REFLECTOR: Jeffco or not?

Mon Jan 28 19:08:07 CST 2008

Grigore
   The fuel site gages, that Velocity sells, are very nice. I use  them more 
than the electronic gage. Turning your head to see real fuel is a lot  more 
reassuring than a blip on a screen that says your OK. I like to take the  upper 
skin of the lower strake out where you are installing the gauge. This lets  
you move the gauge as far down as possible, to see the last of your fuel. It  
really does not matter how full you are, just how empty!! 

                Ken

In a message dated 1/28/2008 7:44:52 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
grigore.rosu at gmail.com writes:

I have already ordered both the Jeffco (3 gal) and the fuel gauge kit  from 
Velocity.  Is there anything else I need before I start working on  the fuel 
tank?  Ken Baker suggested a "side gauge kit" as potentially  useful, because it 
allows you to always turn your head and see how much fuel  you have left.  
Any idea about that?  Is it worth considering, or it  just makes the 
installation of the fuel tanks more difficult and prone to  leaking?

Many anticipated thanks,
Grigore

On Jan 28, 2008 5:56 PM, Alex Balic <_velocity_pilot at verizon.net_ 
(mailto:velocity_pilot at verizon.net) >  wrote:

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)  
[mailto:_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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