Creating a new Instrument Panel - Part 2 - The design and cutting holes!

Design of the new panel

My original plan was to avoid issues with magnetic deviation on the compass, (thou it will still needed to be turned professionally), I tried to keep all of the pneumatic instruments between the electrical driven instrument's, and the compass. But after a number of test layouts, I still found myself putting the switches and fuses near the compass. I know that when the Borgelt Vario was turned on, the compass deviation was the greatest.

I took this drawing to Albuquerque Reprographics to have a pattern copy made to be used as a cutting template for the instrument layout.

There were some slight relocation of the instruments based on the size of their cases, but the finished panel would look similar to the drawing.

I was able to cut the openings using a 57mm, 70mm, and a 80mm hole cutter. the trick to get an even cut is, the panel face needs to be secured flat, and the cutter needs to be spinning fast and then slowly lowered to the panel face. I'm sure it would have worked better on a drill press, but I had to do this by hand.

I then applied a spay coat of my DCC cockpit gray, making sure that the face had a matte finish, you don't need any glare coming off of a glossy panel!

Next post will cover the wiring of the panel.  ... This should be fun!

Ouch!, my back hurts

Streifeneder came through again!

A few months ago, I wrote to Streifeneder about acquiring a replacement seat back. After spending a great deal of time cleaning up the old seat back, I found that after I removed the old polyester material, I couldn't determine what was the correct shape.

In January, they wrote me about finding a seat back. I was delighted!, I didn't need to waste anymore time on the original ,"Old and Busted" seat back.

The new seat back arrived in no time and I was surprised to see how much material was missing on the one I originally had.

  

The old seat back after sanding weighs 553 grams, while the new seat back (on the left), weighs in at 674 grams before painting.

 









What you cannot see in the photos is the thick rounded edges on the new seat back, while the old one has little or no rolled sides.

The replacement seat back required little work to get it prepped for painting. The were a number of bubbles and voids, but they were easy to fill.

I used a lacquer based primer, then sanded the seat back smooth.

I sprayed the seat back with DCC gray paint, that matched the cockpit.

We're moving now! ....... Instrument panel, plumbing wiring,.... install those parts!

New view, New Canopy! Part 2

The next few post will be "playing catch up" on what was done over the long winter months.


Clean up and filling the holes and gaps in the frame!

The plan, as I mentioned earlier, is that I would like to paint the frame, since it looked grungy.

The voids, gaps and holes were filled with an epoxy resin mixed with the cotton flock.  After it cured, I sanded down excess resin.





I used a gray primer paint to fill the fine pits and then used a fine sand paper to even the surface.

The next trick was to replace the latch. I repainted the forward portion of the frame before re-attaching the latch.

I created a jig to hold the frame up, and then with the use of a hot glue gun, I tacked the forward edge of the frame to a board, this will prevent it from shifting,while the resin cures.

I replaced the steel pin in the latch, and created a tape and wax seal around the latch to prevent any resin from seeping into it.  Next, I used my favorite resin mix of cotton flock, and pressed the pin back into place. I worked the resin into the void slowly to prevent any bubbles of air getting trapped. as soon as I acheived the desired level, I placed peel ply over the filled in spot.

After the resin cured, I placed a thin layer of glass cloth over the repaired opening.





After the final cure, I did a test fit of the latch on the fuselage to ensure that I was able to securly close the canopy.

I needed to remove excess resin humps on the latch pin areas, but after that was done, the latch worked perfectly.

The frame is ready to be painted.
 

To protect areas that I don't what paint to hit, I covered the latch with a disposable showercap and taped it securly., I also taped the frame pins and alignment tabs.

The frame was then painted with the DCC gray paint used in the cockpit.




Now that the canopy frame is finished, I'm off to finish the seat back!

Two years into this project!

Two year to the day that I have been engrossed and obsessed with my unfinished glider. Where has the time gone?

What was done over the second year of work?

The gelcoat was finally removed completely, and the trailer was torn down, sand blasted, repainted, and dropped off to the trailer shop to have the floor boards replaced, re-skinned and a full clam shell lower frame and hinge fabricated. But the cost to do this was higher than the original estimate, and the trailer spent most of the year sitting at their shop until I could afford to pay for the balance of the work that was done, and what is still needed to complete the clam shell lower frame.

