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Almost Done

Me Too!

I probably have another 2-3 weeks of work left on the fuselage. I already have the engine taken care of and probably going to Sun 'N Fun to finalize the instruments. I wish Van's had their packages close so I could make a decision on their system or customize at SNF.

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Done with Fuselage

Completed the fuselage yesterday. I guess I will work on the interior and exterior paint while waiting for the finish kit.

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Ken, I see you did not paint the interior floor and sides but have the panel mount riveted in. Any plans for the interior finish?
Looks Good
 
Interior

Ron,
I plan on using the 3M carbon fiber vinyl to cover some of the exposed surfaces. I will also paint the surfaces that would be to hard to wrap. I am going to put a very thin carpet in the baggage area and a heavier carpet up front.
 
Nice work

Really nice work, Ken. You've made impressive progress in a relatively short time. Very inspiring.

May I ask -

Is that a paint booth in the picture below? How is it constructed?
I had not considered doing the paint myself but your work is encouraging. What was the cost of prep/base/clear coat?

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Another week and I should be able to join the forward and aft fuselage sections.
 
Paint Booth

The paint booth is a car port with the original covering replaced with heavy plastic. It has the ends framed to hold the filters on one end and a door on the other end with an exhaust fan. I have some flourescent lights on the sides and the ceiling.

I bought all Valspar paint and primer. I am up to about $2500 in materials.
 
Decided to gear up my old helicopter hangar into a paint booth. The oil fired furnace had to be moved three feet to give me enough roam for the booth. I have an extra 5hp compressor at work that I moved into the hangar this morning.
The benefit of having the booth away from being inside my build hangar is no fumes when I'm building and if no one is in the helicopter hangar less chance of stirring dust in fresh paint. I will load the booth thru the hangar doors and install an exhaust fan. I plan to put a fresh coat of white paint and install a row of lights on each side.
 
Question about your paint booth. Did you specifically use "explosion proof" fans or just fans. And if just fans, did you use them as blowing fans or sucking fans? Just curious. As soon as I'm ready to paint I'm building a booth in the middle of a 3-stall garage to do my paint.
Tim
 
I'm certainly no expert painter but I would not think you would want any thing blowing as it would bring in dust or stir it about. I have always used a suction fan low to the floor. I would think you not want a super large fan just enough to keep up with removing the overspray. I would doubt you would want to feel any drafts in the center of your booth. At the air inlet
filters you will feel the air flow and just in front of your exhaust fan also.
As for explosion proof it's always a good idea. The fans I have at work are explosion proof and that is probably what I'll steal if I can find the smaller one I had last time.
PS finished the third coat of paint tonight (in the booth) and on to lighting tomorrow night. Once again I plan on stealing the four foot lights I have yet to install at work (temporary borrow). I plan on replacing to older style florescent with more energy efficient ones. It will have to wait a bit longer.
 
Paint Booth

Tim,

I use a fan that is about 36" diameter. The fan pulls the air through the filters that are on the opposite end of the booth. I am drawing enough air through the booth that the sides of the booth get sucked in. The fan is not rated as explosion proof.:eek:
 
simple safe alternative

Tim,

The fan is not rated as explosion proof.:eek:

Blow filtered air in from the top, let it exhaust out the edges of the bottom. Soak the floor with water to keep the dust down and keep the over spray from sticking.
 
Blowing air into a spray booth never gives good results. It moves over spray all over the place and will induce a lot more contaminants into the paint surfaces because it is stirring everything up.
Professional paint booths draw the air out.

Household box fans (the ones sold here in the U.S. anyway) are typically arc free (they have a brush free motor). You can test the one(s) you have by running them in a dark room.
 
I built a small paint booth in my basement for this project. Just some 1x2s covered with plastic sheet. Framed in a furnace air filter and use a $16 box fan from Wal-Mart sitting in a window. Cost me less than $100 total and took 3-4 hours to build. Never did this before. I had always just painted parts outside and dealt with the bugs and contaminants that would inevitably invade a wet coat. Now I know I'm inviting critique when this airplane hits the airshow circuit, and believe me, I am nobody's painter, but I am far more pleased with the finishes I'm getting now than have ever been before.

If you have the space, build a booth. It is worth the time and effort.
 
When I built my -8A in the garage of my condo (with the neighbor lady's living room on the other side of the wall :D), I built a paint booth much like the one Mitch described, likewise using furnace filters for the inlet air and a cheap box fan from Walmart to exhaust the fumes. I also added some filters in line with the box fan to catch as much overspray as possible. Before I started painting I put some thinner in the paint gun and sprayed it straight into the fan...figured if it was going to ignite anything it was better to do it that way than blow me to smithereens with an entire booth full of flammable vapors. I didn't have any issues although I did keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case. I worried more about static electricity igniting fumes than the fan...

