Martin Fabric Clip Question

[Forrest Barber]

The martin folks had an approval to use the wires on fabricated ribs for the Piper rib & the T craft rib. BUT I do not recommend it. You have to drill a hole & it always seems to crack.
Then THINK about it a moment, The stitching carrys the loads to the other side of the rib like it was DESIGNED to do...... the wires keep the loads on the same side. IF the stamped rib can be made to not cut the stitching cord then it COULD be used...... MAY it be used is the question.
Sooooo I stitch where stitching was used and use "Taylorcraft wire" where it was used.... I am probably not going over to the office to get the "approved" data for all this today, probably tomorrow IF I survive "wing nite"

[taylorcraft078]

Drilling the built up ribs looks like it would be a real bad idea to me. There isn't all that much meat there. When we took off the fabric there weren't any cut stitches that we could find. The last covering had been stitched on about 30 years ago. There was no tape on the edges of the stamped ribs. Maybe I will need to go with a combo of stitching on the built ups and Martin wires on the stamped ribs. Frankenplane lives!

Dave
N36078 '41 BC-12-65

[stormman]

I still hate the wires

[Steve Pierce]

The stamped ribs on this F21B have a curved lip on the cap strip part of the rib that I think would keep from cutting the rib stitching cord. When I spoke to the factory they said they were going to rib stitch the new airplanes.

[Robert Lees]

Steve, I think all the pressed ribs have the curved lip (to prevent chafing against the underside of the fabric.

The edge is an unfinished "crop" during the stamping process, and therefore sharp. If this was dressed out (and/or protected with anti-chafe tape) then I reckon it would be OK for stitching.

I wonder how the factory are going to get round this potential problem?

[Forrest Barber]

dressing out should work, anti-chafe is good. I am glad to see that we are starting a history of reports of stitching & stamped ribs working over the years. Remember way back in 1946 we had only the waxed stitching cord , no modern materails. Perhaps the factory can get this approved. BUT if they ever want to mass produce ( 30 per day) then the wires sure do go faster... TAYLORCRAFT wire that is!!! I wonder where the original factory dies for their wire got to over the years....

HI NORM.....

[Wayne]

screws

Does anyone know if there is a STC for using screws or rivits as a method of attaching fabric to BC12D wings?