May 21, 2023     Cowl Pin Covers - (2.0 hours)       Category: Fiberglass

Had some adjusting to do to get the depth of the pin covers closer to correct esp. the left since I managed to set the fiberglass layup deeper that I intended. But it looks a lot better now. Not perfect but better. Also trimmed the pin tabs to fit under the pin cover utilizing the cowl pin cover lower screw to hold the pin in place. Like it was going to fall out with the cover on. Overkill but it's secure. Building on.

  May 12, 2023     Cowl Pin Covers - (1.0 hour)       Category: Fiberglass

Carefully removed the tape and popped the left side plate out of the hole. IT WORKED. I was not sure if the epoxy/flox would have flowed around to the low spots but it appears to have done just that. Still needing to cure for another day before I cut the cowl halves apart. May not be necessary but it makes me feel better and epoxy shrinks while curing. Did get a minor bit of epoxy on the plate face, but it seems Acetone was still able to remove 99% of it. Whew! Build on.

  May 11, 2023     Cowl Pin Covers - (2 hours) Category: Fiberglass

Since the left cowl pin cover sat deeper than it should, I opted to fill with some epoxy/flox to get it closer to being flush with outside. Next I roughed up the previous layup with some 60 grit paper, blew out the dust and cleaned it with Acetone. Thought about using the templates but since they were cut in half, I had to use the polished aluminum plate as the template (😳). I taped the plate with packing tape and waxed the back and sides twice. Mixed up some relatively dry epoxy/flox mix and applied a wet coat of plain epoxy to give the epoxy/flox something to hang on to and applied the epoxy/flox mixture to the hole. Next, I pressed the plate into the epoxy/flox mix, carefully removing the excess that pushed out around the sides with Acetone. Trying not to get epoxy on the face of the plate. Was not sure how this was going to work out and waited over night to allow the epoxy/flox to setup and cure some before removing the plate. No pictures of the layup today.

  May 08, 2023     Cowl Pin Covers - (6.0 hours)       Category: Fiberglass

Spent most of the time here staring at and thinking about this which is a common issue during my build. Once I made the decision, I used the supplied cowl pin templates which I taped (packing tape) to each side and waxed the back side and edges twice to allow for “easy” release. Then I did a 5 layer of 8oz BID layup on each side and allowed about 48 hours to cure. The left side cowl pin template ended up a little deeper than I would like. Will look at that later. The right side looks about right. Next I drilled the screw holes then used a hacksaw to split the cowl halves. Not sure if you are supposed to cut thur the template or not but I opted to anyway. In hindsight, I could have popped the templates out but FUD factor prevailed.

  Apr 22, 2023     Almost friends after all these years       Category: Fiberglass

Getting better acquainted with working fiberglass. Not as intimidating as it used to be. More cowling work.

  Feb 04, 2023     More cowl work - (3.5 hours)       Category: Fiberglass

Separated the cowl halves to sand the filled area. Sanding cotton fiber embedded epoxy is like sanding a rock. But persistence pays off in the log run. Have some more cleanup to do but happy with the outcome so far.

  Jan 22, 2023     Cowling - Filling in the lower cowl spinner flange - (.5 hour)       Category: Fiberglass

Filled the flange gap between the cowl halves behind the spinner. Roughed up the lower cowl flange, put some packing tape on the top flange, cleaned the roughed up area with Acetone, applied a thin layer of epoxy, followed that with epoxy/floc filler, smoothed that out and applied 1 layer of 8oz glass. Topped that with Dacron/Peel-ply. Hopefully this will fill the gap sufficiently that only need some minor plastic filling or epoxy/micro filler.

  Nov 12, 2022     Rough Fitting of Cowling DONE!! - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fiberglass

After deciding to abandon using the Skybolt between the top and bottom cowl and go with the piano hinge (going back to plans) the cowling rough fitting is pretty much done. Do have some cosmetic issues and other finishing work to do yet. But it's looking better and i am getting a little less fearful or intimidated by fiberglass. Pressing on.

  Aug 23, 2022     Cowling horizontal edge - (1.0 hour)       Category: Firewall

Did the initial trimming of the fiberglass layup that I hope will allow me to build up the inside to close the gap on both outboard inlets. This layup is 2 plies of 8oz fabric on the outside. Used modeling clay on the inside to form the curve. Once cured, removed the modeling clay. Had some cleanup to do as some of the clay stuck to the fiberglass. Used degreaser and Acetone to get the clay off. Now on to building up the inside and then on to sanding and filling.

Oh, and I changed my plans on using the Skybolts between the cowl halves. Going to use the hinge pins as my frankencowl does not let the Skybolt flanges sit vertical enough to allow the cowl edges to be flush with each other. Definitely a rookie issue but I have worked and reworked this enough. Plus the line will be cleaner.