Dana Overall who built the tanks for me suggested I forward this e-mail to the net for all to read.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dana Overall" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 3:50 PM Subject: Re: Another wing tank!!-LONG > Mark, > > I just received a private email informing me that Justin had asked you how > much I charged to fabricate your wing tanks. I don't care if everyone knows > what I charged you as long as they know why I did it. First of all, this > was not for a "noble" cause. I simply acquired some new airplane building > knowledge when I started construction of my RV. I had absolutely no metal > working skills prior to receiving my tail kit. It was either learn or screw > up. Very quickly I realized by modifying some basic aluminum construction > techniques, an aluminum KR tank could be constructed in numerous > configurations. The same construction techniques could be used in all > configurations. What I wanted to do was enable the builder to use standard > aviation hardware, ie. fuel pickup, vent line, fuel cap and quick drain. I > hadn't seen documentation of aluminum tanks, only questions on how it could > be incorporated in the KR design. The goal was to come up with techniques > that could be performed by the average builder using minumal tools along > with a very fast learning curve. An example of this, are the angles on the > top of the tank. I didn't want to have to bend breaks in the top to fit the > side wall perfectly to decrease the chance for leaks......thus the cheater > angles that made a nice resting bed for the top. I think two , maybe three, > very important factors are present in your tank. One is the one inch break > all around the bottom of the tank to support the tank floor around the > entire diameter. The second is tying the baffles to the top and bottom of > the tank. This will decrease the chance for the bottom flexing at the aft > edges of the baffle causing stress cracks. If someone does have flex, when > the tank is full, stiffeners need to be riveted side to side on the bottom > between the baffles to give structure to that area of the floor. > > If all else fails, I tried it, you can bend the flanges for every part by > clamping the aluminum down to your work bench with a piece of wood running > along the break line and whack the aluminum with a hammer to bend the > flanges. A handfull of 1/8" clecos, pop rivet tool, drill, a file and > sheet metal shears are all you need to build these things. I know we > accomplished our goal of building you a set of leak free tanks that will > take any kind of fuel and will last the lifetime of your KR. I accomplished > my goal of formulating a construction technique that can be duplicated by > the average KR builder. KISS is seriously incorporated in the construction. > Your tanks were used as a means to offer an alternative to the average KR > builder. For years, threads have run their course on the KRNet concerning > aluminum tanks. They always ended up going nowhere. One thing I cannot > stress enough is the use of AN solid AH pop rivets. You cannot use hardware > store bought aluminum pop rivets. It will look like a fuel tank, but that > is about it. > > Just for public knowledge here are three pics of your fuel vent line on your > second tank. The first shows how I attached the screen. I drilled a small > hole through the 3/8" pickup line then ran a piece of safety wire through > the screen and line. The second is a check for fit Sunday morning and the > final one is after finishing the tank early Sunday afternoon. As you can > see, you should have a lot of useable fuel. I proseal the screen to the > tube and to the tank bottom. Just to show how these tanks go together, I > went from second pic. to completed in pic. three in about 3.5 hours. > > http://rvflying.tripod.com/fuel1.jpg > > http://rvflying.tripod.com/fuel2.jpg > > http://rvflying.tripod.com/fuel3.jpg > > Since I was going to use my new found knowledge in aluminum work by building > a model tank, why not build it for someone to use. I wanted to do this for > someone on the KR net whom I knew and was an "old timer". Although you were > not present in the old AOL KRNet days (I think there were less than 50 us of > then), your work is impeccable after visiting with you previously. > > If anyone on the KRNet has a question concerning the techniques I used, I > will certainly be available off the KRNet to assist. Before I unsubscribed > from the KRNet I said I would document the construction, I did that. Now > that I have completed both tanks, it finally feels like I am off the KRNet > after either 8 or 9 years. If I have any gems come up, I'll subscribe for a > day and post it. I don't want to unsubscribe then use you as a messenger. > With that said, feel free to forward this and as a reminder to Justin (just > because you asked).............I did both of them for free. > > > > Dana Overall > Richmond, KY > RV-7 slider/fuselage > http://rvflying.tripod.com > do not archive Mark Jones (N886MJ) Wales, WI USA E-mail me at [email protected] Visit my KR-2S CorvAIRCRAFT web site at http://mywebpage.netscape.com/n886mj/homepage.html
