Chuck and Ryan's Build Tips

[ceslaw]

Dave:

I cut an arc shape about two inches wide from a thin piece of aluminum, wrapped the fabric over, and poly tacked it on the back side. The arc shaped section of aluminum extends from the frame members on either end.

I did this after the fabric was shrunk and painted, when I discovered the issue. If I were doing it again, I would again put a large section of fabric in that area, shrink the fabric, then glue the aluminum in place. Then cut it out and fold it over the back side and glue on the back side as well. The reason for shrinking it first is the thin aluminum wont take much tension.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture.

Chuck

[ceslaw]

Dave:

Troy's response was spot on. Here is another picture.

DSC_0608A.jpg

Chuck

[Daveembry]

Dave:

I cut an arc shape about two inches wide from a thin piece of aluminum, wrapped the fabric over, and poly tacked it on the back side. The arc shaped section of aluminum extends from the frame members on either end.

I did this after the fabric was shrunk and painted, when I discovered the issue. If I were doing it again, I would again put a large section of fabric in that area, shrink the fabric, then glue the aluminum in place. Then cut it out and fold it over the back side and glue on the back side as well. The reason for shrinking it first is the thin aluminum wont take much tension.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture.

Chuck

Good job. It really looks great and a good tip to those of us also putting in the G3X. Perhaps CC should include that battery bracket with the pre-cover G3X kit so it will be there when we cover. Thanks again for all your help. Your posts are really helping alot of people and saving us from problems you already encountered!

[Daveembry]

Dave:

Troy's response was spot on. Here is another picture.

DSC_0608A.jpg

Chuck

Perfect! Thanks to both of you for the great pictures.

[ceslaw]

Landing Light Detail

The shiny carbon fiber landing light support was not painted. We liked the look of the shiny black carbon fiber. But the line where the white painted fabric and the black carbon fiber came together did not align with the edge of the plexi glass. We wanted to clean up the look even though no one had noticed.

DSC_0027A.jpg
Before


The manual describes running a bead of clear silicone around the perimeter of the clear plexi. We skipped that part and instead sought a different solution to seal the light. We found an answer to both issues.

McMaster-Carr is a terrific source of all sorts of items. www.McMaster.com. A roll of quarter inch wide by 1/16” black foam adhesive tape was used to provide both a straight line and a seal covering the line separating the white fabric from the black carbon fiber. Part number: 8694K111. Be careful applying it: It really sticks and there are no second chances.

DSC_0030A.jpg
Tape in place.

Now here is a little secret you won’t find anywhere else. Over time the non-adhesive side of the foam tape may stick to the plexi glass and separate if you ever have to remove it. To prevent that from happening, rub silicone lubricant on the surface of the foam tape. (Armor-All works well).

I was pleasantly surprised at how tightly this tape sealed up the light. And the black edge now lines up with the edge of the plexi glass

DSC_0032A.jpg

[ceslaw]

Dave:

I cut an arc shape about two inches wide from a thin piece of aluminum, wrapped the fabric over, and poly tacked it on the back side. The arc shaped section of aluminum extends from the frame members on either end.

I did this after the fabric was shrunk and painted, when I discovered the issue. If I were doing it again, I would again put a large section of fabric in that area, shrink the fabric, then glue the aluminum in place. Then cut it out and fold it over the back side and glue on the back side as well. The reason for shrinking it first is the thin aluminum wont take much tension.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture.

Chuck

I found pictures!

DSC_0082A.jpg
This is before the fabric was cut away for the G3X back up battery


DSC_0127A.jpg
Outside view.


DSC_0130A.jpg
Back side view

[Daveembry]

I found pictures!

DSC_0082A.jpg
This is before the fabric was cut away for the G3X back up battery


DSC_0127A.jpg
Outside view.


DSC_0130A.jpg
Back side view

Great job. It looks very professional. Just 10 minutes ago I finished covering that part of mine and did it just like that. Thanks for the info!

[Daveembry]

Landing Light Detail

The shiny carbon fiber landing light support was not painted. We liked the look of the shiny black carbon fiber. But the line where the white painted fabric and the black carbon fiber came together did not align with the edge of the plexi glass. We wanted to clean up the look even though no one had noticed.

DSC_0027A.jpg
Before


The manual describes running a bead of clear silicone around the perimeter of the clear plexi. We skipped that part and instead sought a different solution to seal the light. We found an answer to both issues.

McMaster-Carr is a terrific source of all sorts of items. www.McMaster.com. A roll of quarter inch wide by 1/16” black foam adhesive tape was used to provide both a straight line and a seal covering the line separating the white fabric from the black carbon fiber. Part number: 8694K111. Be careful applying it: It really sticks and there are no second chances.

DSC_0030A.jpg
Tape in place.

Now here is a little secret you won’t find anywhere else. Over time the non-adhesive side of the foam tape may stick to the plexi glass and separate if you ever have to remove it. To prevent that from happening, rub silicone lubricant on the surface of the foam tape. (Armor-All works well).

I was pleasantly surprised at how tightly this tape sealed up the light. And the black edge now lines up with the edge of the plexi glass

DSC_0032A.jpg

That looks great and much nicer than silicone caulk (which doesn't look as finished and has to be removed to remove the cover). I had actually asked Mitch about this as well and he said to silicone it but I like this much better. Thanks.

[Daveembry]

Covering the Wings Revisited

1. Filler piece. In the award winning Mitch Travis video, Armando described a technique for gluing the filler piece of fabric near the wing tip. He folded the forward tab outward toward the wing tip, using a plastic wrapped piece of metal as a clamp to hold it in place, then removed the clamp after it was dried. I discovered that when heat shrinking the fabric this edge has a tendency to pull away, requiring that a small patch be added to smooth the surface.

On the second wing, the tab was folded inward toward the wing root. The tab was covered with the top and bottom layers of wing fabric. The edge of the tab disappeared beneath those layers and did not pull away when shrinking the fabric.

Attachment 3952

2. Fabric overlap. The video specifies a 1 ½ inch overlap of the fabric on the leading edge. This is not sufficient if the fabric will be cut away over the fuel tank for an aluminum cover. Two inches is needed to assure enough glue area along the leading edge of the fuel tank opening. Note that only about a half inch along the leading flat surface is glued initially; the recessed area is glued after the fabric is shrunk to 250^ and cut away.

Attachment 3953

Attachment 3954

As an update to this, the factory is now changing the start lines on the leading edge. They did this to move it so it would completely cover the wing tip bow where before they were having to add a small patch there where is met the aileron.

Now, go down to the 2nd row of rivets from the top of the spar and snap 1 line 3/4" above that row and another line 3/4" below that line. You can start the top fabric on the bottom line and wrap it around. Do this top fabric first. Then start the bottom fabric on the upper line and go over the leading edge. This gives you a 1-1/2" overlap and moves the fabric so there is now enough to cover the bow tip without a patch.

[ceslaw]

Dave:

You questioned how I curved the tape at the base of the rudder. The tape that makes the bend where the top of the fuselage and base of the rudder meet was probably the most difficult. Here is how I did it.

1. About a 10” length of tape was used. The forward end was cut straight and the aft end was rounded.

2. The aft end of the fuselage tape was cut rounded and goes over the 10” tape, over the straight cut edge with about an inch of overlap. The aft rounded end of the 10” tape goes over the forward end of the tape at the base of the rudder, which was cut straight.

3. Gently fold the 10” tape in half to create a ‘soft’ centerline.

4. Using the small iron, shrink the center only of the tape along the centerline. This takes a bit of patience and care. Avoid shrinking the outside edges. This will cause the tape to curl, which is exactly what you need to make it conform to the curve. It may take several attempts to get a satisfactory result.

5. The width of the tape where the center is shrunk will be a bit less than typical, but no one will ever notice once it is done. The final ‘massaging’ may require a higher temperature to get a proper fit.

IMG_5373A.jpg

Once the final paint is on the imperfections will all but disappear.

DSC_0045A.jpg

Hope this helps