User Manual
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Installing Easy Hinges
Sig's famous EASY HINGES have been included in your kit to hinge all the control surfaces. Each ultra-thin hinge is
actually a three-part laminate, a tough plastic inner core sandwiched by an absorbant wicking material on each side. They
are specially designed to be installed with thin C/A glue. The hinges have been chemically treated to slow down the set
time of the glue to allow it to soak all the way to the ends of the hinge and into the wood surrounding it, for a super strong
bond. Once the glue has dried, the hinge cannot be pulled from the structure without tearing wood out with it! We
recommend that all surfaces be completely covered before installing the EASY HINGES.
84.
Use a #11 X-Acto blade (or similar) to cut slots in the stabilizer trailing edge and
elevator leading edge to accept the EASY HINGES. Make the slots
approximately 1/2" in depth and slightly wider than the hinges. Refer to the full-
size plan for the exact hinge locations.
85.
After all of the slots have been cut, insert EASY HINGES halfway into the
stabilizer slots. DO NOT GLUE THE HINGES YET! Next, carefully slide the
elevator onto the hinges. You'll find it easiest to slide the elevators onto the
hinges at an angle, one at a time, instead of trying to push it straight onto all the
hinges at once. Don't be concerned if the hinges aren't perfectly straight or
centered in the slots - they don't have a center line.
86.
To set the hinge gap, deflect the elevator to the maximum amount needed. For best control response, the gap should be
as small as possible but big enough to allow full movement of the control surface.
87.
Place three or four drops of thin C/A
directly onto the hinges in the gap. The
glue will wick into the slot as it
penetrates both the wood and the
hinge. Continue this process, gluing the
same side of all the EASY HINGES.
Then turn the stabilizer over and repeat
the gluing process on the other side of
each hinge.
88.
After the glue has cured (3 to 5 minutes) the joint should be flexed to full deflection in each direction a couple of dozen
times to reduce the stiffness. Don't worry about shortening the life of the hinges, as they are almost indestructible.
89.
The ailerons are hinged exactly like the tail surfaces, except that the torque rods must be glued in at the same time the
hinges are put in the slots. Start by cutting the slots in the wing and the ailerons (three per aileron) and slide the EASY
HINGES halfway into the ailerons only. DO NOT GLUE THE HINGES YET!
90.
Next slide a small piece of wax paper between the torque rods and the wing. Working with only one wing at a time, apply
Kwik-
Set epoxy glue to the slot and hole in the aileron leading edge, and then slide the aileron onto the torque rod, working
the EASY HINGES into the wing slots at the same time. Try not to get any epoxy on the brass tubing! Before the glue sets,
be sure to deflect the aileron back and forth to set the proper hinge gap.
Once the epoxy has dried, remove the wax paper and apply thin C/A to the EASY HINGES, in the same manner as you did
earlier for the elevator.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
Bolt the wing in place and then position the stabilizer on the stab support at the back of the fuselage. Carefully align the
stab with the wing. Refer to the alignment drawing and carefully align the stab with the wing. When satisfied with the
alignment, draw cut lines on the bottom of the stabilizer at the fuselage sides. Cut away the covering on the bottom of the
stab where it will be glued to the fuselage (there must be wood to wood contact in the glue joints). Use a sharp modeling
knife or a single
-
edged razor blade and don't cut too deep into the wood.