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Quickbuild skin edge finishing technique

F

Flying Scotsman

Well Known Member
Starting work on the wings on my -7A, and we're recalling the pretty edge finishing job that Van's subcontractor did on my neighbor's -8 fuselage. Where the skins overlapped on that fuse, they did a really nice job of beveling the last 1/16" or so, perfectly evenly all along the edge, so that the overlap was clean and neat and sort of "faired in" from the upper to the lower skin. Wondering if anyone knows how that's done? I can see how you could build a jig of sorts for smaller pieces, but how would you do that for a big ol' piece of sheet metal like a wing or fuselage skin? (I'm assuming that some of you know what I'm talking about here, even if I didn't describe it very well?). Obviously, I'd like to apply such a technique, if possible, to the skins on the -7...

TIA!

Steve
 
I think I know what your talking about. I just did mine on the top wing skin of the wing where it over laps. What I do is lay the edge about 1/2 inch over the edge of my table and use a flat file to file it back. I can usually get it filed at least 3/16 of an inch back and it turns out really good. You have to be really carefull not to let the file down to much or you'll tear up the top skin. Just make a couple of passes, taking a little bit at a time. I don't know how you would do it any other way unless you used a sander. I just sand them down good when done with the file. I looks good to me. We'll see how it looks when I rivet them together
 
I did the same thing to the skins on my RV-8 wings and fuselage after seeing a quick-build 7. I used a file held at an angle to the edge of the skin to get the bevel, then made a few passes over the bevel with a scotchbrite wheel to smooth it out. It turned out well, you just have to be careful to hold a steady angle when you use the file.
 
Two rollers

Steve,
If it's the slight bend along the edge that you're speaking of, it was bent with a tool made up of two drawer rollers mounted on a piece of hardwood, close together. The rollers are slid onto the edge and given a "twist" to slightly bend the edge in the proper direction, then are just rolled along the edge, keeping the same amount of twist until you reach the end of the sheet. Done properly, will yield around 2 or 3 degrees of bend. I believe that ACS or Avery sells these.

Regards,
 
I used a 90 degree die grinder & a 3M 2" fine sander (Quick change) disk. I feathered the edge the entire lenth of the skin and paid close attention to the leading and trailing overlapping edges. Came out great, if I say so myself.
 
Thanks, guys...yeah, I was talking about the very small edge beveling (~1/16" or thereabouts) that looks like it was machined (not the crimped edges that you do with the tool with the rollers on it). We were just impressed with the precision and quality of the job the quickbuilders did, and were thinking of trying to do the same thing (but I don't want to mess up a skin in the process).

Thanks for the tips!

Steve
 
any updates on method?

Hi steve i want to do the same has anyone actually come back with the method to do this as you asked?
 
pierre smith said:
Steve,
If it's the slight bend along the edge that you're speaking of, it was bent with a tool made up of two drawer rollers mounted on a piece of hardwood, close together. The rollers are slid onto the edge and given a "twist" to slightly bend the edge in the proper direction, then are just rolled along the edge, keeping the same amount of twist until you reach the end of the sheet. Done properly, will yield around 2 or 3 degrees of bend. I believe that ACS or Avery sells these.
Click to expand...

Here's the edge forming tool:
http://www.cleavelandtool.com/Edge-Forming-Tool/productinfo/EF60/#.VIhMYWK9KSM

It works quite well, but it can get away from you (see this month's KitPlanes Magazine).
 
Flying Scotsman said:
Thanks, guys...yeah, I was talking about the very small edge beveling (~1/16" or thereabouts) that looks like it was machined (not the crimped edges that you do with the tool with the rollers on it). We were just impressed with the precision and quality of the job the quickbuilders did, and were thinking of trying to do the same thing (but I don't want to mess up a skin in the process).

Thanks for the tips!

Steve
Click to expand...

Cheers ScrollF4, read the quote above though.

The bevelling I've seen on some Quick build fuselage skins especially on lower edge of top side skins and tail cone area is exceptional and I really like how it looks. The key word here is "bevelling" http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevel# chamfer could also be used. However how it is done along the entire exposed edge on these QB kits is really impressive. I'll try and get a photo posted to clear the mud.

I still would like to find out how the bevelling is achieved in the QB factory, pretty sure is done by machine or with a really cool file jig or something.

Surely someone on here knows what we're talking about.
 
Well, I bet it is done just like most of us did, by hand, with a file. You can be amazingly precise with proper technique, hard to explain, but you hold the file with one hand on the handle and the other on the file itself. Use equal pressure to keep the file at the angle you wish to achieve. Draw the file across the work... You will need to support your work firmly.
Practice on a piece of scrap. I bet you can get that machined look you are trying to achieve in no time.
 
Vansrv7arob said:
Cheers ScrollF4, read the quote above though.

The bevelling I've seen on some Quick build fuselage skins especially on lower edge of top side skins and tail cone area is exceptional and I really like how it looks. The key word here is "bevelling" http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevel# chamfer could also be used. However how it is done along the entire exposed edge on these QB kits is really impressive. I'll try and get a photo posted to clear the mud.

I still would like to find out how the bevelling is achieved in the QB factory, pretty sure is done by machine or with a really cool file jig or something.

Surely someone on here knows what we're talking about.
Click to expand...

Yep, roger that, I could have taken a closer look at the post. My edge roller did give me nice results, though.
 
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