more than that I want one that doesn't need any more maintenance than necessary.

But an RV-4 builder sent me a good idea:

On my -4 (10 or so years ago) I used the screws with the Tinnerman washers painted to match the plane.

The only problem is keeping up with the washers along with the screws when you take it apart.

During a rebuild of the pants I did what the composite guys do: glue the Tinnerman washers in place, fill the edges with filler, and glass over the washer and filler. Run a counter sink to clean out the washer, then paint.The result is metal in contact with the screws but the washers are captive and hidden. Structurally, this is a good as it gets.

A little more work but easier down the road - you don't have to worry about losing the washers and then wondering if you have any spares that are painted.

I'm doing the same on my almost finished -6a.

Dave

So, I countersunk the holes for the screws, then assembled the wheel pant halves with screws and Tinnerman washers. I used a fine marker to trace around the washers, then disassembled everything. I used a Kutzall carving burr to remove the gel coat around the holes. Those burrs do a wonderful job carving fibreglas - they don't seem to wear, and they don't clog up.

I roughed up the surface of the Tinnerman washers and mixed up some West Systems epoxy with microfibres. I put some epoxy mix under each washer, and assembled the wheel pants, putting a drop of oil on each screw to be sure the epoxy didn't lock them in place. It seems to have turned out OK so far, with the outer face of the Tinnerman washers just below the surface of the gel coat. I put some filler on them, and we'll see how it turns out after it cures and I sand it.

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There have been several interesting e-mail list threads about Cleveland brakes in the last few months. I have been meaning to post a note to inform builders for quite a while, but I got distracted. Anyway, here here goes with a few brake gotchas:

  1. Improperly assembled calipers delivered from factory.
  2. Rough finish inside caliper.
  3. O-ring damage due over-heating.

Read on for information on each of these issues.

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Stein Bruch posted the following message on the Yahoo ExperimentalAvionics List:

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 03:46:14 -0000
Subject: [ExperimentalAvionics] Cheap Tefzel, Coax, Blade Fuses & More
Reply-To: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hi All,

Sorry for this shameless post, but after building 2 planes and wiring the panels for many more, I've searched out and found the best sources for cheap tefzel wire, RG-400 coax, fuses, buse blocks and more homebuilding supplies.

I buy direct from the Mfgrs and this saves %25-60 over prices of everyone else, including B&C, TerminalTown, Van's, Zenith, Lancair, etc..

You can shop and buy online at:

http://www.steinair.com/store.htm

My store is new, and will continually be growing as I negotiate more deals with suppliers.

Happy building and flying,
Stein Bruch
RV6, Minneapolis
http://www.steinair.com

I checked a few of the prices, and they were significantly lower than I normally pay. This new on-line store is probably worth a try.

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I finally managed to get back at the project today.

Last Tuesday night I drilled the new aft part of the canopy skirts to the frame. The right side fits excellently. The left side isn't quite perfect, but it is much, much better than it was before. I'll probably have to make one more small mod to remove a small gap in one spot.

Today I trimmed the new aft skirts a bit more, then put them in place and bonded one ply of fibreglas across the aft end to tie the two skirt halves together. After it cures I'll put the canopy off and turn it upside down on some pillows so I can put a few more plies of fibreglas on the inside at the rear.

I realized I hadn't looked at the wheel pants for awhile, so I pulled them out, intending to countersink the holes where the various screws go that hold them together. But when I looked at them I saw that I needed to put some filler on a bunch of areas. So, I cleaned the surface, roughed it up, mixed the filler and put it on.

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It's been an eventful few days. Terry got into a car accident on the 401 in Toronto Wednesday afternoon. She wasn't hurt thankfully, which was quite amazing considering there were two semi-trucks involved, and her car got munched by one of them. Her car probably won't be repaired though, as it looks like the repairs would cost more than it is worth. Thursday I drove to Toronto and back to rescue her. The big power blackout started while we were driving back home. As soon as we figured out what had happened I slowed down to economy cruise, and we coasted into our driveway with the car running on fumes.

After we got home I pulled the generator out of the garage, but I couldn't get it to start. I pulled on the starting cord until I was ready to have heat stroke but it wouldn't fire. It hadn't been started since the Ice Storm of Jan 98, when we went ten days without power. Geez, I guess gasoline (winter gas at that) doesn't last 5 and a half years. It sure didn't smell like gas when I opened the tank.

The power came back on at 2:50 AM Friday morning. The federal government announced that all non-essential employees were to stay home on Friday, so I did. I headed to the local gas station to fill the car up, but they didn't have power. The next gas station had power, but the unleaded fuel ran out just as I arrived. They had already run out of mid-grade, so the car and jerry-can got filled with premium fuel. The generator and lawn mower should really purr now.

One of the Canadian Tire stores was open, so I managed to buy some carburetor cleaner. The carb on the generator was really gummed up from the remains of the gas from 1998. But, after I cleaned it and replaced the gas in the tank with the fresh premium I had just bought, it started right up.

Friday afternoon and Saturday we started shopping for a replacement car for Terry. I really, really hate car shopping.