• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Search results

Advertise with us
Find deals on ebay
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
  1. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Thanks to everyone for their time, experience, and comments. I'm turning it over to the professionals now!
  2. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Great advice from all! After inspecting both wings thoroughly with a camera through the inspection ports and externally, I think I found the problem - a damaged rib. I had a firm landing in gusty crosswinds on the left main, and this rib is just above the left strut attach fitting.
  3. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    So... out at the airport today, I decided to push fairly hard up and down, left and right on each rib. They were all very rigid, except for one. I couldn’t feel a break in it, or anything disconnected, but it was certainly more wobbly than the others. I’ll take the borescope and camera out next...
  4. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    I'm hoping that tightening up the slack in the drag/anti-drag rods will take out some of the wrinkles when I add the extra rib stitch and spar nails. Just waiting for the needles and cord from Aircraft Spruce!
  5. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Perfect! I found a video showing the start stitch knot.
  6. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    I don’t think the knot can be tied inside the wing. What about tying it outside of the wing, then pulling it into the wing before patching? Also, can I shrink wrinkles out of the fabric once everything is secured, even with 3 coats of Poly-Tone?
  7. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    I believe the wings are just silver Poly-Spray. I don't think there is Poly-Tone or Aero-Thane on top. Edit: I take that back. There are 3 coats of silver Poly-Tone on top.
  8. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Poly-Fiber.
  9. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    So I’m intending to add one rib stitch per rib just aft of the aluminum leading edge. This should snug the aluminum against the front spar, and I’ll then add nails between the ribs along the spar. I’ll just be putting one single loop of flat lacing cord on each rib. Should I tie the loop knot...
  10. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    But doesn’t the wire pull up on the underside of the spruce stick, especially when airloads tug up on the aluminum? It seems that a rib stitch just behind the edge of the aluminum would cause less potential damage to the rib and accomplish the same thing. Edit: Disregard. I just re-read your...
  11. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    The plans do call for a 1/2” 20 ga nail every inch along the rib noses. I just can’t see a nail that small going through the tape, fabric, aluminum, and hitting the middle of a 1/4” rib without splitting the wood or missing the rib altogether. So I’m thinking that nailing the aluminum to the...
  12. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Great idea! Is there a danger that the safety wire can cut through the wood?
  13. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    So I spent the better part of a day looking over both wings. Each wing has three bays of drag/anti-drag rods, so six rods, twelve attach points. All twelve attach points on the “bad” wing were fine. Although the rods wobbled more than they should, they were securely attached at both ends, the...
  14. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Absolutely. That's why I'm investigating further to try to find out why they were so loose. I also found this: Wing Rigging on a wood Corben Baby Ace wing.
  15. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    I did not. I only found "tighten as much as possible by hand, then one more rotation." I should probably find something a bit more technical!
  16. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    So tomorrow I'm going out to the airport to go over that wing with a fine-toothed comb, before I start cutting fabric off. If there is a structural issue, I'm thinking that I should be able to find it without tearing it apart! There's not a lot to the wing. And if I do find an issue, perhaps it...
  17. Hambone

    The aero engineering world has suffered a great loss.

    Sounds like an amazing engineer and human being. His knowledge and experience lives through you. RIP, Rog.
  18. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    That’s great advice. I’ll check those out. I’ll look into our local EAA chapter, too.
  19. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Thanks to everyone for the friendly wealth of information and experience! It looks like uncovering the wings is the safest way to go. It will be a steep learning curve, as I own about 4 tools and having the craftsman skills of a 7 year old! I did build RC models in a previous life, and using...
  20. Hambone

    Nails backing out of spar? (merged with "spar varnish" thread)

    Mods: Can you possibly merge the following threads into the first one? There's lots of common information across both of them, and it's getting confusing and redundant. Sorry - didn't meant for that to happen! https://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/threads/nails-backing-out-of-spar.33470/...
Back
Top