Tip: Details on how I did my tipup glass work

[Brantel]

I will post here my progress to finishing the glass work on my tipup canopy. Tons of different ways to do things, this will be mine.

Broke out the fiberglassing supplies.
Prepared the tape.



Sorry no pics of the layup but one on top of the other, seven layers, wet out on a board then applied using the "taping it with a sponge" technique.
Covered it all with strips of peel-ply. I mixed black die in the resin for this layup.



Drilled and countersunk for protective rivets to prevent the fairing from popping loose from the skin. Watch where you drill these around on the sides to prevent drilling into the reinforcement brace.





Put one final layer on top of all that after filling the rivet holes with flox/resin. One wide strip all the way across, finished off with peel-ply.



Got started with prep for the targa that I am doing. Tape off and sand the poo out of the plexi and aluminum. Packing tape on top of the blue tape prevents the glass from sticking to where it does not belong...



Four full width layers later...



When I did this, I took out every other screw around the canopy frame.



Then I backdrilled these and countersunk them and put the screws back in. This is in an effort to prevent the targa from ever separating from the plexi.



I also put three pop rivets on both sides to the side skirts to help in this area as well. This really holds the targa down tight because of these being at the ends of the curve tied tight to the rigid skirts.



I took a thin card and broke the bond on the targa and the packing tape and after some effort, I was able to get it open. The frustration was not the plexi bonding to something it should not have, it was the fact that I had my latch fingers too tight and they would not unlatch. Prior to the targa, I was pressing down slightly on the bubble to get them to unlatch. Well after the tarta was on, there was no "pressing down" gonna happen.

I eventually got it open and will file some off the latch hooks before I latch it solid again.

I am still thinking about glassing on side skirt extensions to cover the gap on the sides of the canopy from the front skin all the way back to the lifting handle. This seems like a doable thing. Does anyone have any experience with the long term effects of doing so?

[boom3]

As usual great pictures and very informative.

Couple easy questions though...

1. Do you have to rivet the front fairing down? Seems like it would be pretty bonded.

2. Do you have a material list on your fiberglass supplies? I like many don't know squat about fiberglass.

Thanks!

[Brantel]

Thanks,

No it is optional but I feel the tipup really needs them more than the slider. That is because the tipup can flex so much. The slider is not gonna flex. I also suppose you can do the clip thing shown in the directions but I like the rivet idea better.

It is so easy to do, I said what the heck I am doing it for that little bit of extra insurance and maybe preventing cracks down the road.

Here is the order I made from ACS:

1.00 of 01-24899 3" Plastic Squeegee Each
1.00 of 01-06700 STANDARD FIBERGLASS TAPE 3"
1.00 of 01-14600 3M GLASS BUBBLES 1 LB.
1.00 of 01-14800 FLOCKED COTTON FIBER 1 LB.
2.00 of 01-00915 1 QT PLASTIC MEASURING CONTAIN
1.00 of 01-45319 BLACK PREMIUM PIGMENT 1 OZ.
1.00 of 09-15100 SURFACE TAPE DACRON 2" SMOOTH
1.00 of 01-00318 WEST SYSTEM 301/303 PUMP PACK
1.00 of 3733-60 STANDARD FIBERGLASS 3733 60"
1.00 of 09-28250 POLY-FIBER SUPERFIL EPOXY A&B
1.00 of 01-08100 WEST SYSTEM EPOXY KIT A-1 FAST
1.00 of 01-00359 WEST SYSTEM EPOXY 206 HARD 1/2
1.00 of 01-08200 WEST SYSTEM EPOXY KIT A-2 SLOW

This gave me 2 quarts of resin and two pints of slow hardener and one pint of fast to use when I need a faster kickoff. I don't think I really needed the cloth separate from the tape but I got some of that as well. Tell them it is OK to fold it or they will ship it separate in a tube and charge you twice for shipping.

Originally Posted by boom3

As usual great pictures and very informative.

Couple easy questions though...

1. Do you have to rivet the front fairing down? Seems like it would be pretty bonded.

2. Do you have a material list on your fiberglass supplies? I like many don't know squat about fiberglass.

Thanks!

[CNEJR]

The glass looks good. For those of you who want "Metal Canopy Fairings" try this guys website, he has a CD on how to make, really not that big a deal. I have them on my RV6 and they really look good.

[url]http://www.mlskunkworks.embarqspace.com

[jferraro17]

Brian --

Looks great! Nice Job. Do you hire out?


Joe

[Brantel]

Decided that the design flaw in the canopy was driving me crazy! The gaps on the sides had to go so I am going to try side skirt/canopy skin extensions.

First got started with laying up several layers of tape to give the extensions some room for opening and closing.

Then layed up one layer 3" wide front to back and let that cure for 24 hours.





After that was cured, I made several narrower strips of various lengths to fill in or out where the side skirts/skin either overhung or sat inside the fuse.

Then I layed up two more 3" wide full length layers and covered that with peel ply.





This morning the peel ply was removed and everything looks great! Popped the extensions loose from the fuse and opened and closed just fine. It is almost like they are not there at all.



I overhung the fuse by about 3/4" on these layups and plan to sand that back to about 5/8" when truing these up and finishing the edges.





Overall I am very pleased with the way these are coming out. I plan to countersink and install some rivets along the bottom edge as low as possible to help prevent them from ever separating from the skirts.





Three layers seems to be plenty stiff! I plan to cut the aft end of these off at a 45° angle to intersect the side skirt right at the split in front of the space between the skirt and the aft top skin where it screws to the rollbar. This will prevent these extensions from ever catching on the aft top skin wings as it closes. The Targa has plenty of gap in that area so it does not catch at all in that spot.

Here is a pic of what I am trying to explain:



Best of all: NO MORE GAPS!

[DeltaRomeo]

Originally Posted by Brantel

snip...Best of all: NO MORE GAPS!

So you're saying you don't WANT your shirtsleeve, sectional, approach chart, etc. to occasionally get sucked out that gap in flight?!?! My shirtsleeve gets pulled out there all the time <g>.

Looks like a great mod, Brian.

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