Hinge Sealing

Jerry get piece of monokote scrap and apply it to a scrap piece of wood. Crank up the temp to about 375 degrees. If the iron leaves little melt streaks, back off the temperature slightly, let the iron cool, and continue to iron/cool until the streaks no longer appear. That's the temperature to apply your monokote.

You do have a 21st Century iron, right? ;-)

Don

OR, go down to your local office supply store and pick up a roll of 3M book binding tape. It's clear, cheap, applies easily and lasts longer than Monokote.

One thing is important - DO NOT get your CA hinges hot. I used to seal the entire hinge line with one piece of (whatever)kote. I ironed the kote onto a hinge, which became brittle and failed.

I now seal only the gaps between the hinges. I use a hair less than 325 (on a 20th Century Iron). You don't really want to shrink it - just stick it down good.

-- Mike Norton

That sounds like real good advice. I'll be careful to avoid heat at the hinges. Based on Don Hatten's testing technique, it looks like 300 degrees works right for my materials. My particular problem is that I fouled up the installation of the tail wheel and allowed the bushing holding the music wire to stick out too far. The instructions said a notch would have to be cut in the elevator to clear the bushing, but I failed to look at the elevator carefully before finishing the rudder and tail wheel. When I did look, I was shocked to find how narrow the spar was that connected the port and starboard sides of the elevator. The notch I had to cut was more than half the width of the spar (which I then reinforced on the back with a steel landing gear strap from the trainer), and it still did not allow the elevator to be hinged to the stabilizer properly. As a result, the elevator fits tightly at the tips, but the gap opens to about 1/8 inch near the midline leaving the CA hinges excessively exposed. Thus the desire to seal this gap. I do have adequate throw motion in the empanage control surfaces. I won't bother sealing the ailerons and rudder. I've been practicing the sealing process on the tail section of my busted trainer. Can't seem to get the MonoKote on without lots of wrinkles that won't iron out. Guess I know what I have to do to get to Carnegi Hall........... Jerry

Cut a strip of covering about 1/2" wide and as lond as you need for the hingeline. Carefully fold the stip in half lengthwise with the glue side out. Lay the strip of now creased covering along the hingeline and with a iron of trim tool set to low temp lightly stick it down. Start in the middle of the hingeline and work to one end, then come back to the middle and work to the other end. Make sure you have it stuck down with control surface fully deflected so that yo can get full travel when you're done. After you have it tacked down with low heat you can raise the iron temp to get a permenent seal. remove my-wife to reply :-)