Source for flaperon bushings? Or stock material suggestions?

[cowlove 33]

I just tried turning down the 7/8" bushings to the required 13/16", with fairly unsatisfactory results. 

 

I think I'll give the milk jug idea a try while I search for 1213-12 bushings.   Anyone have any more stories or hints about the soldering iron finish when making these? 

 

Jim

[EDMO 1078]

How about a heat gun?  But you shouldn't have to roll the edges if you put a rivet on each side like Kitfox Service Bulletin shows....Maybe your fiberglass flaperons are different?

I think that today we have many more sources of polyethylene than Dean had back in the 80's - Lots of Poly-E plastic bottles and jugs around now - my gas cans are made of that plastic - I think?

EDMO

Edited 22 May 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[Geoffrey Thorpe 31]

Information on re-forming HDPE in this video https://youtu.be/W_XUJwINdLw He cuts it into bits and forms into new sheet which you may not neet if couple laysers of jug are thick enough. He has other videos on machining the stuff.

[EDMO 1078]

Is the "s" supposed to be at the end of http?  I cant open the site.

EDMO

[KFfan 151]

Ed,

Try this   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_XUJwINdLw

[EDMO 1078]

Very interesting lot of videos - saved to my favorites to watch later.

EDMO

[KFfan 151]

Very interesting lot of videos - saved to my favorites to watch later.

EDMO

 

Just glancing, looked to me like everything from soup to nutz...

[cowlove 33]

I got better at turning down the 7/8" OD bushings, using a rasp and sandpaper rather than a turning tool.   I liked these results better than the milk jug, and am going to go with that.  

 

I never did find a 1213-xx bearing.  Igus GFM-2021-20 is a metric near-equivalent.  I couldn't find one stocked at any reseller, but Igus will sell direct, albeit with a hefty handling/shipping fee.  I had some coming, but cancelled my order when I decided the turned-down ones were acceptable. 

[Avid Bob 2]

What about using oil lite bronze bushings

[EDMO 1078]

  The softest metal gets the wear - do you want your aluminum flaperon spar tube to wear away?

I think the Polyethylene is the best bet, and probably lubes better than oilite and may be cheaper?

As Dean said, "This is real expensive stuff" - Like cutting up milk bottles, mustard dispensers, white medicine bottles, plastic coffee canisters, whatever you throw in the trash that has a 2 inside the small recycle triangle, and doesn't crack - I guess!

EDMO

But, I am almost positive that you can buy them somewhere...I found some UHMW bushings in Grainger catalog,

but a softer Polyethylene could be used, like HDPE which is standard grade...I don't see why nylon or even Teflon PTFE couldn't be used too, and may be there.   "This aint rocket science!"

I was looking for some with 1" ID, and some with 1.5" ID.

Edited 10 Jun 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[akflyer 1427]

well I found myself looking a the road in front of my cabin and decided that the wind was just right to try and uphill landing on a 150' section of relatively straight road next to the cabin.  I set up for it and committed to this one way no go around landing.  All was good till I was down to about 20 mph and trying to steer around a slight turn in the road when the tail wheel chain broke and I ended up putting one tire in the ditch before I got the darn thing straight again with the brakes.  I never hard anything or felt anything so I taxied back to the cabin and shut down, got he fire going at the cabin etc.  The next morning I went out to drink my coffee and see what I need to do to fix the tail chains.  I was a bit shocked to see the end flaperon hanger on the left wing broken off and gone.  I thought maybe the slight raking on the bushed turning into the drive had done it so I looked all through the bushes.. Nothing.  I thought about it a little more and figured I must have dragged the wing tip slightly when the tire went in the ditch.  I jumped on the wheeler and ran down the road the yes, I had scraped the tip and there in the sand laid my flaperon hanger.  I get back to the cabin and start looking for some sort of bushing material. Turn out the end of a gas can nozzle is the perfect ID to go on the flaperon spar but the OD was too large to go inside the hanger.  The only thing I had at the cabin was a wet stone for sharpening knives so I drank a beer or two as I when to work sanding the OD down till I got a perfect fit. 

 

I had my kid swing by my house and grab a piece of the rib cap plywood I had laying at the house and a few clamps.  I used gorilla glue to glue it back together and sandwiched it with the cap strips.  I then drilled a few holes and used some bamboo sishkabob sticks as pins just for extra security.  I will bring it home and sand it down when I get back home and blend it in a little better but the hanger is now stronger than new   and I got to fly it out of there.  I will be doing a bit more work at the cabin to push in my own airstrip instead of landing on that road

 

So all this being said to say to Ed that the best material to use is what ever you find at hand when you need it!  I thought about the milk jug and planed to use it then I saw the gas can nozzle and went that route!

 

[C5Engineer 1170]

Broken tw chain is the best one you could come up with? How about a caribou or bear ran out in front of you lol

 

In Idaho when you hit the ditch it's always a deer.

[EDMO 1078]

I am wondering if, instead of two .060 thick hanger straps, each welded on one side, if a single .120 thick strap welded on both sides could be substituted instead? Since I have to make my own, that would be half as many straps to make.

I don't see where there would be any sideways or twisting stress normally.

EdMO

Edited 23 Sep 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[akflyer 1427]

Broken tw chain is the best one you could come up with? How about a caribou or bear ran out in front of you lol

 

In Idaho when you hit the ditch it's always a deer.

 

well in this case its the truth   I have dodged a bear on the runway before but that did not result in damage to the airplane.  I guess I should have made up the story when I was still under the influence of the captain that weekend

 

[akflyer 1427]

I am wondering if, instead of two .060 thick hanger straps, each welded on one side, if a single .120 thick strap welded on both sides could be substituted instead? Since I have to make my own, that would be half as many straps to make.

I don't see where there would be any sideways or twisting stress normally.

EdMO

 

I kind of like the idea of the strap on each side of the hanger, not just one side. 

 

[EDMO 1078]

My rib ends are super strong, compared to plain wood ones - Got 1/16 aluminum plate on each side of wood, and shorter than stock ends.

I think about all the hanger does is vertical and airstream support for the flaperons. I could use a double-strap hanger, but it doubles my work in making them and setting up a welding fixture. My flap spar tubes are 1 1/2" diameter, and hanger tubes are 2" diameter - lots of room to weld.

EdMO

Edited 23 Sep 2015 by Ed In Missouri