View Full Version : Archer Cowl needs work - Advice?
Bob Chilcoat
February 16th 05, 10:52 AM
We have a '74 PA-28-180 - the first year this model was called an "Archer".
The cowl is not in the greatest shape, partly because of its age, and partly
because one of the partners a few years ago landed on a runway that was
about 18" too short and slid gently into the chain link fence at the end
:-( Engine has had all the AD required inspections, etc, but the cowl did
get a few bruises. We're into our annual as of yesterday and we have two
problems that need to be dealt with ASAP.
The first is that there is a slot in the back of the bottom cowl were it
slides over the nosewheel strut. To keep the two halves of this slot from
flapping around aafter it's installed, a (roughly 12- 15" long) aluminum
"bridge" is screwed across the gap after the cowl is put in place, held in
place by four screws and large trim washers that go through the fiberglass
of the cowl and into the aluminum bridge. Two of these screws, at the outer
ends of the bridge, are fine. The two nearest the slot, however, have been
pulled away from the fiberglass, and now have nothing to go through. The
corners of the fiberglass that they used to go through are simply gone.
Someone at some point riveted a strip of aluminum to the back edge of the
fiberglass, and the screws now go through this, but the aluminum strips are
bent and the cowl no longer fits flush. We really need to remove the cludgy
aluminum strips and redo the fiberglass so that the cowl fits better.
Of course one problem is that this area is very oily from years of Lycoming
Leakage (LL). My first question is, what is the best solvent to remove the
oil so that a repair has a chance of adhering? I plan on cleaning
everything and then thinning the glass a bit roughly 1.5 inches back from
the edge, and then feathering and building up the area with glass cloth and
epoxy to remake the back edge of the cowl (I've done a lot of boat building
and repair, so this isn't rocket science to me, although I've always worked
with polyester resins before). Next questions are, what is the best
fiberglass for this? mat or cloth? S-glass, E-glass or something else?
What epoxy is the best for repairs? Is there a kit available somewhere with
everything (glass and epoxy) I need? If I want these quickly, what source
should I use? I've seen complaints about Aircraft Spruce. Would Wicks be
better for fast turnaround? Someone else?
The other problem with the cowl is that there has been some delamination
near the top of the low cowl where the propeller shaft opening is formed.
This area has a lot of curvature, and there is a foam or balsa wood
reinforcement bow epoxied into this area behind the curved opening. The
cowl molding has pulled away slightly from this reinforcement bow. Not very
much, but the A&P thinks that this should be closed up before the
delamination propogates further. This is a more difficult problem, because
there is very little clearance to get anything into the gap, there doesn't
seem to be an edge to overlay a patch onto, and of course I have no idea how
much oil has drifted in there that would prevent adhesion.
My current plan here is to wash it out with some solvent to get most of any
oil film out of there, and then inject a thin epoxy as deeply as possible
into the crack with a syringe. Questions here are mostly about what solvent
won't dissolve the reinforcing bow if it's a foam and not balsa wood, and
where can I get a really thin, watery epoxy. Also, does anyone have any
other ideas about fixing this area?
Of course, we'd like to get this all done before the annual is done, so that
the plane doesn't have to sit outside without a cowl. The last question is,
is there someplace someone can recommend that we could have this done? I
really don't have the time to do this, but will make the time in order to
get it done right if necessary. I've thought of calling bodyshops that
specialize in Corvettes, and boatyards, but they don't usually deal with
weight issues. I can just see a quarter inch of heavy polyester and glass
roving added to the inside of the cowl. I'd rather not have to log a major
CG change.
Anyway, any and all suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. I
woke up early this morning thinking about this. Maybe I can go back to
sleep now. Thanks, guys.
--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
Denny
February 16th 05, 12:17 PM
Bob, simply injecting resin into a delamination void has zero chance of
holding up... Ditto for riveting aluminum strips to the lower cowl...
You need to use a good grease cutter on the oil soaked areas (simple
green, 409, etc.), followed by several scrubbings with liquid dish
detergent and water, followed by spraying MEK on until it runs off
(don't use bare hands for this stuff as it absorbs instantly through
the skin and goes straight to the liver)
Then you need to grind away the surface of any delamination (from
either the inside or the outside depending on which side is the thinner
part of the delamination) until you have removed the bad stuff and have
a good layer left... The edges of the ground out pocket need to be
tapered/scarfed to at least an 8:1 slope... Then you need to build up
the removed material with unidirectional fiberglass and epoxy resin...
