New Videos on YouTube.

Friends,

I've been hard at work this weekend (when I wasn't working on the firewall) editing videos together for my YouTube Channel. I just released these videos, which include some tech tips, and two of several segments of my Horizontal Stabilizer build:

Horizontal Stabilizer Build - Part 1:

Horizontal Stabilizer Build - Part 2:

Tech Tip: Rivet Fan Setup:

More videos on the way...

Cheers!

A ton of progress on the firewall!

Friends,

This weekend has been a whirlwind of building and video editing! I spent a full day assembling the firewall and I now only have a few finishing touches to put on it. I'm waiting for some additional materials that are on back-order before I can finish it. But it went from a pile of parts to a real firewall assembly. I also spent a full day editing my videos for the horizontal stabilizer build, along with some other videos. Anyway here are some pictures of my progress on the firewall:

Back side of firewall (toward the cabin) showing supports:

Front of firewall showing stiffeners, reinforcing plates and central gear channel:

Side view of Central Gear Channel & Gussets. The bronze Cleco in the circle denotes pilot hole for 5/8" rod that holds the nose gear bungee:

Full view of the front of the assembled firewall. Still need to make cover slides for the nose gear steering rod slots toward the bottom, and attach 2 short stiffeners to the upper channel:

 

Top of Firewall upper stiffener showing through hole for nose gear fork. A Nyloil bearing block (material on back-order) gets bolted in underneath the hole and is matched to the through hole:

Once I get this deburred and primed, I'll be able to fully rivet this structure together and set it aside until I'm ready to attach to the front of the cabin. I'm still a long way off from that, but it's exciting to see all the substructures coming together.

Next up, I'll be working to finish the elevator and mount it to the horizontal stabilizer. After that, I'll be skinning the flaperons and starting the wing spar webs. Exciting stuff. Making parts was awesome, but seeing them come together in the shape of an airplane is incredible.

Cheers!

Working on the firewall.

Friends,

For whatever reason, I've decided to shift gears briefly and work on the firewall.  Maybe I just need a break from the tail...I don't know. Anyway, I've ordered a quart of brush-on Zinc Chromate, which I can use in my garage during winter, so I can make progress on whatever I want, irrespective of the weather. Previously, I'd been spraying with Zinc Chromate from a rattle can, but you have to do that outside on a wind-free day, or in a paint booth. In my neighborhood, there's always a lot of wind, and I can't build a temporary paint booth unless I save all the priming to the very end...not gonna happen. I was wasting a lot of primer due to the wind, and that stuff is expensive. The quart jar of primer was $95!

Anyway, I only have a few parts to make in .063" to finish all the aluminum parts for the firewall. I still have to make the landing gear upper bearing out of Nyloil (waiting for my material to arrive), and some small cover pieces in galvanized steel. The center firewall doubler was a relatively difficult piece to make. Since I have hinges at either end of my brake, I couldn't bend it using the brake because I'd need the flanges to hang off the end. So, I used a piece of 1/4" round-over oak board clamped in the vise and hammered it into shape with my dead blow. Here are the results:

Center Firewall Doubler Blank, Part #75F9-5. This took 1.5 hours to make. Looks like a simple part, but making it in a home shop takes a lot of filing and care:

Using an oak round-over board plus the dead-blow in the vise to hammer form this part. I was really worried about cracking the material in the radii:

 

Formed Center Firewall Doubler. The larger flaps at the top should illustrate why this can't be bent in a brake that doesn't allow for overhang on the end:

Most of the firewall parts laid out, the Center Firewall Doubler is nested/slotted into the firewall channel toward the bottom.

 

Well, that's it for now...still cutting together video for the stabilizer and elevator build. The firewall is a relatively simple structure, so I'm not certain what sort of video tips/tricks I'll have for that, but I'll figure that out once I get into assembly. I still have a couple parts to finish up for it anyway.

Cheers, and good luck with your projects!

Horizontal Stabilizer nearly done!

Friends,

It's been slow going this summer, but I have some great visual progress to report. Although I learned a ton when working on the rudder (which I plan to completely rebuild), each phase of this project has lots to teach. I made some errors, had to compensate or remake parts or just take a different approach to assembly in some areas. Nevertheless, I have a nearly finished Horizontal Stabilizer. The top skin is riveted, but the bottom side is not since you need access inside when you mount the elevator to it. So the next step is to skin the elevator skin and then mount the trim tab, wiring and motor, and mount it to the stabilizer. Here are a few pics of the stabilizer assembly. And thank goodness for the new Husky air compressor...what a joy to use!

Horizontal Stabilizer Skeleton riveted:

Mounting brackets & center hinge riveted, plus 2 AN3 bolts at top & bottom:

Horizontal Stabilizer Skin treated with Zinc Chromate Primer:

 

Top surface of Horizontal Stabilizer Skin final riveted:

 

I'm working on the assembly video, but there is a lot of footage to edit, plus I still want to squeeze in my AirVenture video...so lots of editing to do! In the meantime, I've started assembly of the firewall and I'll be finishing up the elevator.

More to come!