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-   -   Repair (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=149464)

whittfic 05-13-2017 04:14 AM

Repair
 
So there I was applying some colour to various bits and pieces at last. I had this painting thing nailed, the prep was done and the paint was going on nicely, no runs, no orange peel, nice coverage without being too heavy. Life was good... and then this happened!!

http://s456.photobucket.com/user/whi...mage.jpeg.html

This is the inboard rear corner of one of my elevators. I was in the process of suspending it from a hook in the roof of the spray booth when the support wire slipped from my hand and it hit the floor!! Needless to say I was less than happy and all I wanted to do at that moment was start flinging tools around the workshop. After I stopped calling myself all the idiot names I could think of I actually decided to clean up and call it a day.

So now I am asking the collective wisdom here for any suggestions/guidence to fix this. I'm thinking I should be able to carefully manipulate this back into shape fairly easily but if anyone knows of any potential 'gotchas' I am all ears.

Clive Whittfield
Auckland
New Zealand
RV6 (painting)

BigJohn 05-13-2017 05:23 AM

Sorry for your misfortune. Reminds me of the time I caught a part in the deburring wheel and it ended up becoming a missle and making a dent in my brand new leading edge.

In my humble opinion you will never be able to make a satisfactory repair without reskinning it. The metal is deformed and kinked. Bite the bullet and order a new skin. Trying to repair that corner will cost you a lot of time and you will never be completely happy with the result.

bret 05-13-2017 05:48 AM

And if you did repair it you would never be able to enjoy a nice flight without thinking about that critical flight control surface with 200 MPH winds acting on it..........

pa38112 05-13-2017 05:58 AM

Sorry for your loss! It will make you stronger.
I would lay it on a flat smooth board, heat it a little with an electric heat gun, and then lay a 8' piece if 2"X4" on it and through a series of clamping, tapping, and heating try to get it to straighten. - It is worth a shot. If it does not work you re-skin. If it does work you will be happy you tried and you will learn a lot about metal working in the process.

Steve Melton 05-13-2017 06:12 AM

I would try to straighten it. Not much load on trailing edge. Use an internal wood mandrel and try to tap it out. I think it's worth a try.

9GT 05-13-2017 07:44 AM

I would stop drill the sharp trailing edge where the damaged corner ends, then massage the bent skins back in position. If you happy with the results, a little JB Weld in the hole, skim the wrinkles with some light weight body filler, final sand and repaint. You have nothing to loose trying to fix it.

David Paule 05-13-2017 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pa38112 (Post 1172755)
Sorry for your loss!....heat it a little with an electric heat gun....

Assuming that's aluminum, all the heat will do is make it permanently weaker, and you'd need much more than a typical heat gun can provide anyway. By the time heat will soften the aluminum enough to work it better, the paint will have been ruined and the aluminum will need to be re-heat-treated.

Find a good auto-body shop and ask the manager to have his best bump-out guy see what he can do. You might be surprised.

Dave

Snowflake 05-14-2017 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Melton (Post 1172758)
I would try to straighten it. Not much load on trailing edge. Use an internal wood mandrel and try to tap it out. I think it's worth a try.

This would be my thought as well.

-goose 05-15-2017 07:22 AM

What a frustrating thing to happen! Take it from BigJohn, unless you're an absolute wizard at sheet metal you'll never get close to a satisfactory result trying to straighten that. The end rib would have to come out just to get in there to make a start, and the skin will probably want to crack at the kink and at the trailing edge bend.
Take a deep breath and order the new skin, or perhaps check the classifieds for a built one?
Good luck,
John.

LettersFromFlyoverCountry 05-15-2017 10:56 AM

New elevator skin is, what, about $75. Stiffeners can't be very expensive.

I can't tell you what to do. But I'd drill it off the spar and put on a new skin so I wouldn't have to look at it every time I did a preflight.

but that's just me and I'm pretty OCD


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