SIG Antoinette 1909, Manual, Page: 15 / 30

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Shrinking
Increase the iron temperature to between 250 deg. F and 285 deg. F. Shrink the Litespan by slowly sliding the iron across
the surface of the Litespan - just lightly touching the surface. Be very careful not to over-shrink the Litespan because it will
warp the light weight structure of the Antoinette. Do not try to shrink out every last little wrinkle. Just get rid of the largest
ones. Remember, the full-scale Antoinette also had wrinkles in the covering.
NOTES ON COVERING IRONS:
We’ve found that a small "trim iron" (such as the Top Flite Trim Seal Tool) works better than a full-size
covering iron when working with the Litespan on light weight model structures like the Antoinette. In fact, we
use a trim iron for the entire covering process, both adhering the Litespan and then shrinking it. The small
size of the trim irons' shoe places heat in a small area, allowing a lot of control. We can also tell you from
experience that using a heat gun on Litespan is not a good idea. The heat from a heat gun is difficult to
control and can cause uneven shrinking, which in turn causes warps.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
59.
Find the bamboo Tail Skid that you made earlier during the fuselage construction, and glue it in place.
60.
If you plan on painting the front of the fuselage and the tail skid, do it now. Let dry
before proceeding.
61.
Glue the Stabilizer in place on the fuselage. Notice the small circular shaped
cutout in the trailing edge of the stabilizer. This is to accomodate the leading
edge of the rudder. Make sure when gluing the stabilizer to the fuselage that you
line the front of that cutout with the rear edge of the fuselage tail post.
Now, glue the Fin in place on the stabilizer. Sight straight down the trailing edge
of the Fin to make sure that it lines up with the fuselage tail post underneath the
stabilizer.
62.
Built into the front of both the rudder and elevator is a balsa control horn gusset CHG. Cut away the covering material over
the small slit in CHG. Insert a laser-cut plywood control horn CHN into the slit, center the horn, and then, glue with Thin
CA.
63.
A single SIG Easy Hinge, measuring 3/4"x1", is provided for hinging the rudder and elevator. Cut the Easy Hinge into 8
pieces that measure 1/8"x1/2".
64a.
Refer to the plans and mark the locations for (4) Easy Hinges on the leading edge of the rudder and on the trailing edge of
the fin and tail post.
64b.
Using a sharp #11 hobby knife, carefully cut small slits in the parts to accept the
Easy Hinges.
64c.
Insert an Easy Hinge halfway into each slit in the fin and tail post.
DO NOT GLUE THE HINGES IN AT THIS TIME.
Now carefully slide the rudder onto the exposed half of the hinges. You will find it
easiest to slide the part onto the hinges at an angle, one hinge at a time. To set
the proper amount of gap between the parts simply deflect the control surface to
the maximum amount of travel desired in each direction. This will automatically
set the proper hinge gap.
64d.
Place a single small drop of Thin CA glue directly onto the hinges in the gap. You will notice that the glue is quickly wicked
into the slit as it penetrates both the wood and the hinge. Because the hinges are so small, there is not need to put glue on
both sides. The glue you put on the first side will flow around to the other side. Let the hinged parts dry before flexing.
CAUTION: SIG Easy Hinges are designed to be used with any THIN CA adhesive. Make sure you are using the thinnest
variety. Do not use medium or thick CA, or any other type of glue, on Easy Hinges. Also, never use CA accelerator on
Easy Hinges.