---------------------------------------------------------- Zenith601-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 09/14/10: 2 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 02:43 PM - Re: Re: 601XL fiberglass wingroot fairings (Bill Naumuk) 2. 05:55 PM - Re: Re: 601XL fiberglass wingroot fairings (Mark Hubelbank) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 02:43:18 PM PST US From: "Bill Naumuk" Subject: Re: Zenith601-List: Re: 601XL fiberglass wingroot fairings Louis- Kudos for a very good description of the process. Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Louie928" Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010 8:21 PM Subject: Zenith601-List: Re: 601XL fiberglass wingroot fairings > > I'm fabricating top and bottom fairings for my 601 XL. The airplane isn't > finished yet, but from an aerodynamic point, it is evident that the > fairings should help quite a bit. It doesn't take a huge amount of > specialized skill, but does take more time than I expected. I fastened 1" > thick foam sheets (the foam that the QB kit was packed in) to the airframe > with double sided tape. That type foam isn't the best for forms because it > isn't very dense, but it was available and I had no other use for it. > Additional sheets were stuck to existing sheets with double sided tape or > small dabs of epoxy adhesive. The foam was shaped with Stanley Sureform > files, sandpaper, hot wire foam cutter, electric chainsaw, etc. > Irregularities, and gaps, were filled with modeling clay. Then, I coated > the foam with epoxy for stiffness. After that was cured, I covered it with > duct tape and made sure the duct tape was extended a few inches outside of > the fairing area so no epoxy would get on the skin. E! > poxy doesn't stick to duct tape, but some mold release on the tape helps > with de-molding. Mold release can be paste wax, or even spray on cooking > oil, or Pledge furniture wax. > > Cut the glass or carbon fiber cloth to shape leaving plenty of excess on > the edges. I put a coat of resin on the form using a small roller or > brush. Lay the cloth over the form and work the cloth into the epoxy on > the surface. Use more epoxy if you have to for wet through, but not too > much. If you use a brush, cut off about 1/3rd of the length of the > bristles so they are stiffer. Push the cloth into the epoxy with short > vertical jabs called "stippling". There shouldn't be so much resin that it > puddles, and the weave should show. I used three three layers of 6 oz/sq > yd carbon fiber twill cloth. Glass cloth is less expensive, but heavier > and not as stiff. It's likely you can't make the layup in one piece as it > gets quite unwieldy. Overlap the separate pieces by about 1 1/2". Leave > the layup on the mold until the epoxy has fully cured. This might be a > couple of days. De-mold by starting on an edge by working a putty knife > under and edge and getting it lifted. At first it will a! > ppear to come off with difficulty, but after some has broken loose, it's > likely the part will fall off. Making a part from a male mold as I've > described will leave a somewhat uneven and rough surface. Depending how > you want to finish the fairing will determine how it's made smooth. If > painting, use a lightweight filler made from epoxy and microballoons > (glass beads). You could use lightweight polyester body filler too. Then > sand and paint. I made mine from carbon fiber cloth and intend to leave it > natural. I painted on another coat of epoxy to fill the weave and sanded > most of that off. Another coat of epoxy and more sanding using finer grit. > I'll finish with urethane automotive paint clear coats for UV protection > with sanding between coats. > > Polyester resin could be used instead of epoxy. Epoxy doesn't shrink like > polyester does, and epoxy is a much better adhesive than polyester. I used > epoxy that is good to over well over 200 deg F since the top fairings will > be out in the sun. I used epoxy system 2000 from Fiberglast. > http://www.fibreglast.com/ They have hardeners in 20 min, 60 min, and 120 > min setting time. Epoxy resins are available from other sources that will > work too. > > -------- > Louis W. Ott > > 601XL beginner Quick Build > > > Read this topic online here: > > http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=312343#312343 > > > Attachments: > > http://forums.matronics.com//files/right_wing_fairing_layup2_166.jpg > http://forums.matronics.com//files/right_wing_fairing_layup1_149.jpg > http://forums.matronics.com//files/right_wing_fillet_21_176.jpg > http://forums.matronics.com//files/rightwingtopfairing3_187.jpg > http://forums.matronics.com//files/rightwingtopfairing2_275.jpg > http://forums.matronics.com//files/rightwingfairingform2_185.jpg > > > ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 05:55:59 PM PST US From: Mark Hubelbank Subject: Re: Zenith601-List: Re: 601XL fiberglass wingroot fairings Louis, Did you ever think of making a blow molded plastic part instead? Given that this is not structural, that