John_L_Seagull

John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Sandblast, wire brush, or soda blast ???? 21 Sep 2012

I've used Soda blasting quite a bit over the years

Soda blasting can be done dry or wet
It is the best "None abrasive" way of blasting anything,
to remove paint, corrosion, biological contaminants, oil, grease, carbon, and many other coatings

Soda Blasting uses compressed air to propel the media onto the area to be cleaned.
When the media comes in contact with the contaminant on the substrate,
the sodium bicarbonate particles explode.
The resulting release of energy disrupts the contaminate surface leaving the substrate completely unaffected

Other processes,
such as sand blasting,
damage the underlying surfaces.
They tend to cause â€œoil-canningâ€ which is a destructive warping or bending of the metal substrates
it also cause heat/friction which warps metal and steel

Soda blasting usually includes having to use vinegar and water to clean up the extra soda bicarbonate up
it chemically reacts with the soda

Then the part or parts need to be heated up,to evaporate the water so no rust will form on the cleaned up parts

I've soda blasted steel and aluminum,rubber,grease etc.
it will clean up grease,make old rubber moldings look new
It will free up seized rusted parts,bushings etc.

If used accordingly it is an impressive medium for blasting

Used in Corvette shops for blasting
it can blast of each layer of paint and or primer....one layer at a time

It is used to remove spray paint graffiti
it can remove spray paint from Vinyl siding on a house without damaging the vinyl siding

IMHO
It is the least destructive way of blasting anything,
and is very versatile in that it can blast steel,aluminum,glass,rubber and grease

It is however,very expensive to use
My last project used about 100 dollars and hour worth of Soda
and I spent almost 5 thousand dollars on just the soda itself

May sound expensive,
but on a car worth almost a hundred grand when finished... it is a small price to pay
and saves so much work compared to using sand or any other way of cleaning parts for paint
even sandblasting causes major work getting things ready for paint after blasting

My last project was a 1961 Thunderbird ,retractable rag-top
The ragtop assembly was totally seized with rust(numerous bushings etc.)
soda blasting freed up the parts like brand new(the top now folds and opens perfectly and is ready for paint)

The front end was dropped out and soda blasted,grease and all
the front end components were perfectly clean and paint and "Grease" free
ready for primer and paint,other than replacing a few parts of coarse on the front end

The whole frame and body was separated,61 TBird is uni-body
frame and body was soda blasted

I've blasted with all kinds of sand,glass beads,crushed walnut shells(excellent on aluminum)
and soda blasting can replace all medium mentioned above

Other than it's cost for the actual Soda to blast with
it is by far the best blasting material out there

Soda blasting is definitely worth looking into

I plan on re-skinning an Avid Mark IV this coming winter,
and I will be soda blasting the entire frame and wings for paint before reskinning

It will get into ever nook and cranny there is,
and the vinegar will clean it out from ever nook and cranny
once the vinegar does not chemically react with the soda no longer it is ready to wash thoroughly and dry with heat
Then it's basically ready for etching and primer

I'm speaking from over 30 years of restoring experience, using ever blasting medium known
but of coarse... this is all just IMHO

ps:
Thought it might be worth mentioning...
Dry Ice blasting is suppose to be even better than Soda blasting
But I have no experience using dry ice to blast with so never mentioned it

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Looking for some landing gear part numbers 2 Jul 2012

I really do not care "if I am a part of whatever crowd you deem to be the in crowd"

I also do not need to hear that only two people in the world are the only ones who can figure out geometry configurations ,that was a rude remark that does not need interpretation

I never said anything about your "leverage method : whether right or wrong

I never said anything about you or your leverage at all

so why you posted what you did is beyond me

I guess I'll just go back to reading
and won't bother trying to participate in anything on this forum
if this is the way people react

Edit:
BTW

I was the only one who actual posted what the topic of his thread asked for
I was on topic...

but since you had to quote me,
like I was spreading crap about you,your leverage system and your friends
this has gotten way off topic

