I've built this Patriot and all went well till I put the wing in the saddle.There's a hair more than an eight inch space between the saddle and the wing from front to back on both sides.At least it's even.I've already sanded the trailing edge center peices so don't want to do that any more due to changing the incidence. I've used white Bathroom caulk in this area years ago but the Monocoat don't stick to it. What would yall use?>? Thanx
I used some Elmer's light wood filler to fill the wing/fuselage gap. Cover the middle of the wing with some wax paper, apply more of the filler than you need to the sides of the fuselage and mount the wing. Let it dry, then remove the fuse and sand the filler flush with the fuselage sides. Monokote will stick to it.
-- Morris Lee snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net
I agree with Paul here. I've been trying to email you, TX, for 2 days and the mail keeps bouncing. He sent me a picture of it, and the gap is too big for just caulking it.
Take a few strips of 1/32 or 1/16 balsa and cut them to the width of the fuse sides at the wing saddle. Glue them in, then sand down till it fits.
I'll cut and paste part of my email in here, and I'll try to send some pictures again tonight when I get home. Cruisin the Coast will be a little soggy, but worth the 1 hour trip. Takin dad's 55 T-bird for a spin :)
I'm not sure what happened without a better look, but it looks to me like the front of the wing isn't high enough for starters. Which means lifting the back of the wing up is going to cause you problems. Do you have an incidence meter?
At this point, I'm not sure where you went wrong. Have you put the doubler on the fuse where the wing pegs go into, at the bottom of F2? If not, you could slot the holes in F2 up, then set the doubler in. If the doubler is in place, you can't do it now. As for the gap in the rear, where is it hanging up? Is it the trailing edge?
It looks to me, unless the doubler isn't in place, that you will have to fill it. If it were me, I'd cut some 1/4" wide strips (whatever the thickness of the fuse sides) of 1/16" or 1/32", and laminate them onto the saddle. Then sand to fit. Might take 3 or 4 layers if the gap is that wide in places, but you need something solid on that big of a gap.
I covered them first. It's a liability thing for Great Planes. They don't want you cutting into the wood. If you aren't good at cutting it without going into the wood, you can either get a monokote trim tool, which are only a few bucks, or modify a number 11 blade. Using slow CA or epoxy, glue a scrap of wood to the side of the blade. Something you can get a grip on, and with at least one straight edge on it, facing down. Then stick it into a sheet or 2 of wax paper that is laying on something solid, like glass. Stick the point of the blade straight down through the paper. You will need to tape it or prop it up until the glue dries. Voila, instant depth gauge. Do a few blades at a time. Adjust amount of paper till you get it right. I covered the turtle deck, the fin, and the stab first.
I'm glad your not a plumber.
Mix up some Sig Epoxolite, smear it on the saddle, put some plastic wrap on the wing area where it meets the saddle and mount the wing. Use a wet finger to smooth out where the Epoxolite squishes out and leave over night.
Next morning, take off the wing and final sand (inside too). Put some dope on the Epoxolite and monokote will stick to it. Then do the same thing with the caulk to create a fuel proof seal.
Don
Still having trouble sending you pics, so I posted a shot of the stab on Alt.binaries.radio-control. If you can view them there, let me know. I took a few detailed shots if you need any more.
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