OK.... so don't use CA HINGES... I have a new .40 twist and a funtana 90S to build...

Most any pinned hinge would be good. My favorite is the Robart hinge point. Drilling a hole is much easier than slotting and the Robart jig makes centering the hole a piece of cake. And they're available in 3 sizes. I use them for everything from 1/2A to 1/4 scale and I've never had a hinge failure.

Dave

Seems like I used Klett and maybe DuBro pinned hinges. Don't get glue in the pin. I realize there was a long thread against CA hinges but(let me qualify this) in my humble opinion, if you install them correctly, and use a good product, and pray to the RC gods, make a sacrifice(ei. stick your hand in a prop), they will work well. You might have to check them now and again for wear but you really should do that for the whole craft. I have seen more plastic hinges fail than CA ones fail. mk

Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

Each type of hinge has it's uses AND positive and negatives about them.

The nylon hinges (Klett type ) need to be roughened up AND the hinge joint LIBERALLY lubricated with Vaseline to prevent the epoxy from getting in the hinge joint. The hinge slot MAY need to be recessed in order for the control surfaces to be close enough.

Robart hinges, same problem and solution for the joint AND the hole for the hinge will need to be recessed in order to get the surfaces close enough to minimize a gap.

CA hinges PROPERLY INSTALLED hold up just as well as most nylon hinges.

To PROPERLY install a CA hinge:

1. The slots for the hinge must be SNUG, not tight.

1. Drill a 1/16" hole in the center of the slot. This allows the CA to properly wick down into the wood and hinge.

2. Insert 2 pins in the center of the CA hinge to prevent it from having too much material on one side or the other. The 2 pins insures that the hinge is straight and not crooked in the slot.

1. Draw a line with a crayon ON BOTH SIDES of the center of the hinge (hinge line ). This prevents the CA from hardening this area.

2. Insert the hinges into the moveable surface and then insert the moveable surface into the fixed surface. Remove the pins from the hinges and firmly push the 2 pieces together.

1. Now flex the moveable surface to the maximum amount, and while holding it in this position, put 3 or 4 drops of CA on the hinge. Flex the moveable surface the other way and repeat. MAKE SURE YOU USE THIN CA. In this case, especially, more CA is not better.

I have flown 1.60 powered aircraft with hinges done this way with absolutely no problems.

I use CA hinges in all of my smaller planes (below a .90 - except for hot pattern ships). I haven't had a failure yet, that I can recall. There is a technique to it and just which CA hinge you use matters to, I suppose.

Ed Cregger

Use a good quality CA hinge and properly install them and you will be fine. I like Radio South CA hinges (blue ones). I have yet to have a CA hinge fail.

I use Robart hinges when possible. You must have a thick enough trailing edge to glue the hinge into. Most ARFs with balsa trailing edges do not have enough material to use Robart hinges. I would say you need a minimum of 1/2 inch of thickness for using Robart hinges. They are great on foam surfaces.

John VB

Gig wrote:

Did you ever notice that the guys having problems with CA hinges are also the same ones that have batteries that reverse just setting on the shelf, and are frequently getting shot down by radio interference? Seems like they are plagued by poor products. :-)

Red S.

I have witnessed catostrophic results of not getting hinges secured properly. One was an Lt. 40. This was an ARF. The elevators, ailerons and rudder needed to be hinged. This poor guy had only flown the LT 40 twiice. The disaster occurred when he was doing a 360 and the elevator simply came loose, fell off and the plane naturally lost control. I am a firm believer is using DuBro hinges and use Gorilla Glue. I put vasoline on the hinge pins, roughen up the hinge surface, drill a hole center, place a drop of water in the center hole. The water acts as a catalyst on the gorilla glue. Yes you get bubbling but this is simply scraped off and or wiped off the hinge with the vasoline. I also drill two small holes into the DuBro hinges and use round tooth picks to really secure those hinges. This works especially well for trainers such as the LT 40, Senior's, Etc. Its just a little more insurance when you finally do those loops and rolls eventually as a novice. Simple elmers glue on the tooth picks will hold them in place. Doc Ferguson

With a little care, Robart hinges can easily be used on 3/16" balsa sheet surfaces. Doesn't seem like you could drill 1/8" holes in 3/16" balsa but I do it all the time. I've built 6 planes in the last year with 3/16" balsa sheet tail surfaces and used hinge points on all of them.

Use the Robart jig and hold it in place with fingers overlapping onto the surface. When you can feel the bit under the wood, steer it a little the other way. I also shorten them by cutting off 2 barbs when using them on surfaces of this size.

Dave

Same here...been using the Radio South (and similar) hinges since the

80's, and never had one fail. I've got them in a Don Muddiman Flying Machine, and have flown the pants off of it since around '90 (it was actually owned by me and two other guys, and it finally found it's way bac to my stable). Constant full throttle dives, high speed snaps, etc.

My opinion is to not let the ca wick out into the hinge line, where it can harden the deflection point and cause it to crack/fail. I do have parts of birds that were crashed (due to other things, mostly dumb-thumbs & pilot error), and the Ca hinges are still solidly intact.

Just my $.01 worth :-) Dave AMA 119484

I have used CA hinges for years - this after a couple of "hinged type" broke their pins. Nothing catastrophic happened - but I've never experienced a single problem with the "CA" type.

No matter what type of hinge that's being used, we should all remember to do a pull test on all surfaces when pre-flighting for the first time. In addition, regular pre-session inspection of all hinges will find the one that's failing.

Preventative action is then taken to replace the hinge before flight loads cause the adjacent hinges to fail.

I have recently acquired one of those kits partially built. I have heard good things about that plane. Guess I need to get on the ball and get to it.

What engine are you using??

"byrocat" wrote in news:1157571198.060457.281580 @m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:

Amen! There are an awful lot of ways that a hinge installation can be bad, even if builder did an ideal job (suppose there's a crack in the wood adjacent to the hinge, for example). So, absolutely - once you've got it all put together and the glue has had time to cure or dry - give the surface a good solid pull. Then think about how bad it would be if it came apart in the air, and give it another good solid pull. In my experience, the first pull is a little tentative because I'm afraid I might break something. The second pull is quite a bit harder.

Try tugging around the individual hinges to see if there's any give. As he notes below, one failed hinge can cause the others to fail.

Also good. In practice, I don't think I've ever found a hinge failing on a 'mature' airplane, unless you count foamies or crash side effects. But I still check 'em from time to time.

Hi David,

I'm using an old O.S. .45 FSR ABC with tuned pipe and 9.5 x 6 airscrew... a fast bird. Don is now back in the hobby, and his website is

, if you're interested. I've had this one since sometime around 1990. You can see pics of it on my website in the R/C section at .

Dave - WB4IUY

Thanks, Dave.. I'll check 'em out.

Actually the Flying Machine site has moved to:

Looks like a neat plane.

I meant thickness from front to back. You must have enough material to engage at least a couple of the barbs on the Robart hinge point. I have had good success using poly-u glue with Robarts hinges. It really fills all of the spaces, especially in foam surfaces. Make sure the hinge portion is coated in vaseline or other glue retardent.

John VB

I've seen Robart hinge points pull out, but it was due to a catastrophic cartwheel of a big Accord 60 electric. The aileron hinges came out, but with the wood they were glued to still firmly attached. Bill(oc)

The wood gave away, not the hinges. Therefore we can deduce that wood should not be used in models where there may be high stress levels. :-)

Red S.