Leading edge dents

[Sonex1517]

Sigh.

So...anyone have experience with getting a fairly nasty sized dent and wrinkle out of the upper leading edge skin?

Looks like an order to Sonex for a replacement is needed.....no idea what happened but it's ugly. It has been sitting in the box over a year so it's likely at some point something fell on it judging by the marks.

A replacement is $175 plus shipping. Ouch.

Between this and a drill bit busted in the main spar, it's been a discouraging week....The drill bit is easily fixed....the dent, not so much....


Robbie
Sonex 1517

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[N1906R]

Hey Robbie

Feel your pain. These Things happen as you know. My left flap skin that came with the kit is now several parts in a couple of projects. Oddly the new skin was nicer material and polished much easier than the rest of the plane, dont know why. Had an aileron skin damaged in the box and didnt know when that happened so I baught another one. I couldnt come up with any way to repair dents. Buy the new skin and keep at it. Call any time for help or just to vent.


Talk soon
Jim

[kmacht]

Post up a picture. That's the only real way we can tell you if it is fixable. If you are going to polish forget about fixing it. If you are going to paint there are a few techniques you can use to try an work it back close to where it was. Whatever you do don't start hitting the back side of the dent with a hammer. You will just make it much harder to repair.

Keith

[Sonex1517]

Polishing. New skin ordered....

Thanks for the comiseration, and yes - I called Jim to cry about it. Oh the joys of building an airplane!


Robbie
Sonex 1517

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[sonex892]

Polishing. New skin ordered....

Dont give up that easy. Try spooning the dent out before giving up hope. As Keith said Do not use a hammer.

I re-formed both leading edge skins with the vacuum forming method and later to my horror realised I had creased both skins in a couple of spots. I managed to work the creases out with a spoon using a bucking bar to back it up from behind. Rock or roll the spoon back and forth on the high spots, it took heaps of pressure and quite a bit of work but it got rid of the crease.

My plane is polished and these creases cant be seen.

Steve 892
3300 TD 120hrs

[EricS]

Sorry about the luck. I sounds like you got the broken drill bit out of the spar.

I was pulling parts out out the pallet on Friday and noticed that there is a dent in my titanium firewall that was not there when I inventoried the kit contents. I think I'm going to have to stand the pallet on its side and secure it to the wall so that something or someone can't damage the parts inside.

I've worried about the foot traffic around my leading edge box and probably should move it to another location.

Good luck with fitting the new one!

[Darick]

I got dents in the leading edge skin after wrapping it around the ribs using the recommended procedure of using a padded board and ratchet straps. The dent at each rib is small but noticeable. Just wondering if anyone else experienced this.

I have the factory ribs and preformed leading edge skin. The dent is from the flange corner shown in the picture at the tip of my red marker.

I'm not sure if these dents can be removed sufficiently for a polished finished. The blue circle in the photo shows the dent. The dark line reflection should be straight but where it passes the dent it bends...kind of hard to see in the picture.

[Darick]

Oops! Try again with the rib picture...



For my left wing, I'll file this edge down to try to eliminate the corner.

[tonyr]

Hi Darick,

Yeah, in the past it was recommended to rework the nose ribs at that point to file a bigger relief hole/slot under the flange your pen is pointing to, along with the corner rework.
I don't have a good pic to show but the idea was to make the rib flange conform better as the skin is pulled around the ribs, and not make the distinct bump/crease in the skin.
I have a few other dents from little "incidents" too that I managed to spoon out as Steve has described. (Oops, must put that spoon back in the kitchen drawer now that I'm flying!)

I can tell you that from the cockpit flying over the countryside, you can't see anything on the wings, mainly cause your eyes are so scrunched up in that goofy Sonex grin

Cheers
Tony

[rizzz]

I got dents in the leading edge skin after wrapping it around the ribs using the recommended procedure of using a padded board and ratchet straps. The dent at each rib is small but noticeable. Just wondering if anyone else experienced this.

I have the factory ribs and preformed leading edge skin. The dent is from the flange corner shown in the picture at the tip of my red marker.

I'm not sure if these dents can be removed sufficiently for a polished finished. The blue circle in the photo shows the dent. The dark line reflection should be straight but where it passes the dent it bends...kind of hard to see in the picture.

I have the same issue on my 2 inner ribs on the left wing and one outer rib on the right wing.
My plans are very old (#145) and did call for any relief hole/slot at the tip of the ribs but I believe that is the solution that later came up to resolve the issue (no revision or anything to be found on this though).

My skins ar riveted in place so I can only try to spoon it out from the outside and maybe even things out with some body filler if needed if I choose to do anything about it at all.
I have not worried about it too much yet as it is hardly noticeable, I will decide next time I've got the wings on the plane how much it bothers me.