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Leading edge practice kit

irontrack

Member
Hello,

I just finished my practice control surface kit and I'm so pumped (though it took me longer than I like) I learned and made many mistakes but some things I'm not sure about if I made mistakes. The leading edge instructions were pretty short and unclear (even after reading the section 5-j/k). I'm hoping this is because A: no one will see how ugly the final product would be on the rudder when you put that skill to practice and B: the rolled leading edge doesn't carry much load? Here are my concerns.

1: How much overlap should the top part of the edge have with the bottom part? I just guessed and measured an inch which seemed to produce a nice curve.

2: How much residual stress can these edges have when you rivet them together? After rolling the edges I still had to hold down a good amount to keep them together. Not so hard that clecos couldn't hold them together, but still maybe 10 pounds or so(totally guessing).

thanks!
 
Leading edge

Hello,

I just finished my practice control surface kit and I'm so pumped (though it took me longer than I like) I learned and made many mistakes but some things I'm not sure about if I made mistakes. The leading edge instructions were pretty short and unclear (even after reading the section 5-j/k). I'm hoping this is because A: no one will see how ugly the final product would be on the rudder when you put that skill to practice and B: the rolled leading edge doesn't carry much load? Here are my concerns.

1: How much overlap should the top part of the edge have with the bottom part? I just guessed and measured an inch which seemed to produce a nice curve.

2: How much residual stress can these edges have when you rivet them together? After rolling the edges I still had to hold down a good amount to keep them together. Not so hard that clecos couldn't hold them together, but still maybe 10 pounds or so(totally guessing).

thanks!

On the 7, leading edge holes are pre-punched. The overlap is designed. Maybe 1/4".
Ideally, the bend is done so there is very little tension. Make sure to break edges so the lay down flat.
 
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