I quote my first post in this thread

You can dissect any post since
I spread no interruption of anything

You can dissect my posts
nowhere did I mention you,or your leverage system

About the only thing,not on Matco's installation manual
would be the 1/8 line to 1/4 line

If a guy can not even express an opinion on this forum
without being attacked over it

Being told only two people can figure something out
and that"They are not in that crowd"

well,I guess maybe this forum is not for me

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Looking for some landing gear part numbers 2 Jul 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_brake

When first disc's were drilled
they in fact were drilled to dissipate heat

but check out the motorcycle industry these days

The drilled rotors do dissipate heat,
but are really more there for improved braking in wet condition now a days
or with drilled and slotted rotors although they could be drilled or slotted or both
the slots being for water,and drilled holes for water and heat

Floating rotors:
They have drilled disc rotors for bikes
that "bolt" onto a Billet Aluminum hub... then the hub bolts to the wheel

Now the rotor heats up,but heat dissipates extremely quick through the Billet aluminum hub
as everyone knows... aluminum dissipates heat quicker than steel

They actually do not hard bolt the rotors to the billet hub
They have special inserts,between the rotor and the hub and the bolts go through the inserts
which bolts the hub to the rotor without actually connecting it directly to the hub

so yes drilled rotors were invented to dissipate heat,
but just turned out also to be beneficial in wet conditions

In the motorcycle industry
drilled rotors are mainly for wet riding conditions
and if serious high performance braking is required

then floating rotors are what is used
especially on Big Inch engines where braking could be extreme

I know ,I know
I said I was going to leave the discussion lol

just wanted to reply to Ed

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Looking for some landing gear part numbers 2 Jul 2012

Actually I realize that, as I read it above posted

If geometry is right,calipers/rotors and brake lining pads are in good shape
sure 1/8 inch line is suffice

1/4 inch line though,does in fact increase the pressure,
and I have this information from a very good source also

The key is,geometry in the tow brake assemble and master cylinder
Matco would agree totally with what I am saying

Not sure how a statement like that should be interpenetrated.
is that an insult ?

Is there honestly only two rocket scientists on Earth...
one named George and the other a man who talked to George... that could ever be able to do this ?

Come on, lol
I think someone should maybe get a Saw and cut out there doors to there house...
so they can get there swelled head through the door

Ya,I know
I read the entire thread awhile ago

Looks like I touched a nerve
Anyway I do not need to prove anything
so I will let you all carry on your conversation without me

Cheers

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Looking for some landing gear part numbers 1 Jul 2012

Drilled disc rotors,are in fact drilled for rain
so the brake linings do not hydroplane over the rotors which would cause total loss of braking

Floating rotor's, are specifically made to dissipate heat

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Looking for some landing gear part numbers 1 Jul 2012

get rid of the 1/8 " line
exchange it for 1/4" line
it works much much better for pressure and that alone will increase the pressure

most Matco brake issues are do to the master cylinder not getting correct 2.5 to 1 ratio when depressing toe brakes
or actuating the brake assemble of the master/toe brake combo

Tow brakes have a complicated geometry,
and if not done right can seriously hamper the efficiency of the brakeing

If you were to take the line off the caliper
and hook a pressure gauge up in that spot you could gauge the amount of pressure when applying the brake
from there you could adjust the master cylinder toe brake set up to give more pressure

There is probably very few out there who can produce above 450 psi pressure
which is the minimum that is needed for the brakes to work optimum

At least as far as the Matco installation pamphlet I got from Matco states
450 psi is just enough pressure and is at the bottom of the scale of what is acceptable pressure
no lower than 450 psi and up to 600 psi
over 600 psi and you actually get caliper/brake pad problems such as,
caliper deflections that will reduce the torque increase

Also,making sure both brake lining pads move in and out correctly and freely/smoothly
if the one pad that rides(compared to the pad that the piston moves as it is a one piston caliper)
if the ride pad gets sticky,then right there your braking is decreased by 50%

the calipers(and pads/linings) need to be able to float,if there sticky and gunge up they loose efficiency

these few problems when addressed, can make a dramatic difference in your braking

