Pietenpol-List: .020" aluminum leading edge

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Original Posted By: "Ed Grentzer"
most plans have .016" aluminum leading edge, but I hear from lots of folksthat it can dent too easily by a stray hand or the occasional hangar bump.So I ordered up some .020" sheet.Has anyone used this on thier Piet? If so how did you go about installingit? did you pre-bend the leading edge radius? It looks like this task willbe a pain in the ass.tips and advice please.DJ_________________________________________________________________________________

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Original Posted By: "DJ Vegh"
DJOurs came out really simple. Harold, one of our builders, made a jig out of2x6 scrap. He sanded the edge to match the leading edge then adjusted the2x2's as needed. We used 2 pieces overlapped like a J3 Cub so they were nottoo long to handle. I included a rough sketch to give you the idea of howthe jig looks. We used gutter coil for the aluminum, because we got it forfree, just cut it with a straight edge and a box cutter. Experiment withsome 1' pieces to get the edge distance required then go for it. Check thepicture, a couple of smacks with the big hammer and it is done. We couldbend all 24 in about an hour. Check the picture, the leading edge isdead-on.Barry Davis----- Original Message -----

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Original Posted By: "Barry Davis"
thanks Barry. Sounds like a good idea.DJ----- Original Message -----

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Original Posted By: HOEVELMANN