Faughn's counterweights were probably twice the weight they needed to be. The weights were essentially rectangular blocks from the front of the arm almost all the way back to the hinge point. You can make your weight much lighter if you concentrate the majority of the lead at the point furthest from the hinge point. When I redid the weights on my plane I used clay or carved balsa wood (long time, can't remember) to make the teardrop shape I wanted then I used it to make two female molds out of plaster of paris which were used to cast the lead weights in the shape I wanted. Bake the plaster of paris to remove all the moisture first so it does not break when the hot lead is poured in. I melted the lead on my stove inside cat food cans. Not a good idea to melt lead using your cooking pots. I think my gap was something like 1/8 to 1/4".
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: KR> Gap between counterweight From: "Jeff Scott" <jscott.planes at gmx.com> List-Post: krnet@list.krnet.org Date: Wed, March 26, 2014 12:11 pm To: "KRnet" <krnet at list.krnet.org> Addionally, I think many of us remember Jim Faughn losing an aileron counterweight while doing a fast pass at the gathering many years ago in Red Oak. Apparently the aluminum L bracket fatigued and failed. There was a recommendation to change to a steel L bracket after there. I never did and at 1000+ hrs, still have the original weights in the original place. Any discussion on the L brackets for the Aileron Counterweights? -Jeff Scott Los Alamos, NM
