D's approach HAS TO BE BETTER than doing it by the book.
Sorry to tell you this Rick, but if you think the layup you just did was
"difficult" you have no idea what lies ahead. Were Mother Theresa to
attempt these layups, even she would probably be tempted to utter a few
words she had never spoken before.
Best regards,
Rob Housman
Irvine, CA
Europa XS Tri-Gear
A070
Airframe complete
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of D Wysong
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 1:11 PM
Subject: Europa-List: Re: Reenforcement of baggage bays
> I just did one ply and it was the most difficult lay up so far. There
are no
> measuremnts given and the cloth folds onto its self while I tried to do
the lay
> up.
>
> It seems the there should be a better way of doing this lay-up. Has
somebody
> come up with a good method? I looked at all the pictures, but they only
show
> the finished product.
Hello Rick,
A trick I use on hard-to-reach spots (LongEZ /canard builder) is to
make "poor man's prepreg" with the BID. It might work well for you.
First, make a pattern for the layup using a piece of drop cloth
plastic. I use 2 mil plastic for my patterns but have seen folks use
4 mil. You can cram the plastic sheet into nooks/crannies and then
mark any creases with a Sharpie. Trim the excess with a pair of
scissors and you end up with a "paperdoll" pattern for your BID cloth.
Next, rough cut the BID cloth about 2" oversize relative to your
"paperdoll" pattern. Also, cut two more pieces of drop cloth plastic
a tad bit bigger than the BID.
Write "OUT" with your Sharpie marker one one of the big plastic sheets
and trace the "paperdoll" onto it. Place this piece face-down (i.e. -
with the "OUT" facing out) and lay your first BID ply on top at a 45
relative to the pattern. Wet out the first BID ply thoroughly and
follow it with the second BID ply. Once your plies are wet, put the
other sheet of plastic onto the top of the pile, making a sandwich of
wet BID between two sheets of drop cloth.
Use a squeegee (or Bondo spreader, thick postcard, tongue depressor,
rolling pin, etc.) to gently chase any air or excess epoxy to the
edges. Don't pull too much resin out but do your best to get rid of
any air bubbles. Using a hair dryer to gently warm the resin will get
it to flow better in cool weather.
Once you finish chasing air bubbles out, turn the whole sandwich over
so you can see your "OUT" plus the "paperdoll" pattern outline. Trim
the BID sandwich along the pattern lines with scissors, turn the
sandwich over again ("OUT" side down), and peel the top sheet of
plastic off of the sandwich.
Transfer the whole stack (BID, BID, "OUT" plastic) into the tunnel and
position/stipple/squeegee the layup in place. The plastic will help
keep the BID from folding back onto itself AND will keep you from
getting covered in epoxy. Once the BID is where you want it, peel the
"OUT" plastic off and stipple any stubborn spots. Add peel ply to the
edges if you want.
Good luck!
D
|