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glider4

Well Known Member
I've put off this for as long as I can but I started today on the fiberglass windscreen fairing. In reading the builders manual, it says, for the forward section of the windscreen fairing, to extend the fiberglass out the F821PP and up the front canopy using a 4" circle touching those pieces as a guide. When I measure using my 4" diameter circle as a guide, it looks like you only extend the 'glass out the F821PP about 1.0" to 1.25" and only up the canopy about 1.0". But when I referenced several builder sites, and pics of completed RV-8/A's the fairing look much wider and taller than that.


I have a Todd's canopy and am wondering if that 4" circle guide isn't appropriate for my canopy. So, here's my question, is the forward section of the fairing really only about 1" high and 1.0 to 1.25" in wide on the F821PP?

Al Thomas
RV-8A QB
N880AT
1,800 hours in the builders log and hopefully only 100 hours to go!
 
glider4 said:
When I measure using my 4" diameter circle as a guide, it looks like you only extend the 'glass out the F821PP about 1.0" to 1.25" and only up the canopy about 1.0". But when I referenced several builder sites, and pics of completed RV-8/A's the fairing look much wider and taller than that.


I have a Todd's canopy and am wondering if that 4" circle guide isn't appropriate for my canopy. So, here's my question, is the forward section of the fairing really only about 1" high and 1.0 to 1.25" in wide on the F821PP?
Click to expand...

Al,

Using a four inch diameter gives you an idea how the curve will intersect the top skin and the windscreen. You can use your own judgement for how much overlap in addition to that you want. I think 1/4 to 3/8 additional would be good, especially on the windscreen. You can go as far as you like on the top skin, depending on the look you are going for. I've seen some that have no discernible edge on the top skin.

What you describe sounds close, maybe a little on the light side, but visualize pull rivets along the bottom flange (along 821PP) and also what the bevel will look like from the inside. Use tape along the windscreen to simulate and look from inside.

You DO want that fiberglass to have a good bond on that windscreen.

Free opinion, and worth every penny.

Don
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/823/dsc01005co.jpg/
 
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sounds OK.

Hi Al,

My fiberglass probably extends up the plexi by about 1.125" and an equal distance on the foreward skin.
Sand the plexi with 60 grit to get a really good bond.

Mix black dye in the epoxy so it will look nice from the inside. Brush a coat on before the first cloth ply. You can use lampblack powder, or buy dye that is made for resin.

When sanding, protect the plexi with two layers of thick electrical tape, which will also cast a nice clean edge in the epoxy/glass. You can wrap sandpaper around a 3" or 4" PVC pipe coupler to use as a sanding block to get a smooth circular contour.

When I was done, I put a length of 5/16" diameter neoprene vacuum hose along the inside corner where the plexi and skin intersect, glued in with a few drops of crazy glue. Gives a really nice, clean finished look to the inside.
 
Thanks for the response!

Steve and Don, thanks for the replies. I appreciate your guidance. Yesterday I set the windscreen in place, installed the screws through the plexi into the roll bar and put some epoxy putty into the occasional small gaps between the plexi and the top skin. There's nothing left to do except get the electricians tape in place and start the glass lay-up today. Looking forward to having this done by this time next week.

Al Thomas
N8880 AT
RV-8A QB
 
Done in a week?! NOT

Oh, Al, sorry to disallusion you, but you won't be "done" in a week.
You will have all the glass on, and rough sanded, and fine sanded, and maybe some blending with some micro, but done? No. I found that I would work on it some, go on to work on other things, come back to it and work some more, leave it a while, come back to it. From when I started to when it was ready for paint, was probably 3 months. You will be reasonably happy with it, then look at it again in different light, or different angle, and see something that needs a bit more work. That process will repeat for awhile.

Cheers.

glider4 said:
Steve and Don, thanks for the replies. I appreciate your guidance. Yesterday I set the windscreen in place, installed the screws through the plexi into the roll bar and put some epoxy putty into the occasional small gaps between the plexi and the top skin. There's nothing left to do except get the electricians tape in place and start the glass lay-up today. Looking forward to having this done by this time next week.

Al Thomas
N8880 AT
RV-8A QB
Click to expand...
 
Windscreen fairing progressing....

Steve, perhaps "done" was a bit optimistic. I meant done enough to be functional and let me move down the list to other items. I know I'll be coming back to it over the next couple of months with tweaks and touch-ups before painting.

Yesterday, in 6.5 hours of work, I taped up and masked everything then I put the first two layers of e-glass on the horizontal forward section of the fairing. Everything looked good when I pealed off the Dacron yesterday evening. Just one low spot the size of thumbtack that's easily fixable.

Today's task is to put several layers of e-glass over the vertical roll-bar section and add two more layers to the horizontal section. After that I'll be using much thicker layers of glass to build up the area next to the skirt. Hopefully I can complete the major part of the glass lay-up on Sunday and then start rough sanding on Monday.

Al Thomas
N880AT
RV-8A QB
 
RV8

Hey AL, I'm also building an 8(A) getting ready to start on windscreen soon would be interested in exchanging info.
Where are you located ?
Another Al Bakersfield CA
 
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