Check the archives at rec.aviation.homebuilding for pointers on this
(the Cozy MK-4 group is a good source of information)... Also, boat
builder chat groups and personal web pages will have pictures of the
proper way to layer the glass in, etc.. Lacking that, ask around for
the local EAA chapter and someone there will speak fiberglass
fluently...
Also, the bottom lip needs to be ground back to solid material... The
edge needs to be scarfed at an 8:1 slope... Then using .032 aluminum
make a form to clamp to the cowl for shaping the new lip... Put a piece
of saran wrap on the aluminum as a release layer... Then lay up new
glass layers...
Your surmise about non airplane fiberglass mechanics is likely correct,
they may just slobber it on nice and thick... If you can find one that
is building his own plane, that would be perfect... Other than that,
shop around for a homebuilder, bound to be one near you... Or give me a
jingle on the phone... None of this is hard once you have seen it
done...
Cheeers ... Denny
Stealth Pilot
February 16th 05, 03:47 PM
On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 05:52:03 -0500, "Bob Chilcoat"
> wrote:
>We have a '74 PA-28-180 - the first year this model was called an "Archer".
I have done a refurbish to all of the fibreglass on a PA28-140 which
is almost blemish free after 5 years.
The nosebowl on the cherokee is polyester resin so that was used in
the repair. I prefer to work with epoxy but find out what was used
originally on the cowl and use that or something compatible.
degrease the bowl thoroughly with something that wont destroy the
resin used. I used a cheap sprayon engine degreaser then hosed it off
with water. detergent was used after that then I think Acetone just as
a final cleaner. this didnt get all the grime out though it was dry
and oil free so I sanded the surface with a disk sander until I was
back to a layer of good glass. on the outer side of the bowl all the
bog was sanded off with the rotary sander back to fibreglass.
over the years the drumming from vibration had left the integrity
destroyed and the glass was a little spongey to the feel.
repair strategy was to use the existing glass work as the inner ply
then layup 2 or 3 glass layers on each side, making a sort of 3 ply.
it worked well and hasnt looked like deteriorating.
the resin quantity is the old "not white not wet" guidance to good
layups. I used a 1 inch wide chisel of wood to dapple the resin into
the weave and a square piece of plastic ice cream bucket as the
squeegee. keep the layups as light on the resin as possible consistent
with good layup.
to get a smooth outer layer I used a paste of resin and johnsons baby
powder (talc) and squeegee'd this on to fill the weave but not much
more than that. this was sanded back smooth and then it was painted.
bob chilcott's comments on splaying are valid when repairing a missing
section.
remember that you can sand back a layup and add some more and it will
be as good as a single complete layup. you can sand off something that
didnt look too good and try again.
when teasing around small corners having the weave at 45 degrees will
aid the process considerably.
If you have never done a layup then you should watch a video (Mike
arnold's tapes of the AR5 are good) or watch someone actually do a
layup. once seen it all becomes easy.
a critical thing is to get the resin mix proportions exact and dont
contaminate the mix with oils or water. get those right and it will
set off perfectly. dont use glass cloth that has been wet. wetting
glass cloth is a reason for condemning the piece and rubbish binning
it.
like anything aviation it isnt hard but needs to be done competently.
Stealth Pilot
Aaron Coolidge
February 16th 05, 05:37 PM
In rec.aviation.owning Bob Chilcoat > wrote:
: We have a '74 PA-28-180 - the first year this model was called an "Archer".
: The other problem with the cowl is that there has been some delamination
: near the top of the low cowl where the propeller shaft opening is formed.
: This area has a lot of curvature, and there is a foam or balsa wood
: reinforcement bow epoxied into this area behind the curved opening. The
I'm assuming that you're referring to the top cowling, and the curvature
between the cooling air inlets and the prop clearance hole. The shape that is
embedded into the back of the cowling is screwed in from the front! There are
three screw holes covered up on the front of the cowling: One in the center
top of the prop clearance cutout and one on each side, on the up and
down part of the cooling air inlets. This reinforcing shape was delaminating
on my airplane (1968 PA-28-180) and what I did was to chop up some glass
cloth into short pieces, soak them in resin, and pack the recess caused
by delamination. This was 4+ years ago, and the repair is still in fine
shape. Presumably some day it will need another repair, and I will probably
remove the reinforcing shape completely and re-attach it.
