Tight/sticking electronics bay in airframe tube

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gary7

gary7

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My paper e-bay tube is a tight fit and just worrisome. Yes, I could ground test first but a more lose fitting bay would make me happier than a larger ejection charge.

Have tried sanding with 120 then 220 but still a bit tight.
It's a 5.5 inch tube.

Any ideas?

Thanks
 
Did you soak with thin epoxy before sanding?
Give it a try. It seals the paper, makes it sand better and makes it more stable in humidity.
 
richP said:
Did you soak with thin epoxy before sanding?
Click to expand...

Uh, no. I just now soaked one side in thin CA tho. I thought that would stiffen the fiber enough to make them sand easier, making the surface smooth enough to glide in easier.

Please don't tell me that was wrong.
 
CA is fine and does the same thing. When I tried it with very thin CA, it began to smoke.
The LOC website recommends a thin epoxy on the body tube and coupler, that will soak into the fibers and then harden. Check it out under their How-to section.
 
I usually soak with thin CA. The smoke is "normal" and the fumes are nasty, so I go outside for big jobs (like 4" - 5" couplers ;) ). Once dry it sands pretty easily and you can get it to the fit you like without a ton of effort.

I've never tried epoxy, but right off hand I don't know of one that is thin enough to actually soak into cardboard tubes or couplers. Any recommendations?
 
Mugs914 said:
I've never tried epoxy, but right off hand I don't know of one that is thin enough to actually soak into cardboard tubes or couplers. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

I've done it with standard 30 minute epoxy, just make sure that the pieces are warmed a bit before applying. Otherwise, West Systems (probably any laminating epoxy) is thin enough to soak in quite a bit.
 
I've often wondered about this stuff for rocketry use. It's a penetrating epoxy intended for stabilizing dry rotted wood. I have used it for that purpose, and it works quite well.

A whole other approach: what about graphite powder?
 
Some epoxies can be thinned with alcohol to penetrate better in non-structural applications, I have done it with US Composites 635 on cardboard airframes. The coupler can then be sanded to fit.
 

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