Mitch have you had any issues with smelling paint fumes in your house? I am planning to build a booth for my -14 in my basement. Several people I've talked to think it will smell up the whole house, but in my experience with the booth in the garage, if I left the fan on a low setting while the paint was curing it always provided a negative pressure in the booth and never had any problems with the house smelling like a paint shop.
 
Hey Mark,

The smell does permeate the whole house for a while, but not long. I tend to try and schedule my painting to times when my wife and daughter are away. I get much less complaining that way.

I do find that if I keep the fan running for about 30-45 minutes after the session, it greatly reduces the fume level while the paint sets up. Less fumes=less smell=less complaints.
 
In answer to a few posts back, I will bet good money that the avionics packages will look almost identical to the offerings for the RV-12. Dual screen Dynon or Garmin, autopilot, ADSB, etc, using the AV5000 box, prefab cables, plug and pray.

Is the pitot included yet? It should contain an AOA tube.
 
In answer to a few posts back, I will bet good money that the avionics packages will look almost identical to the offerings for the RV-12. Dual screen Dynon or Garmin, autopilot, ADSB, etc, using the AV5000 box, prefab cables, plug and pray.

Is the pitot included yet? It should contain an AOA tube.

The paragraph below is from a Paul Dye RV14 article in March 2013 Kitplanes magazine:

This “everything included” concept will be carried into the entire aircraft. For instance, the wiring harness will be included as standard (it could be omitted if a builder wants to design his own), as will a master control box that allows easy interconnection of common EFIS displays and avionics. The control box also includes such common items as an intercom, flap controllers and trim controls. Johnson says it is not a highly “active” box, but more of a patch panel to help the builder interconnect systems quickly and without error.
 
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Almost Done with Interior Trim

While waiting for the finish kit I have been working on the interior trim panels.

The instrument panel was easy. I don't know why everybody stresses over the wiring and install. :) If I could only figure out how to power up the templates.

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The green matches the green stripe on the exterior.

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Wrapped some of the structure with 3M vinyl.

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Carpet is glued to 1" thick foam to eliminate seeing the stiffener in the floor.
 
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Great Motivation. Thanks for sharing.

Ken, your project looks great! I'm wondering two things. 1) What is the green material you're using on the sidewalls? Does it help reduce noise? 2) Does your panel leave room for the canopy emergency release handle?

Your photos definitely motivate me to get into the garage and get some work done.

Thanks,
 
Material

Greg,

I glued and sewed the green vinyl to 1/4" thick sew foam, from there I attached it to 3/4" sound deadening foam that was cut to fit into all the smaller sections that the stiffeners make. I will attach all of the pieces to the airframe when the plane is nearing completion.

As for the canopy jettison handle, depending on the final size, I may have to shift some of the Dynon pieces lower.
 
You should fly that to Seattle this fall for a
Seahawks game since you're painting it their colors. Which I like a lot by the way.
 
Does anyone like painting? I might if I could skip the prep work and didn't have so many problems. Still struggling with orange peel. Switched primer , the new one can be reduced and appears to lay flatter.
What's the cure for paint creeping under the tape. I'm using the plastic 3M fine line tape but still get a fair amount of paint finding it's way under the tape. I'm using single stage paint.
Nice job on the paint job, wish mine was that far along. From what I've accomplished I would say yours is fairly complicated to tape out.
 
Positive Comments

Thank you everyone for the positive comments.

Painting is a lot of work, sanding and polishing is even more work. If you screw it up you get to do it over.
 
Almost Done with Empenage

Permanently attached all of the tail section.

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Spent about 6 hours grinding and filing to get the elevator travel as directed in section 36. I wasn't working very fast, kinda hot here.
 
Fantastic. We hope to catch up to you in a month or so. Has anyone considered wrapping instead of paint? I am seriously considering it but would like a lot of input.
 
Wrapping a plane

I quizzed the Vans people about that last year at OSH. They had done the wrap to one or two of their planes. It didn't hold up too good. After a couple years it was showing age and peeling.
 
Almost Done Installing Flap Position Indicator

My airplane is going to have dual Dynon displays and the VP-X electronic circuit breakers. To benefit from all the fancy features in the VP-X I have installed a flap position indicator.

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Fastened the sensor to piece of angle.

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Fastened angle to rib

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The bolt travels just about 1" so I drilled a hole to fasten the rod.

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I made the rod a little long so I could have easier access to the sensor.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-5nJPAEixc
 
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Almost Done with Fiberglass

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Cowl is all fitted. I will start on the gear leg close out fairings tomorrow.

