One 12-foot section (3.6 meters) of flaperon has been sanded, buffed, and polished.
Three more to go....
Flaperon? It's both a flap and an aileron.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaperon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flap_(aeronautics)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileron
#avgeek #aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #homebuilt
#Glider #DIY #Paint #Sand #Buff #Polish
The glider's horizontal stabilizer's paint needs scraping to remove runs and drips.
This part has a span of eight feet (2.44 meters). And I need to work on both sides.
Fortunately, the surface is convex, or flat in various locations...but it's happily not concave.
Setting up the work lights to give me specular reflections makes it easy to see and then work on the drips and runs.
I'm also learning that how I sharpen/sand the razor's edge (symmetric? asymmetric?), how I hold it (rake angle)...can make a big difference in how efficiently and effectively I can scrape away the high spots.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rake_angle
The pile of shaved paint next to the razor was produced with one gentle pass...once I started figuring out sharpening geometry and rake angle. Before that, my progress was slow and required much more effort.
#avgeek #aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #homebuilt
#Glider #DIY #Paint #Sand #Buff #Polish @jivens
The glider winglets have been sanded and buffed/polished...well enough.
I did not use the polishing machine. These are small parts and somewhat fragile, so I buffed by hand.
The winglets have electrical connections (spring loaded car door jamb connectors, lol!) and a molded receptacle for these nav/position/strobe lights:
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/el/winglights/aveopowerburst.php
The 2nd and 3rd photos show a progression from ugly runs and drips...to a scraped surface that is almost ready for sanding.
#avgeek #aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #homebuilt
#Glider #DIY #Paint #Sand #Buff #Polish #winglets
The glider rudder has been wet sanded down to 1200 grit (first photo), rinsed and dried.
Using a coarse polishing pad and cutting/rubbing (not polishing) paste, and about 5 - 10 minutes of work with a dual-action polisher...I got decent results quicker than I expected.
This bodes well for all the work I need to do on the larger parts: horizontal stabilizer, fuselage, flaperons, and wings.
#avgeek #aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #homebuilt
#Glider #DIY #Paint #Sand #Buff #Polish
This is part of a fairing that goes over the glider's tail wheel. I'm using this part to develop my skill at scraping paint with a straight edge razor.
This part fits on the underside of the glider, so nobody really looks at it. It is at the end of 21 ft of fuselage, so the air flow by then is plenty turbulent...so I do not need a pristine surface like I do for the first foot or two of the fuselage.
Let's not talk about all the pinnoles, shall we?
Anyway, if the part is convex, or saddle-shaped and I can get the razor across the positive curvature axis to do its work... I can quickly and fairly smoothly scrape down runs and drips to get them almost flush with the rest of the surface. Then I smooth it with 600 and 1200 Grit paper before buffing.
(After I develop my skills on such small belly parts, then I'll be comfortable working on the fuselage, and finally the wings.)
#avgeek #aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #homebuilt
#Glider #DIY #Paint #Sand #Buff #Polish
Habe einen #buff aus 95% Baumwolle gekauft und teste gerade, wie schnell er nach Handwäsche trocknet. Hoffe sehr, dass er das Potential hat, draußen über Nacht zu trocknen, denn dann könnte ich die Plastik-Buffs ersetzen.
Polishing the glider's paint - a brief experiment with an electric dual-action polisher on a test piece.
I used a coarse foam disk and cutting/buffing (not polishing) compound. The machine was at the lowest speed and light pressure was used for a minute or two.
This is a promising follow up to: https://universeodon.com/@KrajciTom/114197665061988882
The difference in surface prep was obvious. Where the paint had been sanded with 1200, the surface gained a gloss almost instantly. If the surface was sanded with 600, it remained hazy. Those sections only sanded with 400 were very hazy, even with more polishing time and a bit more pressure.
It looks like I'll hand sand to 1200, then use the electric polisher.
I just had an idea. If I build a bracket/clamp to hold the polisher upside down, I can hold small parts and better control the process.
#avgeek #aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #homebuilt
#Glider #DIY #Paint #Sand #Buff #Polish
