Shaping wing tip skids

[Steve Freeman]

I have a pair of wing tip skids from Wings and Wheels. They are the
white ones, described on the website as "Gray/white soft rubber-like
material skids". I need to shape them to fit the curvature of the
wing. I have considered using the cylindrical end of my belt sander
but am concerned with loading up the belt very quickly and rendering
it useless. Six inch wide belts are not cheap. Has anyone tried to
shape these to fit the wing?

[[email protected]]

On Sep 29, 11:20*am, Steve Freeman > wrote:
> I have a pair of wing tip skids from Wings and Wheels. They are the
> white ones, described on the website as "Gray/white soft rubber-like
> material skids". I need to shape them to fit the curvature of the
> wing. I have considered using the cylindrical end of my belt sander
> but am concerned with loading up the belt very quickly and rendering
> it useless. Six inch wide belts are not cheap. Has anyone tried to
> shape these to fit the wing?

The silicone rubber molded skids I think you are referring to will not
clog your bely based upon my experience.
UH

[Mike the Strike]

On Sep 29, 9:13*am, wrote:
> On Sep 29, 11:20*am, Steve Freeman > wrote:
>
> > I have a pair of wing tip skids from Wings and Wheels. They are the
> > white ones, described on the website as "Gray/white soft rubber-like
> > material skids". I need to shape them to fit the curvature of the
> > wing. I have considered using the cylindrical end of my belt sander
> > but am concerned with loading up the belt very quickly and rendering
> > it useless. Six inch wide belts are not cheap. Has anyone tried to
> > shape these to fit the wing?
>
> The silicone rubber molded skids I think you are referring to will not
> clog your bely based upon my experience.
> UH

They also won't stick to your wing.

Mike

[[email protected]]

On Sep 29, 1:45*pm, Mike the Strike > wrote:
> On Sep 29, 9:13*am, wrote:
>
> > On Sep 29, 11:20*am, Steve Freeman > wrote:
>
> > > I have a pair of wing tip skids from Wings and Wheels. They are the
> > > white ones, described on the website as "Gray/white soft rubber-like
> > > material skids". I need to shape them to fit the curvature of the
> > > wing. I have considered using the cylindrical end of my belt sander
> > > but am concerned with loading up the belt very quickly and rendering
> > > it useless. Six inch wide belts are not cheap. Has anyone tried to
> > > shape these to fit the wing?
>
> > The silicone rubber molded skids I think you are referring to will not
> > clog your bely based upon my experience.
> > UH
>
> They also won't stick to your wing.
>
> Mike

They do if you use silicone sealant as adhesive. I Hate that stuff!
UH

[Fred[_5_]]

Why shape them? Put a thin layer of Bondo on the base of each skid
and have the Bondo conform to the wing shape by pressing it against
the wing exactly where you will ultimately put the skid. Make sure
you put a couple layers of Saran wrap or polyethelene on the wing
first, so the Bondo and skid will lift off after it is hard (a few
minutes. Sand the Bondo to conform to the outside shape of the skid
and paint the whole thing white, then remove the Saran wrap and bond
the skid to the wing as you were planning to: contact cement, double-
sided tape, whatever. Remember, though, that a strong bond will
result in the skid peeling off gelcoat if the skid hits hard -- you
might be better off making the bond with cement that is weaker rather
than more aggressive, so the cement gives up before the gel coat.

Fred

[Mike the Strike]

On Sep 29, 8:34*pm, Fred > wrote:
> Why shape them? *Put a thin layer of Bondo on the base of each skid
> and have the Bondo conform to the wing shape by pressing it against
> the wing exactly where you will ultimately put the skid. *Make sure
> you put a couple layers of Saran wrap or polyethelene on the wing
> first, so the Bondo and skid will lift off after it is hard (a few
> minutes. *Sand the Bondo to conform to the outside shape of the skid
> and paint the whole thing white, then remove the Saran wrap and bond
> the skid to the wing as you were planning to: contact cement, double-
> sided tape, whatever. *Remember, though, that a strong bond will
> result in the skid peeling off gelcoat if the skid hits hard -- you
> might be better off making the bond with cement that is weaker rather
> than more aggressive, so the cement gives up before the gel coat.
>
> Fred

The silicone wing skids are really nice but, trust me, the only thing
they stick to is runways. First, Fidel at Applebay then I tried five
different adhesives and none worked. They are made of no-stickum!

I ended up shaping some thin plywood to my wing then screwing the
skids to the plywood. The 3M heavy duty double-sided tape works great
for sticking the plywood to the wing. This was a nice solution for
the Discus 2 since I needed a bit more skid clearance for our rocky
runways.