--
Aaron C.
February 16th 05, 05:45 PM
I like your idea of doing it yourself, as the time involved can add up
quicker than you realize. Anyone you pay to do it and who does it right
will probably have to charge several hundred dollars to do it. You can
do it I'm sure judging from what you have said. You sound like you have
a good approach planned out. I did a fairly extensive repair on my
Cardinal three years ago and the repair has held up so far. I had to
replace the attachment points around the spinner where the top and
bottom halves screw together. I would recommend you use Kevlar 49
instead of glass as it has better dampening properties than glass, and
tends to last longer and not be as noisy. You can get a yard of it from
Aircraft Spruce for under $20. Glass will be OK if you want to go that
way. I agree that you should use epoxy instead of polyester, as it is
much stronger. Spruce has a special one cheap that is specifically for
Kevlar. I used it and the results seem to be very strong. It is very
liquid and wets out the fabric well. I also agree with the others that
recommend you grind away the delamination and then re-lay fabric in.
Take your time, you'll be glad you did!
Regards,
Bruce Cunningham
N30464 C177A
Bob Chilcoat wrote:
> We have a '74 PA-28-180 - the first year this model was called an
"Archer".
> The cowl is not in the greatest shape, partly because of its age, and
partly
> because one of the partners a few years ago landed on a runway that
was
> about 18" too short and slid gently into the chain link fence at the
end
> :-( Engine has had all the AD required inspections, etc, but the
cowl did
> get a few bruises. We're into our annual as of yesterday and we have
two
> problems that need to be dealt with ASAP.
>
> The first is that there is a slot in the back of the bottom cowl were
it
> slides over the nosewheel strut. To keep the two halves of this slot
from
> flapping around aafter it's installed, a (roughly 12- 15" long)
aluminum
> "bridge" is screwed across the gap after the cowl is put in place,
held in
> place by four screws and large trim washers that go through the
fiberglass
> of the cowl and into the aluminum bridge. Two of these screws, at
the outer
> ends of the bridge, are fine. The two nearest the slot, however,
have been
> pulled away from the fiberglass, and now have nothing to go through.
The
> corners of the fiberglass that they used to go through are simply
gone.
> Someone at some point riveted a strip of aluminum to the back edge of
the
> fiberglass, and the screws now go through this, but the aluminum
strips are
> bent and the cowl no longer fits flush. We really need to remove the
cludgy
> aluminum strips and redo the fiberglass so that the cowl fits better.
>
> Of course one problem is that this area is very oily from years of
Lycoming
> Leakage (LL). My first question is, what is the best solvent to
remove the
> oil so that a repair has a chance of adhering? I plan on cleaning
> everything and then thinning the glass a bit roughly 1.5 inches back
from
> the edge, and then feathering and building up the area with glass
cloth and
> epoxy to remake the back edge of the cowl (I've done a lot of boat
building
> and repair, so this isn't rocket science to me, although I've always
worked
> with polyester resins before). Next questions are, what is the best
> fiberglass for this? mat or cloth? S-glass, E-glass or something
else?
> What epoxy is the best for repairs? Is there a kit available
somewhere with
> everything (glass and epoxy) I need? If I want these quickly, what
source
> should I use? I've seen complaints about Aircraft Spruce. Would
Wicks be
> better for fast turnaround? Someone else?
>
> The other problem with the cowl is that there has been some
delamination
> near the top of the low cowl where the propeller shaft opening is
formed.
> This area has a lot of curvature, and there is a foam or balsa wood
> reinforcement bow epoxied into this area behind the curved opening.
The
> cowl molding has pulled away slightly from this reinforcement bow.
Not very
> much, but the A&P thinks that this should be closed up before the
> delamination propogates further. This is a more difficult problem,
because
> there is very little clearance to get anything into the gap, there
doesn't
> seem to be an edge to overlay a patch onto, and of course I have no
idea how
> much oil has drifted in there that would prevent adhesion.
