WarpedWing
Well-Known Member
Just wanted to share with you all a solution I found for the rework of my Ridge Runner 3 wings. The kit was purchased from the original builder after he lost his medical. He had only just started the kit and had begun work on the wings when he was given the bad news. The work he had completed was not up to par, so we have to rework the wings completely. Our biggest problem was removing the Hysol to realign the ribs and apply the proper amount of Hysol and also have real fillet to all the joints (the epoxy job was, shall we say, horrible). No only was the epoxy job thinly applied, the aluminum spars were never prepped to bond with the epoxy.
The first attempt using a Dremel tool and grinder tips took 10 hours for 4 ribs and I still nicked the spar twice. After polishing out the nicks, I sat back and thought about how this could be done safer and faster. It dawned on me that if I had a flap sander to fit my Dremel I could remove the epoxy much faster and prep the aluminum spar at the same time. So, I went to Dremel's website. Unfortunately the smallest grit they make is 120. I needed 360 grit to be safe and not damage the spar. So I went to EBay, darn if I didn't find what I needed. The kicker was that they were in China. I bit the bullet and ordered 50 of the things. They work great. I was able to finish removing the epoxy from the remaining 5 ribs and I have now begun re-epoxying the ribs. I took me all of 3 hours. I only used 11 of the darned things and I was done. These things were cheap to buy ( $ 1.89 a 10pk ) but they are NOT a cheap product. They come 10 to a pack, each pack includes the shaft attachment and they are 3/8" in diameter.
If anyone has some tight spots to sand, smooth or remove these things work great. Here is the link ...
10pcs Flap Wheel Disc Shaft Abrasive Sanding Drill Polish for Dremel Rotary | eBay
Let me know what you think.
The first attempt using a Dremel tool and grinder tips took 10 hours for 4 ribs and I still nicked the spar twice. After polishing out the nicks, I sat back and thought about how this could be done safer and faster. It dawned on me that if I had a flap sander to fit my Dremel I could remove the epoxy much faster and prep the aluminum spar at the same time. So, I went to Dremel's website. Unfortunately the smallest grit they make is 120. I needed 360 grit to be safe and not damage the spar. So I went to EBay, darn if I didn't find what I needed. The kicker was that they were in China. I bit the bullet and ordered 50 of the things. They work great. I was able to finish removing the epoxy from the remaining 5 ribs and I have now begun re-epoxying the ribs. I took me all of 3 hours. I only used 11 of the darned things and I was done. These things were cheap to buy ( $ 1.89 a 10pk ) but they are NOT a cheap product. They come 10 to a pack, each pack includes the shaft attachment and they are 3/8" in diameter.
If anyone has some tight spots to sand, smooth or remove these things work great. Here is the link ...
10pcs Flap Wheel Disc Shaft Abrasive Sanding Drill Polish for Dremel Rotary | eBay
Let me know what you think.