Heat Gun Trumps Epoxy

Dave

Hi Dave, I just assembled for the first time a plane I’m just finishing up and discovered I somehow ended up with the tail assembly sitting with one side lower than the opposite side by 3/4″ from side to side on an 18″ wide tail. At 3/8″ each side it didn’t even show until I pit the wings on and could see the difference. That said, it’s cocked so, is there any kind of epoxy solvent (softener) I might be able to use so I can remove the tail and square it up ?

I can’t access it either front of back to saw it apart. I don’t know how something like this could even happen with a SIG kit plane EP-20 Four Star when it’s all laser cut. I blocked both sides up even (I thought) with blocks each side until the epoxy set hard when I placed the tail on the fuselage.

Best always,
Ted

Ted's Sig 4 Star 20 EP Before

Ted, I’m not aware of a chemical for that. Get your heat gun out and warm it up stearnly. Perhaps you can get it to soften enough to pull apart. Then when it cools and hardends, you can machine it off.

To get it off a flat surface, take a T sanding bar and cover all but center 1/3 with masking tape, Now you can slide it back and forth on the surface and only the glue above the surface will be cut off.

I usually will glue a stab on like this by proping it up with two block exactly the same height, then I square the fuse to the bench. Us your flat bench as the jig in this way. (I did not know it was covered when I sent my suggestions)

Ted's Completed Sig 4 Star 20EP

Hi Dave, Thank you so much for suggesting use of the heat gun. That worked and I was able to just raise the low side without removing the whole tail assembly, then let the epoxy cool and the tail is even both side perfectly now.. I had to replace some Monokote in the area that melted but you can’t tell now unless one looks for seams on the covering.

Lucky I melted the covering as I found I had broken one of the tails internal wood cross members and was able to replace it. I must have done that trying to raise the tail in my earlier efforts.

Thanks so much. I attached a shot of it on my work bench so you can see where I build my toys 🙂 .

Best to you always,
Ted

Share