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QuickTalk 26 - Q-TIPS

From Jim Masal, Editor

This is my nominee for the best tip of the year. I dare you to top it. The tip was printed in Dragonflyer #20 from Rex Taylor's Viking Aircraft.

You can save yourself an awful lot of time filling weave on the wing, canard etc. with the simple dry micro technique that we tried...when you're laying up,...do the wet out, lay up, squeegee it out in the normal manner, but before you Peel-Ply, get a 2 lb coffee can and put a lot of tiny holes in the bottom of it (about 1/64 in. diameter). Fill it up...with pure dry micro right out of the bag, and...shake dry micro over the whole surface of whatever you have just finished squeegeeing. Put a layer about 1/8" thick over the top of the whole layup. The dry micro will pull up a certain amount of resin out of the layup by capillary action, enough to fill up the little depressions between the weave...You come back to it the next day after it is dry...sweep up the loose, dry micro into a pile, put it back into your shaker sieve and shake it back into your bag to take out any lumps. Then you just take your dry sandpaper, do a little light sanding and presto, you've got a nice smooth surface.

Another interesting thing that has come out for Dragonfly builders is a Tri-Ply UNI cloth that is recommended for wing layups. Imagine, three cloth layers at one fell swoop. Builder's reports on this so far are enthusiastic. I don't know any more details, but you can call or write Viking Aircraft: Eloy Municipal Airport, RR1 Box 1000V, Eloy, AZ 85231. Phone (602) 466-7538.


MUD 'N FUN PRODUCT EXHIBITS

Vendors at Lakeland had several worthwhile products to promote:

Had an engine fire lately? Could spoil a nice day. State of the art Halon fire extinguishers are just the thing for Q's at about a pound and sized from about half a shaving cream can on up. Halon cools and smothers a fire and chemically interferes with the combustion process. It is a colorless, odorless vapor that evaporates completely and leaves no mess to clean up. Containers do not need recharging and can be used until completely empty. ISS Inc. at 2227 Idlewood Rd, Suite 4, Tucker, GA 30084 has more info or call (404) 938-2166.

Alpha Plastics, a supplier of foam, fiberglass, epoxy, etc. used in our construction has been sold to Ralph Bradshaw and relocated in Houston, TX at 8734 Daffodil, Zip 77063. Call at (713) 780-0023.

PR-88 hand cream. I bought a small jar at Oshkosh, used it up with great results and bought a large container from Aircraft Spruce at Lakeland. I saw a guy put it on, spray his hands with silver paint, rub on a coat of grease, then wash it all off with soap and water very cleanly. I've been working with vinylester resin lately and the PR-88 has lived up to the demo I saw. Aircraft Spruce and Wicks carry it or Franmar & Associates, Box 483, Normal, IL. Call (309) 452-7526.


From Tom Curtis

In 4 years and 7 months, I've gone through less than 10 epoxy brushes by cleaning them out with lacquer thinner immediately after each layup.

Quickie engine oil leaks around the Kevlar plate mount bolts can be stopped by removal of the oil pan and smearing on a small amount of non-hardening sealer in all 4 mount bolt holes.


From the Osprey Newsletter

TOLUENE. I have been flying my Osprey on auto gas for over a year now with no problems, but I have finally found a good reason not to use it. Toluene! This is a very strong flammable solvent and apparently some oil companies feel mixing it with gasoline is OK. That's fine for metal tanks but not for fiberglass and resin. It was dissolving my tank. I had noticed that it was hard to see the fuel level lately in the sight slots, and I found some brown glops when I was checking the sump. Well, the sidewalls of my tank are so soft and I'm debating replacing it with a metal tank. I think I'll pay the extra 50 cents per gallon for Avgas, because there's no telling what they will put in there next.


From Manny Lewis



From Lynn Faulkner #2794

On my STS 7600 handheld com radio, I had a problem hooking the radio's TNC antenna jack to standard BNC antenna connectors for an external antenna. I finally located a Pomona 3844 adaptor at a local radio/electronics shop for about $10.



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