Re: Pietenpol-List: RE: Another change of subject. . . Rib Lacing
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2004 10:40 pm
Original Posted By: Jack Phillips
It's not THAT bad. I can do one in about 35 to 40 minutes. I've been buildingfor 8 years and 10 months. I figure another few hours won't really make a difference.I do have a couple of tips for those thinking about rib lacing.1) Make sure you leave just enough gap between your rib and any associated compressionstruts to get the needle through - else you have to "rib stitch" thefabric to EACH cap strip (top and bottom) instead of lacing it up and down throughthe entire wing. This is a pain.2) plan your rib lacing around spars and aileron cables carefully. requirementsfor a Piet type plane are rib lacing (or stitches) every 2 1/2 inches withinthe prop wash area an 3 1/2 inches outside the prop wash area. It neverfails that ONE of those lacings will need to go through a spar, gussett , orpulley. Take a halogen flood light and lay it on the floor - turn it on and youcan see through the wing like it's saran wrap.3) Rib lacing is really easy - Polyfiber has a video that shows it really well.It's just "muscle memory" and takes about an hour to figure it out.4) The undercamber (concave) bottom is alittle tricky. You have to glue thefabric to the botton rib cap , heat to 250 degrees, lace, and THEN brush coatthe wing (Polyfiber) - I don't know about the other processes.There are lots of really neat tricks to it that make it kinda fun. It's like woodwork,welding, engines, etc. Another neat skill to learn. I respect peoplewho want to leave it out - but I think it's just one more of the neat littlethings that make a fabric plane interesting. Also Polyester fabric is reallystrong- it's the peel potential that can get you - lacing every 2 1/2 inchesmay mean the difference in limping home and impersonating an anvil.My 2 cents - only because i'm right here at his very moment.Bert ----- Original Message -----
It's not THAT bad. I can do one in about 35 to 40 minutes. I've been buildingfor 8 years and 10 months. I figure another few hours won't really make a difference.I do have a couple of tips for those thinking about rib lacing.1) Make sure you leave just enough gap between your rib and any associated compressionstruts to get the needle through - else you have to "rib stitch" thefabric to EACH cap strip (top and bottom) instead of lacing it up and down throughthe entire wing. This is a pain.2) plan your rib lacing around spars and aileron cables carefully. requirementsfor a Piet type plane are rib lacing (or stitches) every 2 1/2 inches withinthe prop wash area an 3 1/2 inches outside the prop wash area. It neverfails that ONE of those lacings will need to go through a spar, gussett , orpulley. Take a halogen flood light and lay it on the floor - turn it on and youcan see through the wing like it's saran wrap.3) Rib lacing is really easy - Polyfiber has a video that shows it really well.It's just "muscle memory" and takes about an hour to figure it out.4) The undercamber (concave) bottom is alittle tricky. You have to glue thefabric to the botton rib cap , heat to 250 degrees, lace, and THEN brush coatthe wing (Polyfiber) - I don't know about the other processes.There are lots of really neat tricks to it that make it kinda fun. It's like woodwork,welding, engines, etc. Another neat skill to learn. I respect peoplewho want to leave it out - but I think it's just one more of the neat littlethings that make a fabric plane interesting. Also Polyester fabric is reallystrong- it's the peel potential that can get you - lacing every 2 1/2 inchesmay mean the difference in limping home and impersonating an anvil.My 2 cents - only because i'm right here at his very moment.Bert ----- Original Message -----