Ever since the question of Mod 46 reared its ugly head I have been
trying to come up with a simpler solution.
One of my early ideas was to support the fuselage on its side, remove
the tube supporting end brackets and then to pour a Redux/ flox mix into
the end caps, thereby filling them. Each side of the tube would have to
be done separately, allowing time for the adhesive to set. Clearly it
would be impractical to do this on airframes with engines but those in
mid-production could qualify for this treatment.
I originally discarded this idea as not an engineering solution and also
because it would not be possible to guarantee a permanent bond between
the Redux and the metal. However, having discussed the reasons for the
failures and the stresses involved with my mate Ron Swinden, it seems
likely that this idea might work.
Filling the end caps with a solid material would prevent the flexing
which causes the steel caps to crack. Since the solid Redux block is
retained by the rivets which secure the cups to the tube there is no
need to worry about adhesion. In theory there is a difference between
the expansion of the steel and the Redux but as Redux is somewhat
elastic (its full of rubber and glass balls !) this should not become a
problem.
If this could work it would certainly eliminate a lot of hassle and sore
hands !
I would welcome some constructive comments on this idea.
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