Attaching Cloth Hinges

larrys4227 wrote:I've only done this once on a couple of Lil' Bats ... and I used CA.  It seems the CA will soak into the hinge point making it stiff and brittle, thus they break.

What do you all use to attach your cloth hinges?

I found the same problem while using CA on cloth hinges so I switched to commercial pinned plastic hinges.

With cloth hinges you have to paint the horizontal stablizer/elevator assembly after glueing them getting paint on the joint interferring with it's operation. With pinned plastic hinges you can paint the surfaces first then attach the hinges, makes for a much cleaner and smoother surface.

I built a very simple hinge slot cutter using a Dremel tool and cut off disc. It cuts hinge slots quicker than you can CA the cloth.

But, you can use five minute epoxy on cloth hinges wiping in on but away from the hinge joint and it won't crinkle the cloth like CA does.

Muslin was pretty much the material that Perfect offered. I found that Sig Coverall made a very good , flexible and darn near invisible hinge. Problems though is that Koverall is a weave. It needs to be cut in one direction. You will recognize it instantly once you cut it. It also frays or it becomes easily pulled out of square as the weave allows it to move across it's axis. I would cut clean strips by sandwiching it between paper and cutting through everything. I use the same method to cut Jap tissue when making decorations. Jap tissue will cut then begin to drag tearing the edge. Hinges were installed using Testor's fast dry. It works great offering good adhesion, good working time and it dries clear. As George mentioned, Dope would also do the same.

Here's a shot of my Voodoo using a similar method of Koverall but I used 1/2 oz glass cloth. The cloth is wrapped around the entire pin. The Voodoo and others used a L shaped pin for hinge pins, one being on each boom. If your looking to quickly wreck a plane, this is a good way to do it. Too much stress is placed on the elevator and it needs a continuous hinge. I went with 1/16" wire bushed where it passes though the booms. I used slo-cure epoxy to glass the pin onto the elevator and even with a clear finish it becomes difficult to detect.