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Idaho Backcountry 2012 trip report 30 Jun 2012

wonderful country to fly over,and really nice airstrips

excellent photo's, thanks ever so much for sharing them

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Looking for some landing gear part numbers 30 Jun 2012

Timken Bearing # LM 11900LA

Timken Bearing Race # LM 11910 + USA

Brake Linings 5/6" Brake #M66-106

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Size of trailer to move a Kitfox? 30 Jun 2012

couple things I failed to mention

I use something to brace the rudder from moving back and forth
as it will rub on the folded flaperons when swinging back and forth in the wind

I use two pieces of lathe,covered in soft cloth that I made
one on each side of rudder,then zip strapped together on each end and in the middle
to prevent the rudder from moving

I also have a small wooden dowl I made,with two holes drilled in it on each end
I use it in the cockpit to brace the ends of the flaperons when folded
The wooden dowel fits right into the slots where the flaperon control rods connect
I use some quick locking pins to secure it

This helps in making the flaperons ,so they do not wiggle back and forth/rock back and forth(side to side)

At the back of the plane,I use a very small light weight bungee chord to tie together the ends of the flaperons
This also helps them from twisting around back and forth and rubbing against the rudder
It also helps,with tightening up the wings when folded
otherwise they rattle a bit from being loose

These are just a couple of other things I do, when trailering my plane

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Full Lotus Floats - company sold 29 Jun 2012

Yes,I was at full lotus floats a couple of weeks ago
bought a couple spare bladders and they told me they had sold the company
I lived less than an hour away from where there company was

They would not tell me who they sold to
as it was part of there contract in selling the company
not to leak at that time the new company that purchased Full lotus floats for whatever reason

Really nice to see the new company up and running finally

Cheers

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Insurance 26 Jun 2012

My insurance from Marsh Canada,is $400 a year Canadian
No hull coverage,just liability
3 million for passengers and third party liability
(in case I have to do forced approach onto top of car on highway,or on top of someones house)

Plane/floats/ski's/and trailer are only worth 10 to 15 grand
so I feel it's replaceable easy enough without having to have hull coverage

Insurance is one of the biggest rip-off's there is IMHO
House/fire/auto/plane/medical....
largest expense today for some is all the insurance premiums they have to pay

I only insure,what I feel I can not afford to replace on my own

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Avid bungees 26 Jun 2012

I just changed my Shock Chords last weekend
on my Avid MKIV HH early 600 serial numbered, 582 injected/inverted rotax

There 90" in length with the loops already made and 3/8" in diameter for my Bird
I make mine from scratch length ordered from Aircraft Spruce
order more length than needed so you can make the loops

it's cheap to buy, shock chord

I use Aviation wire and a clamptight tool to tie my loops together
makes the loops very slim loops, and easy to feed through

There are various ways to make loops and crimp them
I prefer using wire,it works and is easy to do and is cheap

7 wraps on the bottom,and 6 wraps on the top

My used wore out Shock Chords are roughly /usually 94" in length by the time I change them
there rock yard and stretch easy compared to the new Chords

I get my wife under the plane,
I start on the backside going down around and then up get her to feed it up and through each time

I pull it up with all my might and stretch it over towards the back and pinch the shock chord down on the tube of steel it wraps,
with my other hand and then I feed it down and through again

wife then feeds it back up and through for me, and I wrap another wrap

She is just a little thing at 5' 2" and 110 lbs soaking wet
I'm pretty big though and I can stretch them chords pretty good by hand and can hold them
may not be for everybody

kitfoxes,
have that special slot there where they wrap through
you can use a hammer handle to pinch the chords to hold them while wrapping
still take another person,but can be done do to the different design than the Avid
There is a Vid on youtube of a couple guys doing it that way

There is no need to buy these tools to do shock chords that are advertised for sale IMHO
It can be done by hand without too much trouble

Cheers

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Guy about to be hit with a baseball.. 25 Jun 2012

Hilarious shot of the catcher

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John_L_Seagull added a post in a topic Size of trailer to move a Kitfox? 25 Jun 2012

Be sure to lift and block up the tail of the plane,
you should try and get the plane level if possible.

