Flash for the Pan - or a smooth seat for the pants

It has been a while since I have had the time to update this blog.

The trailer episode is still in production, so I decided to give you all an update on the seat pan saga!





So, as you might recall from the earlier post, the seat pan was covered in canvas.







The canvas peeled off easy enough, but the old glue was like rubber cement.

After the glue residue was thoroughly removed using the 3M adhesive remover, It became apparent of the amount of repair there was done to the seat pan using automotive polyester resin.






These old repairs needed to be sanded away and repaired using the proper epoxy resin,







There were some really cancerous looking areas that had to be cut out.







The airbrake notch was the worst, and almost a half of an inch had to be removed before any repair work could be started. (notice the inside lip with the cracked filling.)






After many hours of sanding. the seat pan was prepared for the repairs






I used aluminum tape, per Robert Mudds recommendations to cover any holes I wanted to fill, such as the old screw holes, which were widened and oblong after many years of ware. Also the sharpened opening on the right side for the seat belt loop, and the ware out repair on the airbrake notch.





After the holes were filled with resin and flocking, I covered the bottom with a single ply of 7725 cloth for support.

I re-drilled out the holes, I re-sanded the surface and cleaned for priming and painting










Here is the finished seat pan














Ready to be installed into the cockpit.... The seat back is even nastier!



The question  I was asked by Robert after all was said and done was... "what was the new weight of the seat pan.





So.. here are the results of the seat pan weigh in.

The original weight with the canvas was approx 5lbs

After removing the canvas, glue, and old polyester resin, and the finishing clean up, the pan weight was 2.3 lbs

After adding the repairs and single ply of 7725, added primer and paint. the finished weight is 3.5 lbs.

And roberts closing comments were... "Good on you. Extrapolated over the entire glider that is a huge weight reduction....dream on."

Dream on I will!

 ......  Now back to that trailer!

If the weather will give me a break!

The Trailer! Part 1 - How to rebuild this old trailer, or, Boy did I ever lose my mind!

What can I say..... It looked usable, but changes need to be made to the trailer to support the planned new modifications to the glider.







 Dig those fancy brake lights! And custom wiring!

With the plan to install the wing root fairings, the wings will no longer fit since the roof of the trailer tapers lower toward the front hatch. 

Aside from the obvious issue with the fairings, another issue, the floor boards were so dry rotted, the mid-wing support wheels were sinking in and starting to fall through worn-out wood between the wing dolly tracks.


 I visited Robert at the airport to do a walk around on a Cobra trailer to see what the construction was like. 

He showed me a few neat features that I want to adopt on my trailer.

The big difference is the trailer hitch

A word of warning!
The hitch states that it's for a 2"ball, but it is actually for a 1 7/8" ball!





...which beats this old crapper, hands down!







I took the trailer over to our local trailer dealership, Sandia Trailer, to see what kind of work they could do with the trailer and the cost.

The dealership quote was a shocker! From their walk-around, they stated that resealing the aluminum , floorboard replacement, sandblasting, and wheel packing could send the price up to several hundred dollars, and that is not counting refitting the trailer with new tracks.

So, we discussed another possibility, what if I stripped the trailer down to just the lower, main bottom steel work, no side panels, and no floorboards... All I will need is to have the steel cleaned off, repainted, with the skin replaced and new floor boards! .. That quote changed to about $500! This looks like a plausible remedy to an aging trailer!

After reviewing the work needed on the trailer, I had to do something to improve the way the sailplane was to be protected. The only option I had is to create a fiberglass clamshell cover. But before I can start work on that, the trailer needed to be prepped for the basic improvements and repairs to the lower half.
So on the next weekend, I started stripping the trailer down to the bare steel tubing.

I had to cut the steel away from the top alligator cover. While cutting the vertical supports for the forward cover, water began to pour out of the tubes as I cut through them. It's no telling how long that water was trapped in the tubing especially since it had not rained in New Mexico for over four months!

The top was dropped on the other side to be cut down for scrap.

Now that the top has been totally removed, I can now strip the rails out.

The back of the trailer had a sheet of aluminum to protect the boards from excessive wear,









......  but in fact, the board were so rotted that there was nothing holding them to the trailer!





 
Here is the culprit for being the cause of the damage to the trailing edge of the rudder. Notice the wing nut and bolt, these were fitted through the axle of the trail wheel to hold the glider in place, but after a few hours of driving, the wing nut an bolt will work themselves loose and the glider will roll back and forth, and the rudder banging against the tail shell on the trailer.

I loved cutting this cancer off of the trailer and chucking it into the trash!


 





The track rails popped off with just a single strike of a hammer. The old rivets had worked themselves loose through the rotting wood.

While I was removing the tracks, my foot punched through a floor board.


With the tracks removed, the side skin was next.










The side skin came off easily, since the only thing holding them in place was the aluminum rivets. The screws that were used to hold the trim and skin in place on the top and bottom edges were rusted trough, and the floor board they were anchored to were so rotted, that they were no longer holding the skin over eighty percent of the bottom edge!
 
I used a Saws-All to cut the edge and center rivets (not many of them) and the wood flooring fell away.

