Elevator tips

finished measuring and drilling elevator tips. Included baffles for led on the right elevator as well. I originally planned to install led plates, but I think melting the led is easier because my plates are to thin by themselves, and to thick when mounted in double.

The skin and stiffeners are ready for deburring and priming as well, so lots of deburring and priming next.

Left elevator

Placed and drilled the brackets in place for the hinge rods on the left elevator. Fluted the tip ribs.

Primed left elevator skeleton

Tungsten bucking bars

Got my tungsten (Wolfram) bucking bar today directly from China. Less than half the price compared with the USA. These bucking bars are made of 95% W, 3% Fe and 2% Ni. They have a density of approximately 18 g/cc (steel/iron has about 7.8, lead about 13 g/cc).

I ordered them at chinatungsten.com in China.

Raw seawater pump corroded

Have to fix the boat as well before the summer starts. The raw seawater pump had a strange sound to it last summer. Took it home today, opened it, and found two bearings totally corroded. The pump housing is made of brass, while the shaft and roller bearings are made of steel. It has been running for 30 something years, and the brass looks as good as new after a slight polish. The shaft is SS and also looks almost new, but the bearings are gone. There is also some gasket things on the shaft that are worn, and probably the main reason for the corrosion.

New pump is ordered.

Trimmed the HS

Trimmed the tips and the trailing edge of the HS to correct dimensions.

HS finished

So, there it is, the new HS. Have to trim the tips to correct span and probably adjust the overhang slightly. The "thread check" on the hinge brackets now shows a straight line, so the elevator will work this time.

I actually have 6 (six!) ruined HS skins in storage now :-) The two first where wrong due to HS-406 ribs is not made by Van's according to the plans, I found that out the hard way, and Van's sent me new skins free of charge. The next two were bent wrong by Van's, I found that out the easy way by measuring them, and again Van's sent me new ones free of charge. But due to the jig bending, the hinge brackets were out of line. The last two I purchased along with new ribs and spars. They were bent correct within my measuring accuracy.

Someone at EAA said something like "It is never skill or workmanship that finishes an airplane, it is the will to do so". He was absolutely correct. I know that at this time both my skills and workmanship are more than good enough to finish this airplane, but all the problems with the HS has degraded my will to finish it for long periods of time. I have to remember this - always, and keep on building.