Tip finishing

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Sun May 22, 2005 2:55 am

This may be a little tough for me to describe, but...

I'm wondering how you guys are going about filling / glassing the tips on the empennage parts. The gist of my question is how far out onto the part are you "fairing" the filler / glass?
Looking at Dan Checkoway's site, he has faired the filler out pretty far onto the surface. I'm not planning on filling all the rivets on the surfaces (I like the look of the rivet lines) and was wondering about just filling the blind rivets that attach the tips and leaving all the other rivets uncovered. This may be difficult to do depending on how much filler is needed. Otherwise, once painted, it seems that there would be a line of rivets that would sort of "disappear" into the filler.

Here's a pic (from rvproject.com):

The stiffener rivet lines on the top and bottom are filled. Maybe I'm being too picky about this, but on the HS and VS the front spar rivets will be filled at the tips and not toward the middle. I'm just wondering if this will look weird when painted. Any thoughts?

Hopefully that's clear ... it is 3AM (working the night shift...)

Thomas

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun May 22, 2005 6:34 am

Thomas,

Yes, I have an opinion! I always do!

I think you are doing everthing right! Hope that suits you well!

It isn't going to look odd or out of place. Fill and blend any imperfections. That is what that stuff is for! I don't consider a line of rivets to be imperfect!

There is a -8 up here on Nantucket Island that has ALL the exterior rivets filled! Bob, the owner (not the builder) says that people always ask him if the rivets came out poorly and is that why he filled them. He says, "the builder did it for looks, but speed is an added bonus."

Well, I am still undeceided if it is any faster, but he says it is.

Anywhoooo... on a painted plane, unless you are looking for the rivets, you won't even notice they are filled!

I plan on filling in anything that isn't "just right". That is what makes an okay job, a really nice one. Right now, we are building for strength and durability. The top coat is all eye candy.

CJ

mustang · Post by **mustang** » Sun May 22, 2005 11:25 am

Yes, I am currently flying an RV-4 built in the early 90s with only 500 hours on the airframe. Where the filling on the elevators was applied thickly, there are cracks. So go sparingly on the filler unless you want cracks. Filler by it's nature is not structural and the tail shakes and vibrates. Something to think about

Cheers, Pete

Post by **Spike** » Sun May 22, 2005 3:38 pm

I will be using the pop rivets as is and not painting or filling them (if I can pull it off.) I have seen too many RV's where they tried to hide the rivets and just ended up making it worse with bad sanding jobs or cracked body work.

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Leighton · Post by **Leighton** » Mon May 23, 2005 12:14 am

sure wouldnt vibrate so much if it had a turbine up front
sorry, couldnt help myself.

Leighton (turbine advocate)

mustang · Post by **mustang** » Mon May 23, 2005 1:15 am

OK, so, buy me one of those Innodyne things and I'll give it a shot. With only 32 gallons capacity I'll have to land every hour and a half!
Cheers, Pete

PS Only 7 gals per hour per 100 HP.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 23, 2005 6:58 am

The Rv is an all metal airplane and should not have filler all over it. Think about it this way, when was the last time bondo was good on a car? If you like the glass look build a glassair! Filler is for the fiberglass parts, and that is where it end's. anyway that is MY opinion

Snap · Post by **Snap** » Mon May 23, 2005 11:36 pm

Just remember....Everyone is entitled to my opinion!

I wouldn't fill them in. If it is a good rivet.... show it off. Show the people how you put this nice plane together. Show them the way.. Bring them to the dark side (sorry, just saw starwars) get them building an RV. The more the better.

.....as the old man sits in his chair, his grandchildren ask him a question. 'Grandpa, what is a Cessna?'

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Tue May 24, 2005 8:04 am

Yeah, that's what I wanna do. I just would like to cover the seam between the tip and the aluminum and cover the pop rivets used to hold the tips on. Hopefully I can avoid covering many other rivets, but we'll see how it goes (stuff on order from Spruce now...)

Thomas

mustang · Post by **mustang** » Wed May 25, 2005 2:28 am

I have filled the voids between the glass tips and the metal with thick epoxy from Aircraft Spruce. It seems to fill pretty well and takes paint also.

Face it, anything we do is better than Cessna.
Cheers, Pete

l & d lewis · Post by **l & d lewis** » Wed May 25, 2005 12:07 pm

I'm with Leighton, if at all possible the Innodyn is going on the front of my -8A, and since most of the plane will be polished we're being real careful with the rivets. Great rivet lines are airplane art..........Larry

PS with a few nutplates and bonded countersink washers we're making all the tips removable. You just never know when you might want to look inside.