Dan,
It should be easy to reshape the trailing edges with just the heat from
a hair drier. The epoxy will soften before it gets too hot for your
fingers, so there is no danger of melting the foam. If you use a real
heat gun, you risk overheating the layup. The only problem is that the
"glass transition temperature" of the epoxy rises after you have heated
it to the point of softening, so you would have to get it even hotter to
soften it the next time. Try to get it the way you want it without a
lot of repetitions.
While I've adjusted many thin fiberglass sections using this technique,
I would not even consider it for twisting an aileron. Perhaps that
could be done over several hours in the hot sun, or in a post-cure oven,
but I've never tried it myself.
Dave DeFord, A135
djgeldermann wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> This is an add-on to the recent questions about applying filler to the
> control surfaces. I would like to hear opinions on whether the filler
> should be applied before or after oven curing?
>
>
>
> I have also heard that it is relatively easy to straighten trailing
> edges with heat and clamped straight edges, and that it's possible to
> put in, or take out, some minor twist in the ailerons under heat. Is
> this best done during the oven curing or with a heat gun localized on
> one area (I'm nervous about melting the blue foam under the bid).
>
> Thanks for any input.
>
> Dan Geldermann
>
> A-139
>
>
>
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