Lashing Loops for Cross Bracing + Gluing Seat Frame

Lashing the center support in the test wing section

On Saturday we did the majority of the Kevlar lashing on the wing test section, lashing the tubes to the spars and also the loops for the X-bracking to the spars (we are trying two different kind of loops, music wire, and Kelvar loops, to see which work better).

We also worked on gluing the cross members to the first seat frame that we bent up the prior week.  We'll lash these glue joints with Kevlar after they are dried.  When the seat is done, we'll compare this method for seat frame building with welding, which we will do in the coming weeks.

Starting lashing with a spool of Kevlar

Lashing in progress

Finished lashing, waiting for epoxy

Another view of completed lashing

Lashing wire loop to main spar

Side supports awaiting lashing

Test fishing fish mouth shape on seat cross piece

Closseup of Fishmouth shape with balsa plug

Seat frame clamped in place with cross pieces glued and drying

Seat Frame, after gluing, before lashing

Seat Cover

Start of a lightweight 7mm mesh seat cover.   Stretchier in one direction than the other.

We have obtained several types of lightweight mesh.  A car upholsterer is building some test covers for us, starting with the two 7mm meshes that we bought first.  They discovered that one of the two stretches more in one direction than the other, and the first test piece they built had the stretchy direction across the seat, where it will be hard to tighten the lacing on the seat.  So they are going to build it with the mesh in the other orientation next, which should work better.  They'll also try the other mesh which stretches equally in both directions.

We have other meshes of 4, 5 and 6 mm hex mesh, of varying weights (the 4 and 5 mm meshes are significantly lighter), so we'll try making some covers out of those as well.