Tail controll rod help

[nick.m]

ok i need some help with this dam heatshrink stuff that goes on the tail control rod,,so far ive had 3 attempts at it and they have all failed,,i cant seem to get it on without any air bubbles and popping them and reheating doesnt seem to work,,even when it looks good  with only a couple of very minor bubbles its just to tight through the guides and yes im letting it cool down for half hour b4 trying it,,ive got to the point im thinking of fitting a rod and guides from anothet heli

[Chris Sexton]

I had the same trouble the first time I tired this. The key is to remember, it's not like normal shrink wrap, you can keep heating it until it goes clear and the bubbles are gone.  Just make sure you start in the middle and work your way out toward the ends.

I talked about this on my E6 build video, the way I move the rod guides into position might help you too. The stuff you want starts at 1:35 in.

Synergy E6 Build Video - Part 8 - Tail and Final setup notes

[Ross Lawton]

Great video Chris, nice job.

I have done this a couple of ways but the easist i have found is to mark the location of where the sleeving needs to go on the rod and remove from the helicopter otherwise it gets too fiddly.

What i do is generally mark the locations on the rod where the sleeving will go, then with the rod removed i slide the sleeving into place and heat with a hair dryer or heat gun. I've done this either by working from the center of the sleeving or from one end and working to the other, i find this helps with avoiding getting air trapped in the sleeving. It is also important to allow the sleeving to cool before refitting onto the helicopter mechanics as it will still be quite soft.

Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Ross

[mrich_30047]

I didn't use the heat shrink on my build!

I used the appropriate size of Aluminum tubing CA'd to the carbon fiber rod. I also used this to reinforce the end of the rod to avoid splits in the ends of the carbon fiber tube.

[nick.m]

well i can say that working from 1 end doesnt work for me so i will try from the middle,,i am doing it while its off the heli to make it easier and letting it cool for half hour before trying it,,if it doesnt work this time ill also look for some ally tubing,,i strengthened my rod ends with 700 blade inserts

[RichL]

Nick, I used the 700 blade inserts as well.  I worked from the center out on the heat shrink and used a cooler setting on the heat gun in order to avoid bubbles.  If you work slowly and carefully you can simply push the bubbles to the end as you are shrinking but, this will not work if your heat setting is too high.

Rich

[nick.m]

well im only using a small hairdryer so not to hot at all

[nick.m]

well armed with 4 more packs of this darn heatshrink i headed for the hairdryer for another attempt,,well after another 2 better but still not happy attempts i reached for my lighter,started form the middle and hey presto,,perfect and quick as hell 

[RichL]

Nick, I'm happy that you found a method that worked for you.   It's about time to start putting some hours on that bird, happy flying.

Rich

[nick.m]

yeh i know,,,but the darn weather keeps getting in the way at the moment