Installing Hinge Points

[Graeme Poke]

I have trouble accurately lining up this type of hinge. I remember Peter Lowe described a technique in RCME but I can't find it.

Any suggestions please. Thanks Graeme

[Andy Green]

Is this of any help?

Andy

[Graeme Poke]

Thanks for that Andy. That's a very helpful article.

The problem I have is alignment . No matter how much care I take I still find the flap, foe example, is slightly out. What makes the current project (Spitfire) worse is the flaps are split and I can't use the jig.

I seem to remember that Peter Lowe had a way to line up the flap to the wing by inserting something in the flap hole and pressing it against the wing. Maybe it was a cut down hinge.

I shall persevere and keep searching for his article.

Cheers Graeme

[cymaz]

A piece of piano wire sharpened at both ends might do the trick, or a sharpened cocktail stick. With a Robart pin hinge, cut the knuckle out and insert a sharp end into the flat face. When pressing the aileron / elevator against the TE there should be a witness mark.....

[Peter Miller]

I have 4 1" nails with a small washer soldered near the point.

Drill the small holes for one side of the hinge point and insert the nails up to the washer. Now lay the wing etc on a flat surface and slide the other part towards it. When correctly aligned push the two together.

You will now have perfectly lined up marks. Drill out for the hinge points and job done

[Bob Cotsford]

Posted by Peter Miller on 24/01/2016 08:49:45:

I have 4 1" nails with a small washer soldered near the point.

Drill the small holes for one side of the hinge point and insert the nails up to the washer. Now lay the wing etc on a flat surface and slide the other part towards it. When correctly aligned push the two together.

You will now have perfectly lined up marks. Drill out for the hinge points and job done

Cut down pop rivets should work too if you have some handy - excellent idea Peter, I'll try that on the Ballerina.

[Geoff S]

Just what I was trying to think out for myself and this is all very useful, thanks. I like Peter's idea of small nails with a soldered washer but Bob's idea of using pop rivets is easier to realise.

Because I have a stock of Robart hinges I was intending to use them on my Ballerina and they need to be accurately positioned unlike flat hinges which have a little leeroom just by making the slots a little over length. I'm just about ready to hinge the ailerons so this is very timely and is one of the things that makes forums a great source of knowledge.

Geoff

[Andy Green]

There is a dodge I have used in the past, when I have drilled the hole in the wrong place.

what happened was the hole got too big after several attempts to get it right, what I ended up doing was to use a low expanding polyurethane (Gorilla) glue, with a small amount in the hole just clamp everything in the correct place, until dry.

It worked so well, I deliberately do it now for trickier installations. Only works with Hinge Points though.

Andy

[Peter Miller]

Posted by Peter Miller on 24/01/2016 08:49:45:

I have 4 1" nails with a small washer soldered near the point.

Drill the small holes for one side of the hinge point and insert the nails up to the washer. Now lay the wing etc on a flat surface and slide the other part towards it. When correctly aligned push the two together.

You will now have perfectly lined up marks. Drill out for the hinge points and job done

I should have mentioned that I cut the heads off the nails. Obvious because it would need a huge hole for the head to go in.

[Geoff S]

Posted by Peter Miller on 25/01/2016 08:39:01:

Posted by Peter Miller on 24/01/2016 08:49:45:

I have 4 1" nails with a small washer soldered near the point.

Drill the small holes for one side of the hinge point and insert the nails up to the washer. Now lay the wing etc on a flat surface and slide the other part towards it. When correctly aligned push the two together.

You will now have perfectly lined up marks. Drill out for the hinge points and job done

I should have mentioned that I cut the heads off the nails. Obvious because it would need a huge hole for the head to go in.

Not if you use panel pins which would be ideal for the job I would have thought.

Geoff

[Graeme Poke]

Thanks CYMAZ, Peter and Bob and all contributors.

Such good ideas. I thought of all sorts of useless stuff but nothing as clever and simple as those. So I'll give them a try.

All the best Graeme

[Graeme Poke]

Well, I found the Peter Lowe way of installing Robart hinge points. Similar to above but using cut down screws.

RCME September 2009, Thunderbolt build.

Cheers Graeme

[kenking-King Design]

By chance, today I shipped a drill jig requested by a client who is building a large SE5 and who wanted to ensure all four hinge points per aileron aligned perfectly. As the hinge line is well below the centreline the normal centreing jig, as sold by Robart, would in this case not be of any use. Instead a piece of 3mm thick L.A. was cut from an extruded section (harder and stiffer than regular sheet), depth (26mm) and length (265mm) corresponding to the hinge line face of both wing and aileron. The four non-equispaced hinge positions were marked, drilled and tapped 3/8" x 24 UNF, the same thread as used by Robart, then four bushes were turned from bolts, drilled 3.15 mm, and case-hardened.

The completed jig is seen here ...

In practice, the jig is aligned on the face of the aileron, then the holes are drilled through the bushes. The bushes are unscrewed and refitted into the other side of the jig, and the drilling process is carried out on the mating wing face, thus ensuring perfect alignment.

This would be a simple type of jig for anyone to make, and in one fell swoop it solves many of the problems experienced and mentioned by other contributors. I hope you find this helpful.