Top Flite TOPA0215 - Manual (Page 8)

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4. Locate the 2" x 9" [50 x 230mm] hinge material
and cut sixteen hinges as shown in the above sketch.
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5. Mark a centerline down the LE of the elevator.
Repeat this for the trailing edge of the stab. Using the
plan as your guide, mark the location for each of the
hinges on the stab and elevator, then cut matching slots
in the stab and elevator. The Great Planes Slot
Machine
™ (GPMR4010) works very well and makes the
job of cutting hinge slots fast and easy! If you do not
have a Slot Machine use the Expert Tip that follows.
USING CA HINGES
The hinge material supplied in this kit consists of a
3 layer lamination of Mylar and polyester. It is
specially made for the purpose of hinging model
airplane control surfaces. Properly installed, this
type of hinge provides the best combination of
strength, durability and ease of installation. We trust
even our best show models to these hinges, but it
is essential to install them correctly. Please follow
the instructions carefully to obtain the best results.
These instructions may be used to effectively install
any of the various brands of CA hinges.
The most common mistake made by modelers
when permanently installing this type of hinge is
not applying a sufficient amount of glue to fully
secure the hinge over its entire surface area; or,
the hinge slots are very tight, restricting the flow
of CA to the back of the hinges. This results in
hinges that are only “tack glued” approximately
1/8” to 1/4” into the hinge slots. The following
technique has been developed to help insure
thorough and secure gluing.
A. Cut the hinge slot using a #11 blade in a
standard #1 knife handle. The CA hinges provided
have a thickness that fits this type of slot very well.
Trial fit the hinge into the slot. If the hinge does
not slide in easily, work the knife back and forth in
the slot a few times to provide more clearance (it
is really the back edge of the blade that does the
work here in widening the slot).
B. Drill a 3/32” [2.4mm] hole, 1/2” [13mm] deep,
in the center of the hinge slot. If you use a Dremel
Moto-Tool
® for this task, it will result in a cleaner
hole than if you use a slower speed power or
hand drill. Drilling the hole will twist some of the
wood fibers into the slot, making it difficult to
insert the hinge, so you should reinsert the knife
blade, working it back and forth a few times to
clean out the slot.
C. Trial fit the hinges into the slots and, without
using any glue, temporarily attach the control
surface, to verify the fit.
STOP! DO NOT GLUE THE HINGES IN PLACE
UNTIL AFTER THE MODEL IS COVERED!
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6. Sand the elevator to its final shape, matching
the contours you sanded on the stab and sanding the
leading edge to a “V” shape as shown on the plan.
You will notice on the plan that there is a dashed line
on the elevator trailing edge forming a scalloped
shape. This pattern is provided for you if you decide
that you would like to have a scalloped TE. We did
this on the model shown on the box cover. Use the
plan as your guide for cutting the scalloped edge
should you decide to do this option.