Thursday, 22 August 2013

22nd August 2013 - Sealing the right wing interior

The interior of the wings are sealed to avoid any risk of the wood deteriorating over time with moisture. As before two pack Randolph Epoxy varnish was used. The top skin was masked so that the glue lines can be kept free of varnish.
The right wing contains the VOR/glideslope antenna. This is a dipole with a tuned balun. It was made based on instructions from Bob Archer.

Posted by Picasa

19th August 2013 - Wing leading edge

I've become very allergic to epoxy, the least exposure and I get reactions like swelling round the eyes such that I can hardly see out. This has certainly dampened my enthusiasm for moving forward with the build. However, I have now invested in sealed goggles, filtered mask, and disposable suits to allow me to make progress. I think the look is very flattering :-)
The first test of this last week was to glue into place the small section of wing skin forward of the spar and between the root rib and the first main rib. I seemed to survive this without a reaction so today I cut to length and glued into place the 1/2" thick spruce strips that will be shaped to form the leading edge.
Once the glue was set the edges were then blended into the upper and lower skins and a reference line drawn to mark where the forward edge of the leading edge would be located. Then, with a combination of very fine cuts with the power plane and much sanding, the final shape of the leading edge was created. The left wing is now finished ready for covering.
Posted by Picasa