What's new
Van's Air Force

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

Least enjoyable job

Tony_T

Tony_T

Well Known Member
Patron
Well, today I laid up the right and left cowl fiberglass. I vote this the least enjoyable of the project so far, although I have yet to do the fuel tank and I reserve the right to change my vote.
690322807_SmSS8-M.jpg

I dyed the resin black because it seems like that would be easier than painting the inside of the canopy in this area. I don't know how this is going to work out, but hoping for the best. Maybe it will look a bit like carbon fiber ;).

Tony
 
I like your idea, but I about had a heart attack wondering why the resin was black! I thought you misread the instruction about resin and used tar resin! Now that I understand you died it that sounds like a great idea. I painted the area flat black, but it was a real pain to mask everything off.

There is a product called peal & ply that can absorb excess resin and give a better rough finish. I use it all the time. Don't let the resin get on the bare metal. It is very hard to get off.

Looks good!
 
Last edited:
guess we could all have a least enjoyable, and glassing is one for me, but at the very least, consider that a few years from now, when you are done, those same least enjoyable ones can bring you the most pride--maybe because we remember them with the most fondness;)
 
Least enjoyable

I thought the tank was the worst until I got to the fiberglass on the canopy. Then when we got to the painting that set a whole new level for misery.

Rich
 
Tony_T said:
Well, today I laid up the right and left cowl fiberglass. I vote this the least enjoyable of the project so far, although I have yet to do the fuel tank and I reserve the right to change my vote.
690322807_SmSS8-M.jpg

I dyed the resin black because it seems like that would be easier than painting the inside of the canopy in this area. I don't know how this is going to work out, but hoping for the best. Maybe it will look a bit like carbon fiber ;).

Tony
Click to expand...

One tip for builders with no prior fiberglass experience.

The construction manual specifically didn't recommend teh use of tint die in the resin because it makes it much more difficult to detect when you have fully wetted out the weave of the cloth.
When using untinted resin, the cloth becomes semi translucent when it becomes fully wetted out out and any dry spots or air bubbles are easily detectable. With tinted resin they are not.

Just one thing to keep in mind when making the decision. I may be a good idea to get help from an experienced composite builder if you are unsure but you want to use tint.
 
Black epoxy status

I thought I would bump this thread back up to report on my black epoxy job. I think it has turned out well. I have sanded down to the first layer of electrical tape and pulled that off leaving a nice line. There were low spots that I have filled and sanded and then applied a coat of epoxy. Some detailing is necessary as there are some little pinholes and some more minor filling will probably be done at the paint shop. I will sand down to the last layer of tape and pull that off and then I am inclined at this point to leave the final detailing of the 'glas to the pros at paint time. I do like the looks of the black epoxy from inside the canopy and I will not have to paint this area inside the canopy which was what I hoped to accomplish.
Far as I can tell there were no bubbles or other problems with the dyed epoxy job.
702560629_snVxA-M.jpg


Here is what it looks like from the inside:
705300454_LjCav-M.jpg


Tony
 
Last edited:
If you have some spare time left I will send my canopy to your place, great work! Even with this work your your place looks clean at every picture :p
 
Last edited:
Scott, thanks for the heads-up and words of caution for those of us who are novice builders.

Tony, is it safe to assume that you will be painting the entire plane black?

Slane
 
Joeri,
I usually pick up before picture taking so as not to have a lot of distractions in the photo ;).

And Slane,
I like black and have ordered black carpeting, but the exterior will not be black. No decision yet on that color.

Tony
 
Hi Tony,

Your end result turned out looking good, but to others that are yet to go there here are a few hints that may help.

First, having too much resin is just as bad as having too little, if you have drips all over the place, it's a sign of WAYYYY to much resin which can weaken a part as much as having too little sometimes.

Second, a very easy way to make sure you have a good amount of resin in the glass is to lay it up between 2 sheets of clear plastic first. Put the piece on a piece of plastic, pour some resin over the middle of the glass piece then lay down another sheet of plastic. Take a squeegee and start moving the resin from the center of the glass piece outboard towards the edges until you basically can't squeeze anymore out. It's easy to see when it's wet, and as much as you can squeeze out is what you should do. Lastly, remove the top piece of plastic, simply take your glass piece on the plastic over to wherever your layup is and simply place it where it needs to be. Remove the plastic and position the glass as needed. Or, just pick the piece up out of the plastic and go place it on the layup. No excess drips and you'll have a nicely wetted piece of glass for the layup. The whole process is the poor mans way of mimicking a vacuum bag process...it's easy, fast and contains any mess!

My 2 cents as usual.

Cheers,
Stein
 
Stein,

Thanks for that tip. I'm going to remember that trick for when I get to the fiberglassing. Finish kit arriving today.