might be a way someone could make these in some small quantity if the group is interested. On 09/14/2010 5:39 PM, Bill Naumuk wrote: > > > Louis- > Kudos for a very good description of the process. > > Bill > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Louie928" > To: > Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010 8:21 PM > Subject: Zenith601-List: Re: 601XL fiberglass wingroot fairings > > >> >> I'm fabricating top and bottom fairings for my 601 XL. The airplane >> isn't finished yet, but from an aerodynamic point, it is evident that >> the fairings should help quite a bit. It doesn't take a huge amount >> of specialized skill, but does take more time than I expected. I >> fastened 1" thick foam sheets (the foam that the QB kit was packed >> in) to the airframe with double sided tape. That type foam isn't the >> best for forms because it isn't very dense, but it was available and >> I had no other use for it. Additional sheets were stuck to existing >> sheets with double sided tape or small dabs of epoxy adhesive. The >> foam was shaped with Stanley Sureform files, sandpaper, hot wire foam >> cutter, electric chainsaw, etc. Irregularities, and gaps, were filled >> with modeling clay. Then, I coated the foam with epoxy for stiffness. >> After that was cured, I covered it with duct tape and made sure the >> duct tape was extended a few inches outside of the fairing area so no >> epoxy would get on the skin. E! >> poxy doesn't stick to duct tape, but some mold release on the tape >> helps with de-molding. Mold release can be paste wax, or even spray >> on cooking oil, or Pledge furniture wax. >> >> Cut the glass or carbon fiber cloth to shape leaving plenty of excess >> on the edges. I put a coat of resin on the form using a small roller >> or brush. Lay the cloth over the form and work the cloth into the >> epoxy on the surface. Use more epoxy if you have to for wet through, >> but not too much. If you use a brush, cut off about 1/3rd of the >> length of the bristles so they are stiffer. Push the cloth into the >> epoxy with short vertical jabs called "stippling". There shouldn't be >> so much resin that it puddles, and the weave should show. I used >> three three layers of 6 oz/sq yd carbon fiber twill cloth. Glass >> cloth is less expensive, but heavier and not as stiff. It's likely >> you can't make the layup in one piece as it gets quite unwieldy. >> Overlap the separate pieces by about 1 1/2". Leave the layup on the >> mold until the epoxy has fully cured. This might be a couple of days. >> De-mold by starting on an edge by working a putty knife under and >> edge and getting it lifted. At first it will a! >> ppear to come off with difficulty, but after some has broken loose, >> it's likely the part will fall off. Making a part from a male mold as >> I've described will leave a somewhat uneven and rough surface. >> Depending how you want to finish the fairing will determine how it's >> made smooth. If painting, use a lightweight filler made from epoxy >> and microballoons (glass beads). You could use lightweight polyester >> body filler too. Then sand and paint. I made mine from carbon fiber >> cloth and intend to leave it natural. I painted on another coat of >> epoxy to fill the weave and sanded most of that off. Another coat of >> epoxy and more sanding using finer grit. I'll finish with urethane >> automotive paint clear coats for UV protection with sanding between >> coats. >> >> Polyester resin could be used instead of epoxy. Epoxy doesn't shrink >> like polyester does, and epoxy is a much better adhesive than >> polyester. I used epoxy that is good to over well over 200 deg F >> since the top fairings will be out in the sun. I used epoxy system >> 2000 from Fiberglast. http://www.fibreglast.com/ They have hardeners >> in 20 min, 60 min, and 120 min setting time. Epoxy resins are >> available from other sources that will work too. >> >> -------- >> Louis W. Ott >> >> 601XL beginner Quick Build >> >> >> >> >> Read this topic online here: >> >> http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=312343#312343 >> >> >> >> >> Attachments: >> >> http://forums.matronics.com//files/right_wing_fairing_layup2_166.jpg >> http://forums.matronics.com//files/right_wing_fairing_layup1_149.jpg >> http://forums.matronics.com//files/right_wing_fillet_21_176.jpg >> http://forums.matronics.com//files/rightwingtopfairing3_187.jpg >> http://forums.matronics.com//files/rightwingtopfairing2_275.jpg >> http://forums.matronics.com//files/rightwingfairingform2_185.jpg >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > -- Mark Hubelbank NorthEast Monitoring 2 Clock Tower Place Suite 555 Maynard, MA, 01754 - USA mhubel@nemon.com 978-443-3955 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message zenith601-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Zenith601-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/zenith601-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/zenith601-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.