I'd be very surprised if Bondo would stick, but hey, try it and report
back!

Mike

[Darryl Ramm]

On 9/29/11 9:12 PM, Mike the Strike wrote:
> On Sep 29, 8:34 pm, > wrote:
>> Why shape them? Put a thin layer of Bondo on the base of each skid
>> and have the Bondo conform to the wing shape by pressing it against
>> the wing exactly where you will ultimately put the skid. Make sure
>> you put a couple layers of Saran wrap or polyethelene on the wing
>> first, so the Bondo and skid will lift off after it is hard (a few
>> minutes. Sand the Bondo to conform to the outside shape of the skid
>> and paint the whole thing white, then remove the Saran wrap and bond
>> the skid to the wing as you were planning to: contact cement, double-
>> sided tape, whatever. Remember, though, that a strong bond will
>> result in the skid peeling off gelcoat if the skid hits hard -- you
>> might be better off making the bond with cement that is weaker rather
>> than more aggressive, so the cement gives up before the gel coat.
>>
>> Fred
>
> The silicone wing skids are really nice but, trust me, the only thing
> they stick to is runways. First, Fidel at Applebay then I tried five
> different adhesives and none worked. They are made of no-stickum!
>
> I ended up shaping some thin plywood to my wing then screwing the
> skids to the plywood. The 3M heavy duty double-sided tape works great
> for sticking the plywood to the wing. This was a nice solution for
> the Discus 2 since I needed a bit more skid clearance for our rocky
> runways.
>
> I'd be very surprised if Bondo would stick, but hey, try it and report
> back!
>
> Mike

And if they don't work out as wing tip wheels the soft consistency may
mean they works great as a belt sander cleaner stick. :-)

Darryl

[Paul Remde]

Hi,

I sell non-silicone wingtip skip options here:
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/mz.htm

The 2nd option shown may or may not be silicone. But there are clear
directions on the page for installing them.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

"Mike the Strike" > wrote in message
...
On Sep 29, 8:34 pm, Fred > wrote:
> Why shape them? Put a thin layer of Bondo on the base of each skid
> and have the Bondo conform to the wing shape by pressing it against
> the wing exactly where you will ultimately put the skid. Make sure
> you put a couple layers of Saran wrap or polyethelene on the wing
> first, so the Bondo and skid will lift off after it is hard (a few
> minutes. Sand the Bondo to conform to the outside shape of the skid
> and paint the whole thing white, then remove the Saran wrap and bond
> the skid to the wing as you were planning to: contact cement, double-
> sided tape, whatever. Remember, though, that a strong bond will
> result in the skid peeling off gelcoat if the skid hits hard -- you
> might be better off making the bond with cement that is weaker rather
> than more aggressive, so the cement gives up before the gel coat.
>
> Fred

The silicone wing skids are really nice but, trust me, the only thing
they stick to is runways. First, Fidel at Applebay then I tried five
different adhesives and none worked. They are made of no-stickum!

I ended up shaping some thin plywood to my wing then screwing the
skids to the plywood. The 3M heavy duty double-sided tape works great
for sticking the plywood to the wing. This was a nice solution for
the Discus 2 since I needed a bit more skid clearance for our rocky
runways.

I'd be very surprised if Bondo would stick, but hey, try it and report
back!

Mike

[JJ Sinclair[_2_]]

I stopped using tip skids and went to wing tip wheels years ago. Neat
little nylon wheels mounted in a Delan housing, About the size of
Libelle tip wheels with a fared-in housing. The Delan housing can be
shaped to the wing contour by tapping a sheet of 40 grit to the wing
then sanding the housing to the shape of the airfoil by moving the
wheel housing span-wise until a perfect match is obtained. Google
Williams Soaring for photo, price $150. A wing tip wheel makes it much
easier to move the ship without any help or ground handling equipment
as is necessary for an aero-retrieve.
Cheers,
JJ.

[Wayne Paul]

http://www.williamssoaring.com/catalog/tires.html

"JJ Sinclair" wrote in message
...


I stopped using tip skids and went to wing tip wheels years ago. Neat
little nylon wheels mounted in a Delan housing, About the size of
Libelle tip wheels with a fared-in housing. The Delan housing can be
shaped to the wing contour by tapping a sheet of 40 grit to the wing
then sanding the housing to the shape of the airfoil by moving the
wheel housing span-wise until a perfect match is obtained. Google
Williams Soaring for photo, price $150. A wing tip wheel makes it much
easier to move the ship without any help or ground handling equipment
as is necessary for an aero-retrieve.
Cheers,
JJ.

[Greg Arnold[_2_]]

Excellent product. Have had them on my plane (Discus) for a few years.

For those concerned that hot shot racing pilots don't use tip wheels, I
noticed that the 2nd place finisher in the 18m class in the last World's
(Uys Jonker) was flying with tip wheels (the Jonker version) on his JS1-B.



On 9/30/2011 6:29 AM, Wayne Paul wrote:
> http://www.williamssoaring.com/catalog/tires.html
>
> "JJ Sinclair" wrote in message
> ...
>
>
> I stopped using tip skids and went to wing tip wheels years ago. Neat
> little nylon wheels mounted in a Delan housing, About the size of
> Libelle tip wheels with a fared-in housing. The Delan housing can be
> shaped to the wing contour by tapping a sheet of 40 grit to the wing
> then sanding the housing to the shape of the airfoil by moving the
> wheel housing span-wise until a perfect match is obtained. Google
> Williams Soaring for photo, price $150. A wing tip wheel makes it much
> easier to move the ship without any help or ground handling equipment
> as is necessary for an aero-retrieve.
> Cheers,
> JJ.

[Wheaton]

On Sep 29, 9:20*am, Steve Freeman > wrote:
> I have a pair of wing tip skids from Wings and Wheels. They are the
> white ones, described on the website as "Gray/white soft rubber-like
> material skids". I need to shape them to fit the curvature of the
> wing. I have considered using the cylindrical end of my belt sander
> but am concerned with loading up the belt very quickly and rendering
> it useless. Six inch wide belts are not cheap. Has anyone tried to
> shape these to fit the wing?

I have spent countless hours using a variety of glue, etc, and two
sided tape solutions. Can't say I have been successful. One sticks
and the other with the same solution doesn't. Wrote the supplier and
after a brief exchange didn't t get a response back. My suggestion is
to send them back and look for something different. Grinding and
shaping is the least of you worries. and.. don't throw away your old
tips. You will become very adept at reinstalling them.

84

[Mike the Strike]

On Oct 1, 1:40*pm, Wheaton > wrote:
> On Sep 29, 9:20*am, Steve Freeman > wrote:
>
> > I have a pair of wing tip skids from Wings and Wheels. They are the
> > white ones, described on the website as "Gray/white soft rubber-like
> > material skids". I need to shape them to fit the curvature of the
> > wing. I have considered using the cylindrical end of my belt sander
> > but am concerned with loading up the belt very quickly and rendering
> > it useless. Six inch wide belts are not cheap. Has anyone tried to
> > shape these to fit the wing?
>
> I have spent countless hours using a variety of glue, etc, and two
> sided tape solutions. *Can't say I have been successful. *One sticks
> and the other with the same solution doesn't. *Wrote the supplier and
> after a brief exchange didn't t get a response back. *My suggestion is
> to send them back and look for something different. *Grinding and
> shaping is the least of you worries. *and.. don't throw away your old
> tips. *You will become very adept at reinstalling them.
>
> 84

You should also read my earlier post. We tried at least five
different glues/tapes before giving up. These white wing skids are
seriously ungluable!

I ended up screwing the skids to a shaped thin plywood base which I
then stuck to the wing with the usual 3M double-sided heavy duty
tape. Plywood is easier to shape to the wing too.

Mike

[JJ Sinclair[_2_]]

On Oct 2, 9:01*pm, Mike the Strike > wrote:
> On Oct 1, 1:40*pm, Wheaton > wrote:
> *I ended up screwing the skids to a shaped thin plywood base which I
> then stuck to the wing with the usual 3M double-sided heavy duty
> tape. *Plywood is easier to shape to the wing too.

Have you guys tried Shoe Goo? I use it in modeling to hold wiring and
nose weights. etc. Sticks like crazy...........I just removed a lead
weight and it tore the structure out, stretching like rubber. Get it
in your local hardware store.
Cheers,
JJ

[Mike[_37_]]

On Oct 3, 7:00*am, JJ Sinclair > wrote:
> On Oct 2, 9:01*pm, Mike the Strike > wrote:
>
> > On Oct 1, 1:40*pm, Wheaton > wrote:
> > *I ended up screwing the skids to a shaped thin plywood base which I
> > then stuck to the wing with the usual 3M double-sided heavy duty
> > tape. *Plywood is easier to shape to the wing too.
>
> Have you guys tried Shoe Goo? I use it in modeling to hold wiring and
> nose weights. etc. Sticks like crazy...........I just removed a lead
> weight and it tore the structure out, stretching like rubber. Get it
> in your local hardware store.
> Cheers,
> JJ

Yes, great stuff and pretty much the same as Goop. Used it to attach a
set of Williams Soaring wing tip wheels on an RS-15 which was still
holding strong after three years when I sold the sailplane. Those
wing tip wheels are great.