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Wing rotator - we are working at it

bob turner

Registered User
My wing rotator was always the Greek. She was never really happy about it, but we got it done.

Now somebody else will be spraying urethane (I won't touch the stuff). The Wag rotator is now attached, and after some struggling we have determined:

The rotation axis is critical. You cannot have a center of rotation off by more than a half inch.

The feet need to be connected. We are using 2x4s and clamps. I am lobbying for steel tube.

The deal with the rollers needs a capture device for when the hoop jumps off the rollers. Preliminary study says a couple of plywood Vees are sufficient.

We are not experts. If you have comments or suggestions we will be in your debt! Help?
 
I made mine from what junk I had laying around. I made a U joint for the attachment to the wingroot. That way the rotation axis at the wingroot is not a problem and I also can lift the wingtiip as high as I might need without any strain on the wingroot attachments. I use my engine hoist for the root end and a homemade hoop at the lift strut attach fittings and they are not and need not be connected. Alignment of the hoop perpendicular to rotating axis of the wing is important but it adjusts easily. It was one of the few projects that works as good as I hoped and a whole lot better than I expected. The U joint is an absolute necessity.
 
I have two sets of Wag wing rotators that I have been using for over 20 yrs. They do need to be set up correctly (takes about 20 minutes) and they don't need any kind of floor attachments. I can turn a wing with one hand with a spray gun in the other. Wouldn't part with them, they work great. They just have to be set up so that everything is centered and they will sit right there while you rotate them.
 
I love mine. It makes things soooo much easier. I do recommend attaching one end to the floor. If an end moves it can become a parallelogram and collapse. This will ONLY occur shortly after you spray the final topcoat.

Bill
 
This is what cubcrafters uses
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Dave, I didn’t realize you drank when you taped. [emoji23]


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What paint are you shooting? I can't see anymore so I like the rotator to get a different light on everything.

anything

my one paint booth only had a single 250 light bulb....

but that light mention brings up a trick I learned this week......wish i knew it decades ago..

today's counterintuitive accidental discovery.... was using head lamp in paint room, cutting dust specks off of paint/primer... turned OFF overhead lights to leave... looked at what i had been working on, one that i hadn't got to yet, and you can see specks MUCH BETTER with overhead lights off(looking sideways across surface, headlamp on LOW brightness)... more 3D effect/shadows, the targets jump out at you..... bass ackwards of what i was tiring to accomplish with the head lamp... but I like it!!!
 
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I use a similar technique when trying to read the raised numbers on connector bodies. Side light tends to make raised or engraved figures stand out more so than direct light.

Web
 
Low angle light is always helpful, for prep and paint. Some things you just can't see with overhead light only.
In my above picture, look at how the gloss of the paint changes as the curve on the tip and leading edge creates lower angle than the facing panel. They are both equally glossy but doesn't look it.
 
Why, what’s it doing? I’ve been getting real nice results lately.

From that photo, looks like you really have the handle on painting Stewart’s! When I get moved, will be opening up by distributorship again, so may have to get some tips from the master! Roles have changed!


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I am not shooting Stewarts. I am sort of supervising (I have the ratings). I will not be shooting anything that says "poly" except Stits.

My partner in crime decided on Stewarts. He got exactly what Stewart demanded right down to the regulator at the gun. He built a really sophisticated spray booth. He joined us in buying the rotator. He has studied successful Stewart mechanics, and taken 300 mile field trips to study with the masters. Still, I get better results with butyrate. And my 1981 acrylic enamel on my J3, done in my driveway with a cheapo Binks 37, still outshines every Stewart finish I have seen in person.

His Cub will look great at ten feet. I love the color, and you can see reflections. It just does not have that "wet" look.

He is persistent. He is a stunningly good engineer (retired VP from a Fortune 600 company). He knows more about painting than I will ever know. He may yet get it, but only one wing to go.
 
Not sure about that Marv, but I've had lots of practice. I'm spraying this LSA Bearhawk tail now and it's looking good.

From that photo, looks like you really have the handle on painting Stewart’s! When I get moved, will be opening up by distributorship again, so may have to get some tips from the master! Roles have changed!


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Ha! I see all native Vermont’s as being straight. On the level depends on the crowd you’re speaking to.
But there is a lot of artistic expression... :)

In regards to the resident master builder of bethel, someday the world will know, but for now we like to keep him secret. :)



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