How to Make Silicon Hinges
Silicon hinges is a strong and effective way of hinging flying surfaces, it gives you sealed joints without the ugly sticky tape.
This method was developed by Graham Woods (1996)
He found this method very durable and he smashed a wing and found the hinge unbroken.
The natural elasticity of the silicon rubber wants to pull the hinge back to its neutral position so there should be problem with centering.
This technique does require some practice to get the size of the bead just right. Practice first on scraps of wood. Not all the varieties of silicone caulking that are available are suitable. (I will be experimenting with some Polyurethane caulking)
1/ After you have cut the aileron or flap from the wing, face the cuts with either 0.4mm ply or fiberglass and epoxy (I have used balsa).
2/ Make a temporary hinge with paper masking tape, leaving a small gap of 1-2mm.
3/ Mask off the area where you don't want the caulking to go with strips of masking tape. Press the tape down well.
4/ Hold the gap open and run a thin bead of silicon along the gap. Smooth out silicon with a matchstick or similar diameter rod. Excess silicon rubber will come off as you do this. Aim to get the bead as uniform as possible and in contact with the surfaces along the length of the aileron and wing. A correct diameter bead means a light hinge; if it's too stiff you used too much! Mind you, for flaps you might want a stiff hinge.
When you are satisfied with your efforts, remove the tape masking from the sides of the wing and aileron and return the aileron to the neutral position with tape at each end to secure it. Leave overnight.
When the silicon rubber has dried, carefully remove the temporary paper masking tape hinge from the top of the wing by peeling it slowly back on itself (Only use paper masking tape as this enables the caulking to dry effectively.)
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