What's new
Van's Air Force

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

Control surface rolling...

Pirkka

Well Known Member
...with the sewer pipes coming with wing kit? It just feels that 1/2" steel pipe is so small and I don't have any (it sure doens't cost much). The wing has sewer pipes that has diameter of 4/5" which is much more than 1/2" so could the leading edges rolled with it? The lenght would be fine...

So do I roll the edges tonight or will I head to the store tomorrow morning?
 
I will be rolling my empenage leading edges tonight. I checked the section in the manual over the weekend (chapter 5) and they gave 2 sizes - 3/4" and 1". Granted, I am building a -8, but I doubt little if any difference with the -7
 
Last edited:
I went to Home Depot and purchased some items that seem to work for me. Here is the link Click If you need pics of the actual tool that I made, I can take them when I get home.
 
gpiney said:
I will be rolling my empenage leading edges tonight. I checked the section in the manual over the weekend (chapter 5) and they gave 2 sizes - 3/4" and 1". Granted, I am building a -8, but I doubt little if any difference with the -7
As i already recalled that 1/2" dimension, I checked only the picture in the last pages of chapter 5 where this 1/2" is mentioned --> I just checked what my text part says:?3/4" to 1" tube... interesting. :eek: Thanks for pointing that out!

This might be a good tip:

If you don't have suitable tube for rolling leading edges of control suffaces, just order wing kit and then you have right size sewer pipe to do it. ;)
 
Well, some members of EAA Chapter 898 came over tonight to help me roll the leading edges of my right elevator. We discovered a few things and here they are:

1. We rolled the bottom with 3/4" pipe and the top with 1/2" pipe.

2. Use pipe wrenches, not visegrips. Much more leverege. Best done with 2 people, each with a wrench one end.

3. You cannot possibly have too much duct tape on. Besides a single strip along the entire edge, we put multiple (read 'no gap between') strips on the skin cross-wise onto the pipe.

4. Make the piece of pipe only 1-1.5" longer than the end of the last tab. Otherwise the weldment interferes.

5. We used the Edge forming tool and hand seamers on the upper tabs to get a better lap joint.

It came out Perfect.
 
Here's how I did it FWIW

Pirkka said:
...with the sewer pipes coming with wing kit? It just feels that 1/2" steel pipe is so small and I don't have any (it sure doens't cost much). The wing has sewer pipes that has diameter of 4/5" which is much more than 1/2" so could the leading edges rolled with it? The lenght would be fine...

So do I roll the edges tonight or will I head to the store tomorrow morning?

Here's the method I used for what it's worth: http://www.rv8alog.com/empennage/elevators/Left/e12.htm
 
Back
Top