S

SvingenB

Well Known Member
I looked at the platenuts for the rudder/elevator that came with the kit (Bag 414). The "aft" side of them does not look circular, and the hole is off center. When measuring I get 8.2 to 8.7 mm ovalization of the hole. On the "fwd" side they look ok and with a measurement of 8.5 mm. When trying by hand, it is impossible to get the bolt more than 2-3 turns before it get stuck by the ovalization.

Is this supposed to be correct (some kind of lock-tight function)? To me it looks like forcing them in will destroy the threading.
 
You won't do it by hand...

...but a screwdriver and a bit of boelube make life a whole lot easier...
I don't think tapping them out is a good idea; as previously mentioned, this will probably ruining the locking feature of the nutplate.
 
Guy Prevost said:
Yes, If you tap them you defeat their locking properties. They're ovalled for a reason.
Click to expand...

Of course if you put a screw in once you no longer have locking if you remove it... Which is the whole reason we have nutplates in the first place. I find tapping them makes for fewer damaged screws because they require so much less torque to go in.

Hans
 
Not true!

nucleus said:
Of course if you put a screw in once you no longer have locking if you remove it... Which is the whole reason we have nutplates in the first place. I find tapping them makes for fewer damaged screws because they require so much less torque to go in.
Hans
Click to expand...
Tapping cuts the threads thereby defeating the locking feature. Inserting a screw causes the "oval" shape to flex so the locking feature is not defeated. Of course if you insert a screw a thousand times, you will eventually wear them down. But a few times won't do it.
 
Bad Plate nuts

After discovering the threads on a few plate nuts bad (after installation of course) I made a fixture that holds the plate nuts. The fixture will hold the various flavors of plate nuts. The reason has two purposes, 1) it allows me to "season" the plate nut so the screws will go in easier the second time after installation, and 2) it allows me to find any bad plate nuts before installation.

I use the appropriate sized hex head screw and a drop of oil to drive the screw through. I have small sections of allen wrenches that I chuck up in a cordless drill. I can do several a minute. They are cleaned in lacquer thinner or acetone before installation.

As Mel noted, putting a screw through them a time or two won't hurt a thing. That is what is going to happen during the build process anyway.

Don't over think this stuff.:confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.