I need to mention that a project like this is like all hobbies, it requires money to feed it. I have been on a limited budget that has hindered my ability to move forward at an accelerated pace.
Like last year, we had an early hard cold winter that slowed my progress. But during the winter, I was able to finish painting the cockpit, bulkheads, and seat (to be covered in a future post). I was also able to finish the spar dollies and one mid-wing support (to be covered in a future post).

With tax time around the corner, and hopefully a decent return, I can complete much of the more costly additions, (the radio and O2 system).

 Here is a photo of the parts installed in the cockpit today, and a test fit of the fabric pads.









 
















In the months to come, the plan is to complete the installation of the internal components and deliver the glider to Roberts shop to finish the surface cleanup and finally get some paint back on her,

Thank you for those who have been following this blog.

On the rails!

Part of the fuselage repairs included the rebuild of the canopy track rails that run along side of the cockpit top frame sill.

My Libelle's tracks were chipped and worn down. I was concerned on finding a workable method to achieve the look of the originals.

I decided to try a test on one side, and not completely down the sill.

I used the aluminum duct tape and burnished the tape along the sill and up the edge of the remaining rail. The tape, when handled carefully, makes a straight, flat edge for the resin paste to sit on.

Next, I rotated the fuselage on it's side so the epoxy resin would stay along the old rail edge

Using epoxy mixed with my favorite material (cotton flock), I troweled in the mixture, carefully along the side of the old rail, and feathered the edge into the tape.  


After the resin cured, and I removed the tape, and I found that this method would work.

I was ready to do a full side.

The setup for the right side of the fuselage cockpit sill was the same as I did with the test side.

Next, I used the same mixture and troweled it down the full side.

When the resin cured, I removed the tape and started the clean up with a heavy grit sand paper.

To ensure that I removed the correct amount of waste, I measured the depth of the groove in the canopy frame and made a depth gauge.

I then used a finer grade of sand paper to even out the new rail to the correct shape and height. The gauge verified the correct height of the rail.

The new rail will need some light filling, but for the most part, they are finished!









The sill needs some additional cleanup before the final paint job.

It's time to start putting eveything back into this bird!

Creating a new fuselage access hatch - Part 2

Here is an update on the hatshelf hatch cover.

Before the cover is painted and mounted in the fuselage, I needed to decide where and what to do with the radio speaker.

The radio I plan to buy has a radio speaker box, but the size could have created an access problem near the batteries and with push rod articulation.

Robert suggested a speaker for the radio and it looks like it would fit in the hatch.

With a little modification to the outside of the speaker-box, I was able to create mounting point on the case face.

I created a pattern of the grill cover and the screw holes.

I was able to cut the openings cleanly with a Dremel tool and drill.

I then did a test fit with speaker housing.

After a final light sanding on the surface, I applied a primer coat, ready for the next steps, Mounting the piano hinge and painting.

What fun, what joy......

Prep'n the cockpit - Fill'n gaps and Painting

It has been an interesting journey to get this far in the project.

The left side of the cockpit showed some stress ware in the glass where the airbrake handle was. I sanded down the inside and prepped the surface to lay in a couple of plys of  E-120 fiberglass.

 After the glass was applied to the inside, I covered the glass with peel ply, and squeegeed the excess resin off.

The seat belt loops were uneven and full of deep grooves. 

After filling the grooves with a flock thickened resin, they were sanded smooth. A coating of primer was used to finish them off. I also primed the area around the loops that were visible though the seat pan.  

The areas that were not intended to be painted were masked off with painters tape.

The sides were then primed, sanded and prepped again.

 The floor of the nose was primed and sanded smooth.  

 

The final priming and finishing of the cockpit prior to painting.

Right side

Then nose interior primed.

The cockpit was painted with DCC semi-gloss light grey paint.
The finish is more glossy than satin.

I dropped in the seatpan to see if the masked areas were visible.

The last part to be painted was the nose bulkhead for the Pitot pot.

Time is getting closer to start reassembing the glider.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock!