Carlson Skunk Works

August 26th, 2016

AMF 14H MARANDA SN:1026 Making Sawdust August 19th, 2016

Posted by Roger in news

So, rib stitching took less time than expected. Applying the finishing tapes and perimeter tapes took quite a bit longer than expected. However, the wings finally reached the point of being ready to paint. Ben brought two small folding tables out to the hanger and we were able to set one wing on them and the other on the workbench which allowed me to paint both wings at the same time.

Six coats of primer were applied to both sides of the wings. That used up the remainder of the first gallon of primer and most of the second. The first two coats of primer were applied with a foam brush with the second coat being applied perpendicular to the first coat. All subsequent coats of primer and paint were applied with a small dense foam roller.

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A wing with all the primer applied.

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The same wing after the finished color has been applied. Note that the aileron has been attached as well.

The screws that I had planned to use to attach the ailerons turned out to be too long. So I ordered shorter screws and am currently waiting for them to arrive. However, I was able to mount the wing tip lights which required that I open an access hole in each wing.

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The access hole was required to allow me to reach inside the wing and direct the wire for the lights out through the hole in the wing tip.

The cables that I purchased for the lights came with the mating connector body and pins that needed to be crimped onto the wires on the wing tip light and strobe assembly. There are four wires on the light assemblies. A red and orange wire are provided for the +14v for the strobe and the light. A black wire is for the ground and a yellow wire is for synchronizing the two strobes if that is required or desired. I like the idea of synchronized strobes. Since the cable only has three wires inside its shield, I crimped the red and orange wires together. This will provide voltage to both the navigation lights and the strobes at the same time; i.e. if the wing tip lights are turned on the strobes will be turned on as well.

When the pins were on the light assemblies I plugged them in and mounted each light on the end of the appropriate wing.

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