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Another week and it will be time to start painting again.
 
Canopy

Kudos to Vans. The canopy is quite a piece of engineering. Follow the directions and it slides right into the hinges with no fussing around. The gas struts are a perfect balance. the canopy release works very well, nice and smooth.

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My airplane is going to have dual Dynon displays and the VP-X electronic circuit breakers. To benefit from all the fancy features in the VP-X I have installed a flap position indicator.

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Van's has developed a kit for installing the Ray Allen position sensor on the RV-14 flap system. It will be available as soon as a couple of last parts arrive into inventory.
It is of value even if there is not a VP-X because most of the popular EFIS systems are able to display flap position using this type of sensor.

How did you cowl install go?
One experienced builder expressed displeasure with the design on his build site.... just wondering how others feel about it (and glad to hear you like teh canopy design... a lot of effort went into making it both a better design and easier to assemble than the older kits)
 
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Scott, my engine cowl install is complete and ready for painting next week. I had no issues with install at all.
The only minor issue I had with the canopy was that the left front corner for about four inches up and six inches back , protruded out a tiny bit. Other than that it fit well.
For those of us nearing completion of the kits received and your announcement that you will not be doing the avionics package , it would be very helpful to know a more detailed description of what will be available in future kits? Like the flap position sensor, I now know that I do not need to design a system. Van's is much better at designing than I am and I assume KHeidon would have rather purchased your kit than design and wire his own had he known Van's would be offering one.
 
How did you cowl install go?
One experienced builder expressed displeasure with the design on his build site.... just wondering how others feel about it (and glad to hear you like teh canopy design... a lot of effort went into making it both a better design and easier to assemble than the older kits)

I have experience with auto body repair. so, adjusting and aligning up gaps on adjacent panels is not new to me. Even without the experience I think the instructions cover it well. The scribe lines are very close and the cowl halves seem to be of very nice quality.

I did have to reshape the front left corner to fix some alignment issues. I don't know if that was my fault or the cowl design. I ended up having to lay some fiberglass on the inside to build up the reshaped area.

I will be interested to see the flap position sensor kit from Vans. I didn't mind fabricating my own. Since I was waiting for the finish kit it gave me something to do.
 
Cowl is all fitted. I will start on the gear leg close out fairings tomorrow.

Another week and it will be time to start painting again.

Hey Ken,

I did the leg fairings and not bad at all. How are you going to jack up the plane to check the wheel pants for alignment? I thought the only way to do it would be to attach a jack to the wings where the hold down rings go. Of course I'm working in my garage, so the wings won't go on until I'm ready to move it to the hangar. Your paint looks great.
 
Scott, my engine cowl install is complete and ready for painting next week. I had no issues with install at all.
The only minor issue I had with the canopy was that the left front corner for about four inches up and six inches back , protruded out a tiny bit. Other than that it fit well.
For those of us nearing completion of the kits received and your announcement that you will not be doing the avionics package , it would be very helpful to know a more detailed description of what will be available in future kits? Like the flap position sensor, I now know that I do not need to design a system. Van's is much better at designing than I am and I assume KHeidon would have rather purchased your kit than design and wire his own had he known Van's would be offering one.

That announcement you refer to has a list of all sub-kits that will be available (including the flap position sensor).
The RV-14 has always been promoted as a complete kit (like the RV-12). So even with different vendors handling the actual panel kit and related equip., the intent has always been to finish out everything else.... everything from position and landing lights to pre-wired stick grips (and everything in between).
I realize there has been some frustration when builders are able to make progress way beyond the pace that these kits come out, but everything Van's has said would be supplied has been (or soon will be). If a builder decides to move ahead on their own and then a kit comes available for work that they did, I would assume they somewhat would have expected that to happen.
 
I have experience with auto body repair. so, adjusting and aligning up gaps on adjacent panels is not new to me. Even without the experience I think the instructions cover it well. The scribe lines are very close and the cowl halves seem to be of very nice quality.

I did have to reshape the front left corner to fix some alignment issues. I don't know if that was my fault or the cowl design. I ended up having to lay some fiberglass on the inside to build up the reshaped area.

I will be interested to see the flap position sensor kit from Vans. I didn't mind fabricating my own. Since I was waiting for the finish kit it gave me something to do.

Glad to hear good experiences with the cowl from a couple of builders.