>
> My current plan here is to wash it out with some solvent to get most
of any
> oil film out of there, and then inject a thin epoxy as deeply as
possible
> into the crack with a syringe. Questions here are mostly about what
solvent
> won't dissolve the reinforcing bow if it's a foam and not balsa wood,
and
> where can I get a really thin, watery epoxy. Also, does anyone have
any
> other ideas about fixing this area?
>
> Of course, we'd like to get this all done before the annual is done,
so that
> the plane doesn't have to sit outside without a cowl. The last
question is,
> is there someplace someone can recommend that we could have this
done? I
> really don't have the time to do this, but will make the time in
order to
> get it done right if necessary. I've thought of calling bodyshops
that
> specialize in Corvettes, and boatyards, but they don't usually deal
with
> weight issues. I can just see a quarter inch of heavy polyester and
glass
> roving added to the inside of the cowl. I'd rather not have to log a
major
> CG change.
>
> Anyway, any and all suggestions and advice would be greatly
appreciated. I
> woke up early this morning thinking about this. Maybe I can go back
to
> sleep now. Thanks, guys.
>
> --
> Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
Blueskies
February 16th 05, 05:47 PM
"Bob Chilcoat" > wrote in message ...
> We have a '74 PA-28-180 - the first year this model was called an "Archer".
> The cowl is not in the greatest shape, partly because of its age, and partly
> because one of the partners a few years ago landed on a runway that was
><snip>
> Anyway, any and all suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. I
> woke up early this morning thinking about this. Maybe I can go back to
> sleep now. Thanks, guys.
>
> --
> Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
>
>
>
Some good stuff here:
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/99c827db9baac81b86256b4500596c4e/$FILE/Chapter%2003.pdf
Big file but worth it...
Blueskies
February 16th 05, 06:09 PM
"Blueskies" > wrote in message . com...
>
> "Bob Chilcoat" > wrote in message ...
>> We have a '74 PA-28-180 - the first year this model was called an "Archer".
>> The cowl is not in the greatest shape, partly because of its age, and partly
>> because one of the partners a few years ago landed on a runway that was
>><snip>
>> Anyway, any and all suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. I
>> woke up early this morning thinking about this. Maybe I can go back to
>> sleep now. Thanks, guys.
>>
>> --
>> Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
>>
>>
>>
>
> Some good stuff here:
>
> http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/99c827db9baac81b86256b4500596c4e/$FILE/Chapter%2003.pdf
>
> Big file but worth it...
>
>
>
Here it is shorter:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C33713E7A
James M. Knox
February 16th 05, 07:19 PM
Stealth Pilot > wrote in
:
> to get a smooth outer layer I used a paste of resin and johnsons baby
> powder (talc) and squeegee'd this on to fill the weave but not much
> more than that.
Run that one by me one more time? I haven't heard of this trick.
Corky Scott
February 17th 05, 01:16 PM
On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 13:19:39 -0600, "James M. Knox"
> wrote:
>Stealth Pilot > wrote in
:
>
>> to get a smooth outer layer I used a paste of resin and johnsons baby
>> powder (talc) and squeegee'd this on to fill the weave but not much
>> more than that.
>
>Run that one by me one more time? I haven't heard of this trick.
Most people use something like microballoons mixed with the resin to
create a sandable finish.
Corky Scott
Stealth Pilot
February 17th 05, 02:32 PM
On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 08:16:21 -0500, Corky Scott
> wrote:
>On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 13:19:39 -0600, "James M. Knox"
> wrote:
>
>>Stealth Pilot > wrote in
:
>>
>>> to get a smooth outer layer I used a paste of resin and johnsons baby
>>> powder (talc) and squeegee'd this on to fill the weave but not much
>>> more than that.
>>
>>Run that one by me one more time? I haven't heard of this trick.
>
>Most people use something like microballoons mixed with the resin to
>create a sandable finish.
>
>Corky Scott
>
thats it.
I just checked the ingredients to the baby powder.
talc, fragrance.
sometimes I just do it for the fragrance :-)
smells great while sanding it back.
Stealth Pilot
George Patterson
February 17th 05, 04:31 PM
Stealth Pilot wrote:
>
> I just checked the ingredients to the baby powder.