So as to not have an angle of attack happening while towing
the more level the better although this is also for swinging the wings out when going flying
The more level the planes fusealge is when floding the wings out,the easier it is
Where if the plane is down on it's tailwheel the wings are somewhat hard to swing up into position to lock

Not really sure if it truly makes that much differance just towing them,
I have towed them level and even on the tailwheel in three point postion lol
and they seem to tow the same either way
have to admit though,the more level the wings are folded you would think the easier they would two through the air at 50 60 mph

Don't tow "on the tail-wheel" though, it could break your tail-wheel flat springs(or the bolt)
from it bouncing up and down on the tail-spring while traveling.(Especially on rough roads)

I think I know the ferry crossing and road your going to be on,
I've been up to and around High level AB/Yellowknife NWT many times

There are the tow bar pin holes that can be used to brace the tail,they work very good with some home kind of rigging
home made sawhorse with bracket for pins works good and not too hard to build or come up with jury rigging it
Square wooden boxes screwed together and screwed to the trailer deck etc.
Imagination rules when tieing down a load

Tie the prop somehow,to prevent it from turning in the wind
I have a homemade leather rope I use,with a loop on one end that just slides over one blade of the prop
tie it to front of trailer and the prop will start to spin,get tight and stay there in that position for rest of trip
The leather strap/rope is thin and does not mare the prop blade at all
If overnight somewhere,take the strap off to prevent moisture from trapping under the strap
especially important with wood props

use tape and rags to fill holes and gaps to keep road grime out
I don't like tarping,as the tarps tend to whip in the wind and can cause severe damage

I use quality ratchet straps for tieing down ,
don't use the cheap pull tight straps

Mine are trucker grade,large 4 inch wide belting with ratchets and square folded metal ends(rather than the claw style)
they work good for hooking up onto trailer angle iron,channel iron supports etc.

I use one at the front to belt down the front wheels,
and one at the rear to belt down the tail.

I tow my plane all the time,with wheels or with my 1450 Lotus floats on it
I keep it at home and tow it every time a fly,I tow it to the local boat launch and away I go
or sometimes to other locations where fuel is an issue flying there and back
gives me more flying time there, towing it there and then going flying
there multitudes of different grass and gravel strips around where I live

Watch out for big trucks throwing rocks at you,they can puncture the skin/damage it
chip a prop blade,bust your windscreen etc.

I've towed up to 100 km/hr with no problems,although I tend to stick around 80/90 km/hr usually

You can these planes frontwards or backwards for towing,
I load mine frontwards as I use a 20' car hauler for towing my plane
so I have a lot of wheelbase room for the wheels

Most planes being towed backwards are on modified boat trailers
and there is not enough room between the trailer wheels to get the planes wheels width through
so they have brackets welded at the back of trailer for the planes tires to fit on
more for short haulers those trailers IMO

I know someone,just bought and towed a Kitfox home from California to Okanagan B.C. Canada
on a 18' flat-deck car hauler and although extremely dirty when he got here the plane made out ok with no issues

These planes tow nice,
be sure to get it on straight and square
maybe a bit to passenger side if anything...
to keep it from hanging over drivers side of trailer
allowing more room to pass on coming traffic
There under 8' 6'' wide folded so they fit the trailer nice width wise

With wheels on,and on my 20' trailer
and an 18' would be the same

I still have a lot of room to put my floats on the trailer under the plane and lash whatever else onto the trailer I would need

Google Kitfox trailering,wing folding etc. with web and image/video search engines
it will bring a lot of images and video's up of people towing there favorite planes
giving you an idea of all the different ways there is to block up your Baby to tow her home

Cheers and good luck

Edit,
thought you had an 18' trailer
no problem your 16' trailer will do the job!

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