Replacing wing root rib ply is a fairly straightforward job on the
K8. Good luck! Lovely little gliders...

At 10:08 03 February 2019, John Foster wrote:
On Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 6:55:07 PM UTC-7,

=
wrote:
On Friday, February 1, 2019 at 7:29:38 PM UTC-6, John Foster
wrote:
I was given a junked K8b due to water damage to the wood
at the wing
ro=
ot and multiple tears in the original fabric and chipped/peeling
paint.
Ho=
wever, it looks like it may be restorable (worth it, that's another
story).=
Anyway, I'm interested to know if there is an online repair
manual that
l=
ays out the specific techniques of repairing or replacing wood in
the
wings=
, and specifications on what type of wood to be used, etc. I
looked
around=
and found the list of ADs, but nothing that laid out what I am
looking
for=
.. I've contacted Schleicher as well, but they simply directed me
to a
link=
on their website, that didn't really give the information I
needed. This
=
is a certified glider, and I'd like to keep it that way, as I'm hoping
to
u=
se it as a club glider.
=20
I was one of the two co-editors of the translation of Hans
Jacobs book
We=
rkstattpraxis - Workshop Practice. All the information you need
can be
fou=
nd in this book, and more importantly, the information is
appropriate for
t=
he construction utilized to build the K8b. A few copies of the
book are
st=
ill available thru the VSA website, Cumulus Soaring in the USA,
and Eqip
Pu=
blisher in Germany.
=20
Some repairs made using AC-43.13 or many other methods
should be
avoided,=
particularly spar repairs, since they add stress concentration.
The
metho=
ds in Workshop Practice are the best for wood airplanes of all
types. The
=
book also has several pages of addendum that I wrote to
address items that
=
have become available after the last edition of the book in
German.
=20
You should consider joining the Vintage Sailplane Association
(VSA in
USA=
) and/or the Vintage Glider Club (VGC worldwide, but HQ in UK).
Check out
=
their Facebook pages as well (Vintage & Classic Sailplanes or
Vintage
Glide=
r Club). There are many postings every day and it is an
excellent way to
g=
et questions answered. Thru these organizations, you should be
able to
fin=
d someone near you that can help you assess the condition of
the glider
and=
make appropriate decisions on how to more forward. You may
also find
impo=
rtant parts and lessons for others who have done the work
before.
=20
If you are in the USA, you could contact me directly thru
email, my
addre=
ss is on the VSA website. I am also the Drawing Archivist for the
VSA,
and=
we can help you with drawings.
=20
Best of luck with what I believe to be a worthwhile endeavor.
..... Neal

Thanks for all the replies. I'm definitely going to have to get a
copy of
J=
acob's book. I have a friend in town who is an A&P/IA, and has
had a fair
=
bit of experience doing repairs on wooden aircraft before. He
has taken a
=
brief look at this glider and feels "it has good bones". The spar
seems
go=
od to him, although there are a few glue joints on the ribs that
need to
be=
"redone". The wing root rib seems to have delaminated on the
left wing,
w=
hich I'm thinking will need some attention, but otherwise it
appears that
i=
t will mostly be a recovering job. Once I get the fabric off the
bottom
of=
the left wing, I'll have him take a closer look at it and let me
know
what=
he thinks.