Hello guys, just joined my FF wing last night but it seems my leading edge is a hait off from being perfect. Should I cut and rejoin or glass it and call it good? See pics. Thanks for the help!

That is off enough I think I'd cut and rejoin. Otherwise, it will forever require aileron trim to fly straight.

When joining, I find it helps to put the wings together, without epoxy, and tape the bottom skins together. One layer of masking tape or one layer of clear packing tape can do the job. Then fold the wings open. Add epoxy, then fold shut.

Have a flat bench space set up to put the wing in a foam bed (if you have one) or flat on the bench. Be already set up with a block (I use a stack of books) to hold the other tip up at the dihedral angle. Or if you want, block up both tips so the wing forms a V on the bench. Put just enough weight on top of the wing near the root to hold the joint region down on the bench, both sides of the wing. It doesn't take much.

Wipe off any oozing epoxy with a paper towel, and let it set. You can visually check that the leading edge and trailing edge are not misaligned before it cures.

Gerald

Thanks Gerald. Was hoping to not have to cut, but I assumed I was going to have to cut. Dremel cut would be fine I assume? Or is there a better way for an accurate cut? I feel like such a noob!

Gerald is dead on ! Use a hack saw blade to carefully make the cut. I have tape wrapped around one end so it cuts on the pull stroke.

Paul

Should I dig out and re-do hard points or just re-do the joint itself?

The hardpoints will be fine.

Careful though. I found that I had a habit of pulling the wing halves too tightly together with the tape. I would fold it open, add the glue, recheck alignment and prop it up. When it was cured I found a misalignment of the wing halves at the glue joint. What happened was the excessive tension I placed on the tape caused one wing skin to ride up and over the other, causing the misalignment. I did this to two wings in a row before I figured out what was going wrong.
Ken L

That's one of the reasons I like the clear packing tape. I can see the alignment...

Gerald

I used clear packing tape the first time but still came out with a lil offset. But this is most definitely a better job.

From the picture, move the upper bed closer to the joint, and add a little weight on top. Then, put a light weight like a paperback book or two on the other panel close to the joint.

Gerald

Originally Posted by brs608

I used clear packing tape the first time but still came out with a lil offset. But this is most definitely a better job.

Looking good.

With clear packing tape - yeah, used to us it many years back because it's transparent......but I found out this was not a great way of joining wings...

Like Ken says, it's the amount of tension you put on the tape that causes the joint to ride up. Packing tape/sellotape (any non-rubberised polymer/cellulose/etc. tape) can take a lot of stress but can't take a lot of strain and is pretty high tack so it transfers it to the joint and the wings can ride up during cure even if they look good to start with.

Now I use masking tape as the tack is smaller and you cannot put loads of stress into the tape when you shut the wing book (the tape breaks or the tack slides). Never had an issue since I started using it.



Yeah, it's not transparent, but run your finger across the join as you fix up and it's just as easy to tell misalignment.

The other tape a mate of mine uses is blenderm - same reasons, and he says it follows curves better, but I have no experience of using that one beyond hinging foamies..

What I came up with is a board that has two dowels a few inches long, glued longitudinally about three inches apart, in the center. I rig up something to prop up the tips. Each wing panel is supported by three points. The wing roots share the same two points. They will now be aligned. The last time I did this I did not even use tape. Just don't bump it.
Ken L

Man did she rock this weekend !!! She launched even with some of the best planes available and higher than many. She flies like a dream ! I did not so well purely due to me and nothing to do with the plane!!

Paul

Originally Posted by The_Builder

Man did she rock this weekend !!! She launched even with some of the best planes available and higher than many. She flies like a dream ! I did not so well purely due to me and nothing to do with the plane!!

Paul

Paul, Quit flying and get to work building my plane!


Ron R.

Originally Posted by rrunyan

Paul, Quit flying and get to work building my plane!


Ron R.

So there goes Ron to the back of the list......LOL, LOL