REFLECTOR: Jeffco or not?

[Alex Balic]

1)       I would recommend the Jeffco for a couple of reasons- first - it is
specifically designed to be a fuel sealer and is more resistant to alcohol
content than the epoxy (future concerns?)  also-  the opaque grey color
makes it a very simple matter to locate any pin holes (they appear black
against the light grey epoxy) while you are constructing. You will not want
to try to fine them after your tanks are sealed.  Since I have an auto
conversion, I built the entire tank using jeffco since I will almost
certainly be burning fuel containing methanol at some point.

2)       I tested my tanks using a cheap kid's party balloon- you just
install the inflated balloon to the vent of the tank you are testing, and
see if it is still inflated a day later. It also keeps some positive
pressure on the tank if you need to do a soap bubble leak test.

3)       I would not try to install any of the strake skins without the
wings attached- learned this from personal experience- as well as the
experience of a couple of other builders- don't use the factory alignment
templates either- just hang the wings and keep them there until the strakes
are done unless you are ready to apply a lot of filler to make the leading
edge of the strake match the leading edge of the wing.

 

  _____  

From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Grigore Rosu
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 12:34 AM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: REFLECTOR: Jeffco or not?

 

I'm about to install the bulkheads in my first strake and therefore I'll
soon need to worry about the fuel tank.

 

1) Should I use Jeffco or not?  The manual sounds as if Jeffco is optional
...  If I should use it, where can I get it from?  (I can do a random search
on the internet, but perhaps there are some better avenues that you may have
encountered so far).

 

2) Do I need an altimeter to test the fuel tank?  I have none, but the
messages I could find in the reflector archive on this subject mention an
altimeter.  BTW, can I test each tank in isolation, or they need to be both
installed first and checked together?

 

3) Should I finish the first strake (including installing the upper strake)
and then move to the other one, or it is better to also install the lower
strake on the other side and its bulkheads, then do both tanks at the same
time, and then install both upper strakes at the same time?  Note that I can
only install one wing at a time in my garage.  The flow-chart that came with
my manual says that the wing can be removed once the lower strake is
installed ... I'm a bit reluctant to do so though, because I'm affraid the
torsion generated by the spar may be too big without the upper strake.

 

Thank you,

Grigore

 

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