John
 
If you approach 'glassing'....

....with an attitude of creation instead of dread, you'll do much better and have the satisfaction of accomplishment. My attitude was rather cold to begin with but 'glass' is so creative that I've even made salad bowls from the stuff:)

Regards,
 
I'm glad I started this thread. The canopy glassing requires throught, preparation and the experience of others if you haven't done it. I had studied Jim Cone's and Marty's pictures before starting but I still had difficulties. But, as someone said, when its all done I'll probably look back with fondness.
The comments by the pro's here will be a lot of help to those getting ready to do this job.
Anyway, on to the dreaded fuel tank.

Tony
 
It's funny, the jobs I think are gonna be the worst (fiberglass & fuel tank) actually become the jobs I enjoyed the most.

The one job I hated was forming the longerons! No part on an airplane should require beating it with a 5 pound hammer, it just goes against what I've been taught.
 
Geico266 said:
It's funny, the jobs I think are gonna be the worst (fiberglass & fuel tank) actually become the jobs I enjoyed the most.

The one job I hated was forming the longerons! No part on an airplane should require beating it with a 5 pound hammer, it just goes against what I've been taught.
Click to expand...

Larry,

You have to be kidding.....You loved the fuel tank job? Well, good news....You are going to get a second chance! LOL!
 
MartySantic said:
Larry,

You have to be kidding.....You loved the fuel tank job? Well, good news....You are going to get a second chance! LOL!
Click to expand...

Marty,
What did your inspector say about your "non-conforming" fuel tank? I am in the same situation with a completed leak free tank that has the old sight window material, and I would rather get the plane certified and flying before building another tank.

Thanks,
Bruce
 
Bruce Russell said:
Marty,
What did your inspector say about your "non-conforming" fuel tank? I am in the same situation with a completed leak free tank that has the old sight window material, and I would rather get the plane certified and flying before building another tank.

Thanks,
Bruce
Click to expand...

My fuel tank was built to the plans that were current when the fuel tank was assembled. As such, I beleive it is conforming. Van's has always told us that when issued, a revision to the plans, if deemed to be mandatory, we would be so informed. As such, the tank was not an issue during my inspection.

I intend to build a 2nd tank this winter. Will be purchasing the 2nd set of tank components from Van's. The tank will NOT have a sightglass. I intend to cover the holes with a doubler and proseal the doubler to the tank skin. I and a few others are looking at a completely sealed flange mounted float gauge, common to the marine industry. It would act as the local gauge. It will be top mounted, thus, visible during refueling.

The "revision" subject was a thread on VAF earlier in the year.

Many, many RV-12 plan revisions have been issued. I have reviewed each of them, have highlighted the change on the page, and then have made my own decision whether or not to implement, the minor change.

A good example is the new wireway above the rudder pedals. This change is certainly a very good improvement and could lead to minimizing any possibility of wire chafing. I have not installed the new wireway and will most likely NOT change it UNLESS I have to remove the rudder pedals at some future date.

Make sense?
 
Last edited:
Fuel tank comments

I've been following this thread with interest, since I will be picking up my finish kit tomorrow and the first thing I was going to tackle was the fuel tank. I am pondering the idea of just covering up the sight glass right from the getgo. If the DAR doesn't like it, I will say it is a safety issue and I have other ways to mechanically measure the fuel. After all, my Arrow has electrically operated fuel gauges, and the only backup is visual checking at the tank fillers. What's the difference between that and making a flexible dip stick that can be used from outside the airplane?
 
MartySantic said:
My fuel tank was built to the plans that were current when the fuel tank was assembled. As such, I beleive it is conforming. Van's has always told us that when issued, a revision to the plans, if deemed to be mandatory, we would be so informed. As such, the tank was not an issue during my inspection.
Click to expand...

That is the way I view this issue as well. I was just curious if it was a problem at certification.

Thanks Again,
Bruce
 
BigJohn said:
I've been following this thread with interest, since I will be picking up my finish kit tomorrow and the first thing I was going to tackle was the fuel tank. I am pondering the idea of just covering up the sight glass right from the getgo. If the DAR doesn't like it, I will say it is a safety issue and I have other ways to mechanically measure the fuel. After all, my Arrow has electrically operated fuel gauges, and the only backup is visual checking at the tank fillers. What's the difference between that and making a flexible dip stick that can be used from outside the airplane?
Click to expand...

I can't imagine a DAR caring about site glass. Remember the Dynon measures fuel, and a dip stick would confirm the fuel level.

So far my site gauge is fine, no cracks, no crazing. It's part of my preflight to inspect. If it gives me the slightest indication it is crazing I'll seal it up when I rebuild the tank. I will even follow John & Marty's lead with a simple marine type guage on top.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top