Best way to finish joint between fiberglass empenage tips and aluminum skin?

[dwilson]

What should I do to the joint between the fiberglass empenage tips and the adjacent aluminum skin
1) Nothing
2) Fill with something
fiberglass flox
body putty
3) Fill and then cover with a fine mesh fiberglass cloth
4) Other ideas????

Thanks

Duane

[az_gila]

Duane

1) will crack under the paint

2) will probably crack under your paint, like 1) but you had to do more work to get to the same state...

3) I went this way... need to scuff the alum. just like the metal under the windshield fibreglass....

4) Would like to hear. Some folks used ProSeal to attach the end pieces... would like to hear if this flexed and cracked under the paint...

gil in Tucson

[RV7Factory]

Originally Posted by dwilson

3) Fill and then cover with a fine mesh fiberglass cloth

I haven't done it yet, but this is what I plan on doing. Darwin Barrie, my fiberglass consigliere , sent me to CST for some really lightweight cloth/tape that is perfect for this purpose.

[AndrewTR30]

http://www.rvproject.com/20031228.html

Vans says uneven expansion and contraction can cause the joint to crack if you only fill it in. I think the layer of cloth will prevent this.

Dan C. any comments?

[pierre smith]

Hi,
#1. Pop rivet 'em on and paint them. If you use fiberglass, are you going to stretch it over the stab as well? You're asking for more weight/time/expense.
KISS, IMHO

[Capflyer]

I just finished putting most of mine on. After the poprivets pull them tight to the aluminum, the seam between them looks natural. I figure that if I wanted it all to look like one piece I would have built a composite plane.

The only issue I have is that the right HS tip needs to come out a little to match up with the elevator tip. This leaves the gap between the HS and the indented flange on the fiberglass tip with a gap that is about 1/8". I'll just use a little filler in there and when it cracks it will crack along the aluminum HS and match everything else.

[painless]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Hi,
#1. Pop rivet 'em on and paint them. If you use fiberglass, are you going to stretch it over the stab as well? You're asking for more weight/time/expense.
KISS, IMHO

Amen Pierre. Its a metal airplane. You're 'sposeta see joints like that!


Regards,

[dan]

Originally Posted by AndrewTR30

http://www.rvproject.com/20031228.html

Vans says uneven expansion and contraction can cause the joint to crack if you only fill it in. I think the layer of cloth will prevent this.

Dan C. any comments?

1100 hours, and the only spot where the gap has made itself evident is where I sanded through the fiberglass.

[rvpilot]

Yuk! Already to much fiberglas for me, do nothing! Looks good, will last a long time!

[KTM520guy]

If your joint looks nice and clean don't do any thing. Just leave as is. If it looks like 10 pounds of poo stuffed in a 5 pound sack, I would cover it.