![]() |
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
My Decathlon is in annual right now, and needs some repairs to the original
dope-on-Ceconite finish. Our new A&P doesn't have much experience with fabric work, so he sought advice from others. I'm feeling uneasy about the answers he got. A couple of questions for those with paint and fabric experience: 1. Wag Aero sent us Poly-tak cement and poly-fiber tape to make the patches, and poly-fiber products to paint over it. Why would they do that? Will this work? I understood that mixing systems was bad, and voided the STC. 2. The belly fabric is soaked through from an old oil leak. I mean really soaked through. The dope is sloughing off the bottom, and 2 inspection rings have fallen off. I feel we should recover the fuselage, but my partner wouldn't go for it. We're going to try cleaning the belly out by washing the inside with mineral spirits, stripping the outside with MEK, and then repainting with poly-fiber. Does this have a chance in hell of working? 3. Assuming this doesn't work, our next step is to try reskinning the belly only. Looking at the fuselage, it looks like it was covered using the envelope method. Just a guess, but it doesn't look like it's fastened to the lower longerons with anything but fabric tension. When we cut the back half of the belly skin off, what is to stop the fabric on the sides of the aircraft from pulling up towards the top? Any advice on how to make this repair work? 4. While stripping a few areas with MEK, I ran across some small areas of paint repairs that were obviously not done with dope. The paint coat was shiny and thin. Instead of dissolving in the MEK, these paint areas disintegrated into little bits of crumbling film. Excuse the gross analogy, but the paint behaved not unlike the way your skin peels after a bad sunburn. What kind of paint could this be? Is it enamel or urethane? Thanks, Ed |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Homebuilt Aircraft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Ron Wanttaja | Home Built | 2 | February 2nd 04 11:41 PM |
Homebuilt Aircraft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Ron Wanttaja | Home Built | 1 | January 2nd 04 09:02 PM |
Homebuilt Aircraft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Ron Wanttaja | Home Built | 0 | October 2nd 03 03:07 AM |
Homebuilt Aircraft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Ron Wanttaja | Home Built | 4 | August 7th 03 05:12 AM |
Homebuilt Aircraft Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ) | Ron Wanttaja | Home Built | 0 | July 4th 03 04:50 PM |