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Fiberglass Fun

JDA_BTR

Well Known Member
I've put my fairings on top of the VS and rudder, and done what I can to fit them best. Notice how the VS part doesn't quite dovetail into the rudder part. The rudder fairing has a rise and crest in the fwd portion before falling off aft. I won't be able to just sand down the rudder part to make things smooth. I can build up the fwd rudder trim and the aft VS trim to make a fair line.

Or I could just leave it and keep on trucking. Who would fuss with it (and how?) and who would just leave as is and not worry?

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Fiberglass fun

There really is no "correct" answer. Personally, I added fiberglass cloth and sanded to a smooth fit. I doubt many people would notice the difference. This picture is with the parts laying on my parts pile. You may be able to tell I did not get the match perfect.
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Unless the Guru chips in soon...

Micro will go pretty thick - it just takes lots of balloons. Alternative is to build with flox which goes thick quick and then finesse with micro.

Looking at your tip again, it will need a little remedial, but not too much. I am surprised there is so much difference between the parts and wonder if you trimmed a little before fitting.

Good news is that glass stuff is relatively easy when you have some practise and can always be ground off after a Simpson's - Doh !! or two.
 
I didn't trim at the top, just at the bottom and back of the VS piece. It was too long by 1/2 inch.
 
You can always glue on some foam, shape it and glass it.

I'd make it look the way you want it to - it's going to be an obvious visual line of the airplane design.

Dave
 
Hmm, mismatch is the norm rather then the exception but in this case I wonder if you have the correct part? Building up the front piece still will not make it right unless you lower the hump in the aft part. Or, build up both parts, which would take a fair bit of micro.
in any case, see what the horizontal tips look like and try for symmetry with all tips.
 
Same story on the RV-9A.

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I put some thick micro on the fiberglass and sanded it into shape, then primed.

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The tail is pretty tall on the trigear models, so you'll probably never notice that the tail tips don't line up perfectly, unless you are up on a ladder.

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Anyway - can micro go that thick? What is the thickest it should go?

You don't need much to fair those parts. Anyway, there is no real limit on thickness. Well, there is, but it has to do with exotherm (thermal runaway) in thick sections. If you can control exotherm (for example, using slow hardener or just a slow curing epoxy system), you can even cast micro.

Try to apply more than you'll need, so you apply just once. Sanding, then finding a low spot, then adding more micro, can be unproductive two ways. It burns time waiting on the second round to cure, and if the second round isn't mixed at the same density, it won't necessarily sand the same.
 
Micro it is; I was planning to put flox in the seam that I opened up to make the sides line up correctly without a bow out too. I did check carefully and I have the right part there. I also have to get the micro at the skin edge to dress that up but that's super straightforward. Was going to get the top right then come back and get the #30 drilled and dimpled/countersunk before skimming the skin edges. All new to me but more messy than difficult.
 
I have absolutely no knowledge on anything fiberglass other than section 5. Does anyone have a good resource to go to to learn the basics?
 
Fair it up. Nothing screams sloppy workmanship like gaps, seams, and edges that are misaligned and/or not parallel, and it will become even more apparent with paint. If you took your VS/R as now fitted to a decent paint shop, they'd fix it and charge you.

And it's so easy to fix. Mix micro with two-part epoxy (like West Systems, you'll need this stuff over and over again through the build) or - real easy - Superfil, and smear on to sorta the shape (brings out the sculptor in you), cure, sand, repeat a/r, until you blend all edges and the gap. Try using a knife to score a line between the skins and the caps so it looks like a separate part with even gaps, and don't be afraid of sanding the aluminum if you're going to paint.

You'll encounter the same problem with other caps, fairings, and the cowl. Might as well get with the program.

John Siebold
 
Do it now, lots of dust later but this worked for me

1) Lock the rudder in place,
2) Make up some micro (add micro to epoxy until it's as thick as peanut butter).
3) Smear liberally then use a sanding block to reshape both parts as one.
4) Cut apart and finish edges (notice lines drawn on Vert to identify part edges for cutting)


 
FG work is pretty easy. Just go in there and do it. If you are really intimidated just get some styrofoam and practice on that. You will see very quickly that it ain't rocket science. ONe of the easier parts of building an RV actually.
 
glass

I built an F1 and now am in last year of a GIIIRG. Glass is not tough, just itchy on a large scale. Metal is more fussy with all the bits and pieces. Both are very satisfying. Engine is a TIO540AE2A. Think Jeff Lavelle and Reno. N360KT reserved.
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Best
Howard
 
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I've put my fairings on top of the VS and rudder, and done what I can to fit them best. Notice how the VS part doesn't quite dovetail into the rudder part. The rudder fairing has a rise and crest in the fwd portion before falling off aft. I won't be able to just sand down the rudder part to make things smooth. I can build up the fwd rudder trim and the aft VS trim to make a fair line.

Same story on the RV-9A.

At Oshkosh this year I was looking at Tim Olson's RV-14A and noticed the VS/rudder fairing mismatch. I wondered if he had been sent the wrong parts since he was one of the first customers, but it turns out the reason why the -14 fairings don't match is because they are actually the very same parts (VS-909 & R-909) used on the RV-9, and apparently they never matched on that airframe either. Mystery solved...
 
My only question is.........

Can the words Fiberglass and Fun legally be used in the same statement?
 
There are many plastic airplane builders in NO and Baton Rouge area; find one and have them show you how easy it is to fix this minor issue. I know how I'd fix it, but after 5 plastic airplanes I've learned a few tricks that wouldn't do you much good w/o hands on experience. I'm having local Montana RV builders teach me how to rivet - I'm a rank beginner :D
 
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