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Spherical magnets

gyoung

Well Known Member
I just received an order of some gear leg fairings from Van's. Included was a sub-kit Bag 1002 with 20 spherical magnets and nylon washers. While they are really fun to play with, I can't find any reference to how/where they are used. They aren't on the included drawing and I've searched VAF and the construction manual to no avail. My only thought is to hold the fairings to the gear legs while mounting/aligning them. What am I missing?
 
How 'bout dat... hole locators. This is my first experience with your gray coating but the magnets will sure beat the old backlight method for my semi-transparent wheel pants. Guess I gotta bone up on this century's methods. Thanks Scott!
 
The plans have come a long way since my RV-3! The equivalent 37 page manual was summarized in one sentence that basically said "Good luck and have fun!"
 
In the day, my neighbor, an early RV6 builder, made a kit with small magnets and a viewer. You glued the magnets onto the back side of the rib flange where you wanted to drill. The viewer was a small piece of cardboard with a plastic window and a bullseye. When you passed over the magnet, the particles in the viewer gathered together and you could line up the bullseye which had a small hole for a marker. The drill popped the magnet off as it pushed through.
This was back when there where no pre punched skins and came in handy for fuselage bulkheads hidden under the skin.
 
It's a bit off the topic of this excellent hole-finding method, but I've found that two strong flat magnets do a great job holding pieces of aluminum together in places where clamps can't reach.

Mine are 1/2" diameter and about 3/32" or 1/8" thick.

Dave
 
In the day, my neighbor, an early RV6 builder, made a kit with small magnets and a viewer. You glued the magnets onto the back side of the rib flange where you wanted to drill. The viewer was a small piece of cardboard with a plastic window and a bullseye. When you passed over the magnet, the particles in the viewer gathered together and you could line up the bullseye which had a small hole for a marker. The drill popped the magnet off as it pushed through.
This was back when there where no pre punched skins and came in handy for fuselage bulkheads hidden under the skin.

You can still make one of the viewers. Very handy in certain situations. I used one on my RV-6 and again, skinning the leading edges of an Aeronca Champ.

Here's the starting point:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnet-Sourc...id=1492996859&sr=8-2&keywords=magnetic+viewer

Then you punch a hole in the center.

Tape or glue a magnet on the "other" side of the surface you want to drill (and in the correct location for your desired hole), and all you have to do is use the card to locate the magnet, mark it through the hole you poked in the card, and drill away.

Easy peasy.
 
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