Feb 03, 2020     Spar Studs - (3.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Fortunately a shipment from AC Spruce arrived today allowing me to proceed on the spar studs. I have to fabricate some new studs to replace the damaged aluminum studs that bolt the wing mounting plate into the spar. These studs are 12mm diameter so I started with 1/2 inch diameter 2024T3 aluminum rod and turned it on the lathe down to 12mm diameter. I beveled each end slightly to allow the 12mm die to start easily. Using a 12mm die, I was able to cut threads into the ends of each completed stud. Unfortunately, in my haste, I didn't have the die perfectly square on the stud when starting a couple of them so the threads are concentric. I'll have to replace those studs and chalk it up to learning.

I cleaned up some metric socket head bolts that secure the landing gear door hinge. A few of them were rather weathered so I needed to give them a good scrubbing with scotchbright to remove the surface rust. I'm not worried about the strength as these bolts are really overkill for their purpose. They are much stronger than the aluminum hinge that they are mounting to the rib and door.