Tapw hinge instilation question

[JimH Ca]

I'm building a Mini Telemaster and the instructions call for the use of hinge tape to hinge the control surfaces. While I have built many planes, in my younger years, I have never used hinge tape. I picked some up at the LHS the other day and I'm ready to install it but most web sites I have looked at indicate that tape should only be used on foam and not balsa. I did run across a couple of sites where it was used on balsa and I do understand that I need to place a 45 deg. bevel on the control surface I'm assuming I should tape it over the cover film and not directly to the balsa wood and then iron the film over it. From what I understand I need to place a strip of tape on both sides of the control surface directly over each other and press the two pieces together at the point between the control surfaces.

I also found this application and it looks like it might be a good way to do it I just don't know if the point where the two pieces of tape join to each other is strong enough. It looks like a very narrow surface to hold the tape together. I would hate for this joint to fail in in flight. I would appreciate any advice anyone might have to offer on this subject.




Thanks, Jim

[Wildflyer]

Most people just put a full length strip on the top of the wing. Works good for this type of plane.
The design you show, is how we used ti put on cloth hinges, but with the part of the tape that is stuck face to face, being in the hinge line you will get some amount of front to back motion of the surface, which is the same as slop in the hookups, BAD

using a full length strip also stops any air flow through the hinge line, which is good.

Make sure your hinge lines are straight, a curved hinge line won't bend as it should. Then cover the wing and control surfaces, then hold them about 1/32-1/16 apart and apply the tape, and rub it down hard.

Make up a few pieces of scrap, bevel the hinge line as in your drawing and test the procedure. It's pretty easy after a while.

Same thing can be done with the covering also, by using a strip of the covering material instead of tape, there are many different ways to hinge surfaces

The Mini Telemaster is a nice plane

[JimH Ca]

Sounds great! I will give it a shot now. Thanks, Jim