If sometime in the future you need replacement covering or
matching paint for repairs, they are available from your local
hobby dealer or online from Hanger-9.
How To Tighten Loose Covering
After you open your RASCAL 110 and take all the covered parts
out of their plastic bags, the covering may begin to wrinkle. This
is not unusual and is no cause for alarm.
Your airplane was built and covered in a part of the world, which
has relatively high humidity and therefore, the wood was likely
carrying a fair amount of moisture. When exposed to drier air,
the wood typically loses this moisture, dimensionally "shrinking"
in the process. In turn, this may cause some wrinkles.
However, wrinkles are easy to remove by just using a hobby
type heat iron.
Caution:
Trying to remove the wrinkles by
hastily going over them with a heat gun can lead to more
problems. You should take your time to carefully go over the
entire model with a covering iron, as we will describe.
We suggest using a model airplane covering iron for this
process. Cover the iron's shoe with a thin cotton cloth, such as
an old t-shirt, to prevent scratching the covering as you work.
After covering your iron, the next step is to set the iron to the
correct temperature. This is critical for achieving a good result!
The iron should be set to about 220
O
F - 250
O
F (104
O
C - 121
O
C)
as measured on the bottom of the iron using a thermometer.
This is the recommended temperature for adhering the
covering.
If you do not have a thermometer, you can find the correct
temperature by trial and error. Set your iron to a medium
setting. Glide the iron over some of the covering that is over
solid wood, such as the sheeted wing center section. Observe
the covering to see if any bubbles appear. If bubbles appear,
the covering is getting too hot! Turn down the temperature of
the iron. If no bubbles appear, turn up the heat slightly and
repeat the test. Keep adjusting until you "zero in" on the correct
temperature. Find the temperature that will get the covering to
stick down without forming bubbles or causing the seams to pull
away.
Once your iron is set to the correct temperature, go over the
entire framework of the airplane, making sure that the covering
is securely bonded to the structure everywhere the covering
comes in contact with the wood underneath. This takes some
time, but is worth the effort.
After you have all the covering secured onto the solid areas,
turn the temperature of the iron up to approximately 300
O
F -
320
O
F (149
O
C - 160
O
C). This is the correct temperature for
shrinking the covering material.
Use the iron to tighten up any wrinkles in the "open" areas of the
model (no wood underneath the covering). Glide the iron over
the wrinkle for a few seconds, then remove. Repeat until the
covering is tight with no wrinkles.
If wrinkles keep coming back on the tail surfaces, you may need
to "ventilate" the areas between the ribs. Otherwise the air that
is sealed in those relatively small areas will expand when the
heat is applied and actually cause the covering to stretch
instead of shrink. Use a pin to poke a tiny hole in the covering
between each rib, on the bottom of the part. That will let the
expanding air escape and the covering to shrink properly.
Caution When Using Heat Guns:
You can also use a hobby-
type heat gun to shrink the covering, but you must be careful
around seams or color joints. Getting too much heat on the
seams may cause them to "creep" or come loose. You must
also be careful when using a heat gun when working around the
windshield and side windows - heat will distort the clear plastic
material.
Recommended Temperatures:
To adhere the covering - 220
O
F - 250
O
F (104
O
C - 121
O
C)
To shrink the covering - 300
O
F - 320
O
F (149
O
C - 160
O
C)
__________________________________________________
NOTE:
In this manual, any references to right or left, refer to
your right or left as if you were seated in the cockpit of the
airplane.
The wings are designed as a 2-piece system, with separate
right and left wing panels joined by an aluminum tube wing
joiner. Due to the high strength of the wing joiner tube, the wing
panels do not need to be permanently glued together. Gluing
them permanently together is optional - your call. The obvious
benefit to leaving the wing panels separate is the fact that they
can be easily transported or stored. To help protect your wings
from unnecessary damage during the following steps, we
recommend that you cover your work surface with an old
blanket or piece of soft cell foam.
HINGING THE AILERONS & FLAPS
As received in the kit, the wing panels have the ailerons and flaps
hinged in place, but the hinges have not been permanently glued.
Gluing the hinges will be the very first step. Use a slow setting
glue that will give you plenty of time to work the hinges into place.
If using epoxy we recommend using a slower setting time such as
30 min epoxy or longer. Traditional yellow or white water-based
wood glue is another good choice for installing these hinges.
❑
1) Remove the aileron and flap from the wing panel and
then pull all of the hinges out of off their holes.
a) Spread a little dab of petroleum jelly or lithium grease
on the pivot point of each hinge. Work it into the rivet
and hinge area to prevent glue from seeping into the
hinge and locking it up.
5
WING ASSEMBLY