Tip: Click Bond Fasteners - A+

PIREP: These buggers aren't cheap but they sure are slick!

Researched these click bond fasteners after seing a post here on VAF. Purchased the RV wing tip installation kit from "The Flight Shop" http://www.theflightshop.com/Cataspx65.html However, robbed Peter to pay Paul so to speak and ended up using these on my wing tip lenses. I'll replenish the stock to install the fiberglass wingtips - no plate nuts or metal strip needed.

I think Vans was playing a joke on me by sending me one white and one grey wingtip the cool thing about the white is the seams were already smoothed down... Nevermind the beach towel work bench

The fasteners are #6-32 Stainless steel Torx head from http://www.microfasteners.com/ (also discovered here on VAF) and the washers are #6 stainless steel tinnermans from Aircraft Spruce (thanks to tip from local builder Bruce Hill, who pointed me towards these for my rudder bottom fiberglass.

Drilling the holes and installing the fasteners took about 10 minutes - let them cure for 24 hours (they have faster cure epoxies too) then pulled the blue rubber place-holders out and installed the fasteners. While I was at it i dropped a couple in the outboeard wing rib tooling holes to use as local grounds later I can see a lot of uses for these in the future. Too bad they're $2.10 each.

I've used these myself and was very impressed with how well they worked!

I really like the threaded stud Click-Bonds, used them in a few locations on the plane (along the longerons for Adel clamps to hold wires, so I didn't have to drill through the longeron, etc.). They worked great! The wire tie trees came in handy, too, behind the panel/forward cockpit area.

One tip...the process spec is *important* here. Good abrasion, thorough cleaning, and non-expired adhesive. Ask me how I know this .

But if you follow all that, they are really neat doodads.

I also had a great experience with Click Bond studs. I mounted my landing light ballast to the firewall on our M20J with them. Measure and mark very carefully. The mounting brackets have little alignment marks to go on your crosshairs. Mix and glue according to directions. A real time saver.

+1 for click bond. I used the studs to make headset hangars which are attached to the fuse side fwd of the pilot and pax knees.

Very clean installation. I will have to remember these for later on down the road.

We use Click-bond studs to hold Adels for sensor wire bundles on under cargo-floor ribs, wing spars, etc on C-130's. Of course you have to de-paint no matter what, but for temp installs, 5 minute double-bubble works pretty darn well. For more permanent stuff, the high dollar 4-12 hour adhesives that click-bond sells seem to do better.

They make all different lengths and sizes. I think we buy them from "flight shop" but ACS has the basics covered.

I wanted to post an update to this thread, the poor fella I sold this plane to did report back that he tried to remove the wing tips and every click bond nut plate spun loose inside the wingtip... And yes I prepped and mixed per the instructions. YMMV

Epoxy and BID

We use ClickBonds everywhere on our composite plane. I am not exaggerating to say that there are over 100 of them. Here's how I make sure they are permanent:

1) notch the base disc with a cutting wheel in a Dremel or a pneumatic pencil grinder.
2) scuff the base with 36 grit sandpaper
3) clean the base well with a good solvent
4) if using the stud variety, cover the threaded stud with a piece of heat shrink tubing.
5) sand the area where the ClickBond is going with 80 grit.
6) mix up flox and epoxy and stuck the ClickBond in place.
7) cut two 2" x 2" BID patches, wet them out with epoxy, and put them over the stud. It helps to poke a hole through the BID with an awl.
8) peel ply the layup and let it cure for 24-48 hours.

Follow those steps and they will not soon and they will never come off.

krwalsh said:

We use ClickBonds everywhere on our composite plane. I am not exaggerating to say that there are over 100 of them. Here's how I make sure they are permanent:

1) notch the base disc with a cutting wheel in a Dremel or a pneumatic pencil grinder.
2) scuff the base with 36 grit sandpaper
3) clean the base well with a good solvent
4) if using the stud variety, cover the threaded stud with a piece of heat shrink tubing.
5) sand the area where the ClickBond is going with 80 grit.
6) mix up flox and epoxy and stuck the ClickBond in place.
7) cut two 2" x 2" BID patches, wet them out with epoxy, and put them over the stud. It helps to poke a hole through the BID with an awl.
8) peel ply the layup and let it cure for 24-48 hours.

Follow those steps and they will not soon and they will never come off.

Click to expand...

You must be talking about a completely different fastener type than shown in the photos above. In RV's a standard metal plate nut would be simpler than the process described here.

The tips are polyester resin. It either has wax in the formulation or the surface never sets (because it is exposed to oxygen) and must be removed. I lightly sand blast to ensure adhesion, because sanding means cutting down to the bottom of the weave depressions.

Is this a possibility?

I also had a bad experience with Clickbond fasteners on my wing tips. I attempted to attach them to the wings last week and had at least three of them pop off. I didn't attempt to go any further with the attachment. I plan to pop the rest off (easily done apparently) and install regular nut plates. An expensive experiment, and is turns out, a mistake.

I think click bond studs are fantastic (and not just because I live in Carson City).
I agree with all the above about roughing the surface and cleanliness. I have found one more thing that helps. I drill a bunch of 1/8 inch holes in the base. I usually apply to a fiberglass structure and put two to three layers of BID glass over the top. Not only have I not had one come lose but the only way to get them off is to grind. I have four of them mounting my autopilot, five years old and appears to be solid.