Now it's off to have the metal cleaned, painted, new siding and floor boards added

While the remains of the trailer top and sides were cut down to be recycled!

If I'm not committed now, I should be!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of "This Old Trailer"

Creating a new fuselage access hatch - replacing Old Curlycue

Well, by this time, you have seen the work to replace the instrument panel, now it's time to replace that old hat self-access cover.

Just like the instrument panel, this cover was so full of holes, that it was warped and curling outward.





I used the same process as I used in making the instrument panel

The process included using a flat board that was sealed and waxed to prevent the resin from adhering to the surface.

I used Peel Ply, E-120, two layers of carbon fiber, followed by a layer of 7725 and then covered with Peel Ply.



I used the same curing process of a 24 hour pre-cure at 75 degrees, followed by a post cure of 15 hours.



I drew an outline using the old cover.


With the outline completed, I cut the excess off, and carefully sanded the material until I had a working shape.










I had a slight problem removing the glass sheet from the form, and thus there is a blemish that can be seen as a light blotch near the bottom of the hatch. Since this is the painted side, There is no problem with the blemish being there.
I used a Dremel with a grinding head to cut the notches and latch lever guide hole. I etched a circle for the cockpit vent, but I had not decided on cutting it out just yet.



The test fit on the fuselage.






Here is a photo of the old cover with the replacement.

I have the new piano hinge too, but we will need to test to see if the rivets will hold in the carbon fiber cover.





So much more to do...

Creating a new Instrument Panel - Part 1

As you might recall, the instrument panel face and tray......
















And they were so riddled with holes, they looked like Swiss Cheese.




And no, this tray is not made of carbon fiber, it's black paint!

There was so much over-spray, it also covered the original radio case








I removed the old flat black paint from the panel, only to reveal more holes.

This new development could change my original plans of just filling in the old instrument openings and screw holes.



After showing Robert the condition of the panel, he stated that it would be better if we just totally replace the face.

Before any of the work got started, Robert suggested that I find the level line on the panel so we have an alignment reference for the instruments when we are ready to mount them.

Here is a close-up of the holes on just one side.

I had just finished sealing up the holes that were in the top guides. Next, patch the holes in the tray sides and back.

Now came the task of making the flat plate mold for the front panel.

I used old counter top material that was not scratched up or porous.

I needed to create the angle on the bottom of the panel, so it would fit the tray.

I added weight to the panel to hold the tray, while I positioned the the plate to hold the correct angle.

I used hot glue to tack the wooden plated at the correct angle, then applied glue to create a better bond.

When the glue dried, I inspected the plate surface for imperfections, and used 1000 grit wet-dry paper to prep the surface for the release agent.

In order to prevent the angle of the mold from changing the shape from filling and sanding, I just used a wax mold release agent as a filler. I applied this liberally in the groove and on the surface.

 I then rubbed the wax into the surface. I applied three coats.

 I rubbed the wax into the surface between coats, until I could no longer see any surface blemishes.

To create the panel front, I used a sandwich of Peel Ply nylon first, followed by a single layer of E-120 glass, then four layers of 7725 glass, then another layer of E-120 and then covered with the Peel Ply.


To ensure that there were no bubbles in the resin and fiberglass between each layer, I squeegeed the excess resin out.

The MGS resin with the 287 hardener requires a pre-cure time of 24 hours at a temperature of 75 degrees F. And a post-cure time of 15 hours at a temperature of 120 F.

After the resin was fully cured, I placed the panel and tray back on the form with the fiberglass still attached to the mold board.

I used the lead weights from the ballast bags that were once mounted in the nose of my glider. I knew I would find another use for them.

With the panel weighted and secured, the next step was to create a means to position the panel tray with the angled surface once the old panel was removed.

Again, using hot glue, I attached wooden blocks glued to the fiberglass.

Then last, I drew a pencil outline of the panel face on the Peel Ply surface.

I drew another pencil outline of the area on the fiberglass I needed to expose to cement the tray in place. I then carefully cut the Peel Ply nylon away from the surface finish of the new panel.

Here is the point of no return! I had to carefully cut the old panel away from the tray, while leaving the slight curve along the edge.

Talk about feeling uncomfortable about doing this and praying that you don't screw it up!

After the old panel was removed, I needed to do some clean up along the front edge of the tray.

After a few test fittings, I knew I was ready to cement the tray to the new panel fiberglass.

I used two layers of the 7725 fiberglass cut in even strips. I applied the glass wet, and place a layer of the Peel Ply nylon over the strips before I squeegeed out the excess resin.

After the resin cured, I cut away the excess fiberglass leaving about an inch over the outline edge of the drawn patten from the original panel.

I then removed the wooded blocks.

Before doing the final clean up shaping cuts, I applied a light coat of resin along the inside edge to ensure that the bond was strong.

After the resin was cured, I cut away the excess resin and cleaned up the edges

The panel was ready for the first fitting in the cockpit.

I kept the parts from the original panel to verify the correct size and shape of the screw holes and latch guide notches.

I also verified the level line for the instruments.

With the new holes drilled out, I could see that the panel was properly aligned.

And to confirm it, The screws were put in!

And here is the near-finished product.

Stay tuned for - Creating a new Instrument Panel Part 2