The cowl halves as molded will match up very well if positioned properly, but it is easy to get a slight mismatch at the very front, because just the slightest distortion in shape (from pulling at one point or another) will tend to move these points out of alignment (that is true for all of the RV models).
The most important detail when installing an RV cowl is to resist pulling it to a position you want, that it doesn't desire to be in when not being forced. This will have a huge influence on how hard it is to get pins in and out, and how well the cowl holds up to vibration over time (broken hinge loops and rivets, etc.).
The evidence of a well installed cowl is that with the top cowl sitting in place with no pins installed, you can't tell. The top cowl will lay in place fully aligned with all of the gaps looking the same as they are when the pins are in place (with the exception of the top rear.... it will tend to slide fwd very slight and make that gap slightly bigger.
y point in this is to say it is much better to fix mis-alignment issues by adding a little bit of Fglass and some sanding, than it is to force the cowl into the position you want while drilling the attach holes.
The process detailed in the plans is designed in such a way to try and help with this, and to prevent people from over trimming which will temp them to pull the cowl to a position that will fix their excessive gap.

Tension within the cowl will make pins harder to insert or remove.
.125 pins (just like on the RV-10) are being used around the back because it maintains a much better fit and prevents the poofing out that that can happen if the .090 pins are substituted (like is used on the other models).
If all of the install details are followed (shape adjustments done to the top aft hinges, pins pre-shaped to match the curve of the firewall, proper end treatment done on the pin, etc.), the .125 pins go in and out nicely. It is a bit more of a challenge with the tail dragger because the nose sits so high... I have to use a small step stool to reach inside to remove or install the pins (I am about 5' 9".
As a standard maint item, I lightly polish cowl pins on all our airplanes every time I remove them for an oil change. Then I rub them with Boelube. They always go in and out nicely.
If an RV-14 builder ends up with pins that after flying for a few hours are just too tight, they can substitute .090 pins (which is probably a good plan, so as to relieve some of the stress that is likely built into the cowl).

The Van's designed sensor installation is not much different from yours.
The sensor mounts on the upright channel at the back of the flap motor enclosure, with a wire connecting to a flap torque tube arm. The main diff is that the wire is isolated from contact with the steel arm so that it wont wear over time from vibration, etc.
 
Cowl Fitting

Glad to hear good experiences with the cowl from a couple of builders.

I had some expert help, but my cowl fits beautifully and took about 1 ? days to get perfect, which included cutting and fitting the backplate.

It is a bit more of a challenge with the tail dragger because the nose sits so high... I have to use a small step stool to reach inside to remove or install the pins (I am about 5' 9".)

I am 5'7" and change and will have to carry a step stool in the plane. Wow, it really sits up high. I will probably go with the .090 because one side, co-pilot side just does not want to go in. I can get the longer one in, but the other side will not go all the way. I've used a ton of bolube, but it gets stuck. I had considered installing a little light by the hinge bracket to be able to see the holes to insert the pins, instead of using a flashlight every time. I've also considered making some access from the top middle of the cowl, I think the 12 does that, but didn't really want to add any other holes.
 
Hey Ken,

I did the leg fairings and not bad at all. How are you going to jack up the plane to check the wheel pants for alignment? I thought the only way to do it would be to attach a jack to the wings where the hold down rings go. Of course I'm working in my garage, so the wings won't go on until I'm ready to move it to the hangar. Your paint looks great.

I installed the wheel pants before the engine. I used my engine hoist hooked to the engine mount to raise the plane off the floor, getting the tail high enough to be level was the tricky part.
 
Looks like we will have several first engine start and first flight reports soon :D
I do enjoy the building but I must say that I am envious of your progress:eek:

I am thinking maybe June for the first flight. Whole lot of variables though, don't hold me to it.
 
I had considered installing a little light by the hinge bracket to be able to see the holes to insert the pins, instead of using a flashlight every time.

No need to have a light to see. With just a little practice you can learn to have a finger tip on the tip of the wire..... find the end hinge loop and slip it in.

After the airplane gets a few flight hours, the pins usually wear in and get easier to remove and insert.
 
Technique

Can I ask what if anything was the most important/difficult part of the painting process?
 
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Can I ask what if anything was the most important/difficult part of the painting process?

Good question.

Lots of things went into my choice of product, and prep. My homemade paint booth is nice but it is not completely dust free.

I needed a paint that:

Dried quickly to minimize the amount of dirt that could get in it, or be sanded if it got something in it.
I wanted to be able to mask the stripes and clear the whole thing to avoid edges.
I needed to be able to get the materials locally.
I didn't want to use all sorts of nasty chemicals to clean the aluminum, so I mechanically etched it and used a direct to metal primer from Valspar.
I wanted to be able to wet sand and polish the clear if I needed to.

I think the most difficult part is laying out the stripes. And the second most difficult is getting the clear applied with minimal orange peel.

With that said, I used Valspar base coat/clear coat products.

Only time will tell if I made the right choice.
 
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