What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Lead counterweight repair

Draker

Well Known Member
Well, today was another Mister Stupid day at the airplane factory. I was preparing to start on the fiberglass empennage tips and noticed that the right side elevator counterweight was trimmed but the left one wasn't. Tried to remember why I never trimmed the left one 4 years ago and came up empty so I grabbed the hack saw and started cutting. About 1/4" through the cut I thought to check the plans and of course found the reminder there that only the right side gets cut. So now I have a hacksaw-shaped cut about 1/4" (at the deepest point) in the lead. Can anyone suggest a fix? I was thinking maybe get a butane torch and carefully melt/pour a little lead shot into the groove, then file it smooth.

 
that would be a lot of heat. how about drilling thru for a #6 or #8 bolt and then attaching a flat piece of sheet lead the size that brings the whole thing back to proper weight? or maybe vans will tell you it's not enough to worry about.
 
I don’t think you’ve removed enough lead weight to worry about. If you’re worried about your sawed tip breaking off, just pour some epoxy in to fill, or drill a small pilot hole and install a short sheet rock screw to hold it.
 
E-714 weight $20.80 from Vans plus a bit for shipping.
Or you could melt lead like old time plumbers used to do on every job. But I'd advise you do that with the weight removed from the plane.
Early RV builders had to actually melt/form their own weights, how things change...
 
I'm not really worried about the weight, which I can add later because I have a nutplate installed that I can later bolt extra weight onto. I'm more worried about the gash in the part and whether there is any danger of the structure of the lead failing or breaking off.

I'd rather not take the lead out or replace it, since it is jammed in there tight and I'd have to take the elevator apart.
 
I like the guys with the epoxy idea. Simple. Thanks!

Epoxy is probably best, but one might pre-heat with a heat gun then take an old high power tinners soldering iron and solder the outer part of the gap back together.

Made some weights for my -7 elevators to offset the expected weight of paint, then balanced with them in place. I used aluminum for a mold and a plaster mold for one tip. It was quite the learning experience to get a good casting. See what looks like ripples in the Vans part? That is due to rapid cooling of the pour due to a cool mold. I heated my molds and that was eliminated. They came out super smooth, just like the mold. IMO not worth the effort to recast when a new part could be installed.

If all is as deep as you showed, definitely epoxy!!
 
3 countersunk holes for 3 brass wood screws.

then solder the heads of the screws to the lead............
 
Back
Top