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Buck's RV-8
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Date: 11-29-2006
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Number of Hours: 2.60
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: L landing light
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Thanks to some bizarrely-warm weather today, I decided to complete the L landing light, since it's best to work with Plexiglas at temperatures above 70 degrees F. With the shop heater going, I managed to bring the shop temperature up to around 70 in the vicinity of the work table, and I left the landing light cover sitting in the direct, 80-degree blast of the heater for a while before cutting it.
Cut Plexi lens using bandsaw (after tightening the blade a bit), then trimmed and finished the edges using a stone grinding wheel (!), files, and sandpaper. Inserted lens into wing with strapping-tape handle, then drilled and clecoed the holes through the skin and lens (#40 then #30). Removed lens, drilled out lens holes to 5/32" with a plastic-drilling bit, and hand-countersunk them using a deburring bit. Tested the fit of the lens using a dimpled piece of scrap 0.025 aluminum. (The Duckworks instructions say you can use a #30 dimple die on the skin, but this seems absurd, in my opinion. #6 screws don't sit in the dimple quite right with a #30, so I used a #6 dimple die and simply countersunk the lens a bit more.) Deburred and dimpled holes in wing. Attached the mounting strips to the lens with the included two-sided tape. (The tape was defective, losing some of its sticky surface when the paper was peeled off. This shouldn't matter much, because it'll be squeezed between the Plexi and the mounting strip.) Vacuumed and cleaned inside wing. Inserted lens into wing and tightened into place with Boelubed screws.
The installation looks great. I think the lens fits very well at the top, bottom, and outboard side, with about a 1/16" gap on the inboard side. On the R wing, perhaps I'll pull the leading edge of the lens forward with tape as I drill it, as well. The mounting screws are perfectly flush with the skin.
This installation was easy. Just take it slow, keep the Plexi warm, and drill carefully and slowly.
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The bandsaw throws a lot of fine Plexiglas into the air. Wear protection.
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Using a strapping tape handle to pull the lens against the skin. Works great!
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The completed landing light lens.
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