> talc, fragrance.
>
> sometimes I just do it for the fragrance :-)
> smells great while sanding it back.
Wear a dust mask. They took talc out of sheet rock compound because of health
concerns over people breathing the dust.
George Patterson
He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in
no other way.
Ron Natalie
February 17th 05, 04:45 PM
George Patterson wrote:
> Wear a dust mask. They took talc out of sheet rock compound because of health
> concerns over people breathing the dust.
>
They still put talc in drywall. What they are careful now about is making
sure it's not contaminated with asbestos (much mined talc contains it).
NIOSH recommends a mask anyhow. Just about any of the silicate's dust
is bad to breath in quantity.
George Patterson
February 17th 05, 05:32 PM
Gene Kearns wrote:
>
> I thought drywall was principally gypsum and quartz.....
Drywall is gypsum plaster between two layers of thick paper. The
taping/finishing compound is something else. Just read the label on the USG
stuff I use. Limestone, water, talc (Ron's right, as usual), mica, and vinyl
acetate polymer.
The reason I thought the talc had been removed is that in the mid-80s the cans
used to have a warning label that the compound contained talc. The label
disappeared in the 90s, so I thought the talc was gone too.
George Patterson
He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in
no other way.
Morgans
February 18th 05, 01:40 AM
"George Patterson" > wrote
>
> Drywall is gypsum plaster between two layers of thick paper. The
> taping/finishing compound is something else. Just read the label on the
USG
> stuff I use. Limestone, water, talc (Ron's right, as usual), mica, and
vinyl
> acetate polymer.
It is primarily gypsum, with very small percentages of the other stuff.
--
Jim in NC
George Patterson
February 18th 05, 03:47 PM
Morgans wrote:
>
> "George Patterson" > wrote
> >
> > Drywall is gypsum plaster between two layers of thick paper. The
> > taping/finishing compound is something else. Just read the label on the
> USG
> > stuff I use. Limestone, water, talc (Ron's right, as usual), mica, and
> vinyl
> > acetate polymer.
>
> It is primarily gypsum, with very small percentages of the other stuff.
Then it's interesting that gypsum does not appear in the ingredients list.
George Patterson
He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in
no other way.
Morgans
February 18th 05, 09:11 PM
"George Patterson" > wrote
>
> Then it's interesting that gypsum does not appear in the ingredients list.
>
> George Patterson
That *is*interesting, since I have been to a plant where the stuff is mined,
separated from the rock, and baked, mixed and formed into the sheetrock. I
have no explanation.
--
Jim in NC
UltraJohn
February 19th 05, 12:21 AM
Morgans wrote:
>
> "George Patterson" > wrote
>>
>> Then it's interesting that gypsum does not appear in the ingredients
>> list.
>>
>> George Patterson
>
> That *is*interesting, since I have been to a plant where the stuff is
> mined,
> separated from the rock, and baked, mixed and formed into the sheetrock.
> I have no explanation.
Isn't gypsum = to limestone, water and talc ?
John
George Patterson
February 19th 05, 01:58 AM
Morgans wrote:
>
> "George Patterson" > wrote
> >
> > Then it's interesting that gypsum does not appear in the ingredients list.
> >
> > George Patterson
>
> That *is*interesting, since I have been to a plant where the stuff is mined,
> separated from the rock, and baked, mixed and formed into the sheetrock. I
> have no explanation.
You *do* realize that we are talking about joint compound, not sheet rock?
George Patterson
He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in
no other way.
George Patterson
February 19th 05, 02:01 AM
UltraJohn wrote:
>
> Isn't gypsum = to limestone, water and talc ?
No. http://www.minerals.net/mineral/sulfates/gypsum/gypsum.htm
George Patterson
He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in
no other way.
George Patterson
February 19th 05, 02:07 AM
UltraJohn wrote:
>
> Isn't gypsum = to limestone, water and talc ?
No. http://www.minerals.net/mineral/sulfates/gypsum/gypsum.htm
George Patterson
He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in
no other way.
Morgans
February 19th 05, 06:24 AM
"George Patterson" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> UltraJohn wrote:
> >
> > Isn't gypsum = to limestone, water and talc ?
