RE: Pietenpol-List: White Silk Scarfs
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2002 8:02 am
Original Posted By: Michael D Cuy
Brackets! I bought and used those right angled Hardware brackets. Theyworked very good on the six brackets needed for the bottom of thestabilizer. Two holes in the frame and two holes in the stabilizer. But Idecided to use them for the rigging wires on the horizontal stabilizer andthe upper connection on the vertical stabilizer. I am not happy with theresult. I do suppose they are strong enough, but am going to change themall. Lose two days work. When you put those preformed right angle hardwarebrackets on a piece of iron I have, and hit them with a hammer to flattenout the angle, they bend at one of the holes. These things are narrow,about 1/2 inch. Still it is steel and they are probably strong enough. Butthe doubts I have, after all those YOU WILL DIE! flames on the list, make mewonder how they would stand up to vibration. I have no clue how muchvibration might happen back there in the tail. I notice the plans call fora wider piece of steel by! 1/8 inch. Even so, these hardware steel brackets on each side of thepre-drilled hole, where they bend when you whack them with a hammer on apiece of iron are probably thicker slightly and stronger than the 14 guagesoft hardware store wire. But it is the vibration aspects and the idea theymight work and break eventually that worries me. I could not get the anglethat they come in, to bend, they always bend where the screw hole is,weakening the structure. So I guess, I am going to Home Depot today and seeif they have any 5/8 or 3/4 strap flat iron lengths, that I can cut anddrill and bend in my teeny little vice ( if it doesnt break first ), as inthe plans.Fisherman,Please (and I think I have said this before) get the Tony Bingelis booksbefore you start making the fittings for this plane. Airplanes are notboats, and they certainly are not homes. The hardware and strap steel youcan buy at a hardware store are made of the cheapest possible steel thatthey can get away with. It is very soft, yet not very ductile and workhardens rapidly, resulting in fractures. If you are lucky, it will crackand break in two while you are forming it. More likely, it will crack butnot be visible and the crack won't propogate until you are at 1,000' over amangraove swamp full of hungry alligators.Please use 4130 chrome-moly steel for your fittings. It is not veryexpensive and is available from a number of sources, including AircraftSpruce & Specialty (www.aircraftspruce.com) , Wick's aircraft Supply(www.wicksaircraft.com) , or (my personal favorite) Dillsburg AeroplaneWorks in Pennsylvania (114 Sawmill Rd., Dillsburg, PA 17019,tel.717-432-4589).This airplane is held together by all those fittings, and the best wood andstrongest glue is useless if the fittings break. One of the things theBingelis books teach is to bend the fittings first, then drill the holes.You just learned this lesson the hard way.If you are really in a hurry to make these fittings, and haven't yet gotyour copy of Tony's books, you can also pull up the articles on the EAA'swebsite. Go to www.EAA.org , then go to the member's only section (you AREa member of EAA aren't you?). Under Homebuilder's Headquarters you willfind a section called "Articles by Author". Under that section you willfind Tony Bingelis. If you look through all his articles listed, you willfind 3 articles called "Making Fittings", Parts 1, 2, and 3. I could notget the figures to pull up, but maybe you can. If not, at least the textshould help you, and maybe this will convince you that almost every questionyou will have (and there will be many more) as you build this plane can beanswered in one of Tony's books.Jack Phillips________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 10:36:54 -0500
Brackets! I bought and used those right angled Hardware brackets. Theyworked very good on the six brackets needed for the bottom of thestabilizer. Two holes in the frame and two holes in the stabilizer. But Idecided to use them for the rigging wires on the horizontal stabilizer andthe upper connection on the vertical stabilizer. I am not happy with theresult. I do suppose they are strong enough, but am going to change themall. Lose two days work. When you put those preformed right angle hardwarebrackets on a piece of iron I have, and hit them with a hammer to flattenout the angle, they bend at one of the holes. These things are narrow,about 1/2 inch. Still it is steel and they are probably strong enough. Butthe doubts I have, after all those YOU WILL DIE! flames on the list, make mewonder how they would stand up to vibration. I have no clue how muchvibration might happen back there in the tail. I notice the plans call fora wider piece of steel by! 1/8 inch. Even so, these hardware steel brackets on each side of thepre-drilled hole, where they bend when you whack them with a hammer on apiece of iron are probably thicker slightly and stronger than the 14 guagesoft hardware store wire. But it is the vibration aspects and the idea theymight work and break eventually that worries me. I could not get the anglethat they come in, to bend, they always bend where the screw hole is,weakening the structure. So I guess, I am going to Home Depot today and seeif they have any 5/8 or 3/4 strap flat iron lengths, that I can cut anddrill and bend in my teeny little vice ( if it doesnt break first ), as inthe plans.Fisherman,Please (and I think I have said this before) get the Tony Bingelis booksbefore you start making the fittings for this plane. Airplanes are notboats, and they certainly are not homes. The hardware and strap steel youcan buy at a hardware store are made of the cheapest possible steel thatthey can get away with. It is very soft, yet not very ductile and workhardens rapidly, resulting in fractures. If you are lucky, it will crackand break in two while you are forming it. More likely, it will crack butnot be visible and the crack won't propogate until you are at 1,000' over amangraove swamp full of hungry alligators.Please use 4130 chrome-moly steel for your fittings. It is not veryexpensive and is available from a number of sources, including AircraftSpruce & Specialty (www.aircraftspruce.com) , Wick's aircraft Supply(www.wicksaircraft.com) , or (my personal favorite) Dillsburg AeroplaneWorks in Pennsylvania (114 Sawmill Rd., Dillsburg, PA 17019,tel.717-432-4589).This airplane is held together by all those fittings, and the best wood andstrongest glue is useless if the fittings break. One of the things theBingelis books teach is to bend the fittings first, then drill the holes.You just learned this lesson the hard way.If you are really in a hurry to make these fittings, and haven't yet gotyour copy of Tony's books, you can also pull up the articles on the EAA'swebsite. Go to www.EAA.org , then go to the member's only section (you AREa member of EAA aren't you?). Under Homebuilder's Headquarters you willfind a section called "Articles by Author". Under that section you willfind Tony Bingelis. If you look through all his articles listed, you willfind 3 articles called "Making Fittings", Parts 1, 2, and 3. I could notget the figures to pull up, but maybe you can. If not, at least the textshould help you, and maybe this will convince you that almost every questionyou will have (and there will be many more) as you build this plane can beanswered in one of Tony's books.Jack Phillips________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 10:36:54 -0500