X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com X-SpamCatcher-Score: 1 [X] Return-Path: Received: from [68.202.132.19] (account marv@lancaironline.net) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro WEBUSER 5.1.6) with HTTP id 1824414 for lml@lancaironline.net; Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:05:16 -0500 From: "Marvin Kaye" Subject: Re: [LML] Wing Skin Fix Question To: lml X-Mailer: CommuniGate Pro WebUser v5.1.6 Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:05:16 -0500 Message-ID: In-Reply-To: References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset="iso-8859-1";format="flowed" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Posted for "Jim Nordin" : There's plenty experience with this kind of thing and here's mine. I'd make the hole oblong just larger than the existing hole. But oblong by 1:1.5 to the original hole size. Make a replacement piece of laminated foam that will go inside the wing that is 3/4" larger in all dimensions of the oblong hole you just made. By laminated foam I mean a piece of wing quality foam that has been laminated with the appropriate number of layers of either glass or carbon fiber depending on the makeup of the original wing skin. Make the inside (the fuel tank) of this skin pretty wet for purposes of fuel proofing. Make sure there's 3/4" or more lip that has no foam on it so to use that lip to bond to the inside of the wing skin. Scarf the top wing skin hole area 3/4" or so to blend the replacement skin with. Clean the inside of the skin where the bond will attach. Bond that replacement piece in with hysol and let cure. Now fill all around the foam insert and the area of the damaged wing with the appropriate filler but don't fill it to the top level of the existing wing skin. You can fill after this cures and not take the chance of cutting into the fiber. Layup the appropriate number of layers of replacement skin material on the replacement material and scarf to the top skin after cure Fill, sand, prime, paint. Good luck. Jim """ Does anyone have any experience/suggestions on how you would fix a serious Ding in an upper wing skin. By "Ding" I mean a 3" hole/crack all the way through the skin (outer/core/inner). Assume the hole/crack is over the fuel bay and inaccessible from the inside/bottom. """