[Elecraft] W2 assembly

[Radio Amateur N5GE]

On Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:46:53 -0600, Randy Farmer <w8fn at tx.rr.com>
wrote:

When you remove the paint from around a hole the way you described you
will remove paint below the mating surfaces of the panels, not from
the mating surfaces that need to be bonded together.

You must remove the paint from the surface surrounding the holes to
get an effective bond.

Half inch drill bits are used a lot for deburring, but if you get
caught doing that in a factory that builds aircraft parts, you will
get a reprimand because you may nick the edges of the hole and stand a
chance of causing a crack that will extend from the hole into the
sheet metal and perhaps eventually causing a structural failure.

Sand paper or a wire brush is a better way to remove paint from
surfaces that need to be bonded together.

73,

Tom, N5GE

n5ge at n5ge.com
K3 #806 with SUB RX, K3 #1055, PR6,
XV144, XV432, KRC2,
W1, 2 W2's and other small kits

1 K144XV on order

http://www.n5ge.com
http://www.swotrc.net

>I'm not sure whether you need to remove paint on the inside or the 
>outside of the panel surface to assemble the W2. If it's an "inside" 
>job where looks don't really matter, if you have access to a really 
>large drill bit (say 1/2" or better) you can simply center it in the 
>hole and twirl it a couple of times. This will remove the paint, and 
>a bit of metal, around the periphery of the hole. This technique also 
>works well as a quick and dirty deburring tool for holes drilled in 
>sheet metal.
>
>73...
>Randy, W8FN
[snip]