>
> No. http://www.minerals.net/mineral/sulfates/gypsum/gypsum.htm
>
> George Patterson
Right. It occurs in veins, only in a few places in the country, and has
clumps of gypsum imbedded in other garbage rock. They crush it, and in a
liquid solution that has a specific gravity of 2.5, (as I recall), the
gypsum floats right off the top of the solution.
--
Jim in NC
Morgans
February 19th 05, 06:26 AM
"George Patterson" > wrote >
> You *do* realize that we are talking about joint compound, not sheet rock?
>
> George Patterson
Uhh, no. *That* could be the explanation! Somewhere I missed that.
--
Jim in NC
Roger
February 25th 05, 03:40 AM
On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 01:58:48 GMT, George Patterson
> wrote:
>George Patterson
> He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in
> no other way.
So, you've met my cat?
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Bob Chilcoat
February 28th 05, 06:02 PM
Just to followup on this matter, I found a fiberglass "expert" at a boatyard
who offered to do the job for $250-300. One of my partners in the airplane
thought that was too high, and decided to do it himself. He'd taken a
composites course at Oshkosh a few years ago and was keen to try out his
skills. He did what appears to be a great job, and it's done. We'll see
how well it lasts. These were not structural problems, mostly cosmetic.
The A&P is happy with the results.
Since he's the partner who landed on the runway that was 18" too short and
put the spinner and prop into the chain link fence, (probably causing some
of the problems with the cowl) perhaps it's just karma returning. At any
rate, job done, very low cost, and looks very good.
--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
"Roger" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 01:58:48 GMT, George Patterson
> > wrote:
>
>
> >George Patterson
> > He who tries to carry a cat by the tail learns something he can
learn in
> > no other way.
> So, you've met my cat?
>
> Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
> (N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
> www.rogerhalstead.com
Roger
March 3rd 05, 04:24 AM
On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 13:02:45 -0500, "Bob Chilcoat"
> wrote:
>Just to followup on this matter, I found a fiberglass "expert" at a boatyard
>who offered to do the job for $250-300. One of my partners in the airplane
>thought that was too high, and decided to do it himself. He'd taken a
>composites course at Oshkosh a few years ago and was keen to try out his
>skills. He did what appears to be a great job, and it's done. We'll see
>how well it lasts. These were not structural problems, mostly cosmetic.
>The A&P is happy with the results.
>
>Since he's the partner who landed on the runway that was 18" too short and
>put the spinner and prop into the chain link fence, (probably causing some
>of the problems with the cowl) perhaps it's just karma returning. At any
>rate, job done, very low cost, and looks very good.
I hope he used the same or compatible resins.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Bob Chilcoat
March 3rd 05, 10:36 PM
So do I. He said he used a West epoxy that was recommended for boats.
Sounds like that should work for both epoxy and polyester resins. I guess
we'll see in a few months. Remember that none of this is structural -
purely cosmetic.
--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
"Roger" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 13:02:45 -0500, "Bob Chilcoat"
> > wrote:
>
> >Just to followup on this matter, I found a fiberglass "expert" at a
boatyard
> >who offered to do the job for $250-300. One of my partners in the
airplane
> >thought that was too high, and decided to do it himself. He'd taken a
> >composites course at Oshkosh a few years ago and was keen to try out his
> >skills. He did what appears to be a great job, and it's done. We'll see
> >how well it lasts. These were not structural problems, mostly cosmetic.
> >The A&P is happy with the results.
> >
> >Since he's the partner who landed on the runway that was 18" too short
and
> >put the spinner and prop into the chain link fence, (probably causing
some
> >of the problems with the cowl) perhaps it's just karma returning. At any
> >rate, job done, very low cost, and looks very good.
>
>
> I hope he used the same or compatible resins.
>
> Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
> (N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
> www.rogerhalstead.com
Roger
March 4th 05, 02:26 AM
On Thu, 3 Mar 2005 17:36:44 -0500, "Bob Chilcoat"
> wrote:
>So do I. He said he used a West epoxy that was recommended for boats.
>Sounds like that should work for both epoxy and polyester resins. I guess
>we'll see in a few months. Remember that none of this is structural -
>purely cosmetic.
I don't know anything about Polyester resins, but I don't think I'd
want to mix vinyl ester and epoxy without a lot of testing.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
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