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Update: I finally got the hang of reading those old wiring diagrams from the 80s
For the longest time, I'd avoid the old manuals for our Beechcraft King Airs like the plague, you know? I'd just call the senior guy over to translate the squiggly lines. But after getting stuck on a Saturday with a faulty autopilot and no one to call, I spent three hours just staring at one diagram until it clicked. Now I can trace a circuit in half the time it used to take me. Anyone have a good trick for keeping those giant, faded fold-out prints from tearing along the creases?
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wadejenkins18h ago
What about using those clear sheet protectors you can get at any office store? You can slide the whole fold-out in there and still see both sides. I'm with @caseywalker on avoiding packing tape, it turns into a real mess. The protectors keep the coffee off and you can just pull the diagram out if you need to lay it flat. They're cheap and you can replace them when they get scuffed up.
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the_drew21h ago
My old shop used to laminate the entire fold-out diagram for our Navajo manuals. Honestly, it made them stiff and a pain to store, but they lasted forever. I found just carefully reinforcing the back with that wide, clear packing tape works almost as well. Tbh, I think getting comfortable with those diagrams is the real fix, because then you're not manhandling them out of frustration trying to find where the line goes.
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caseywalker19h ago
Hard disagree on the packing tape fix. That stuff gets gummy and peels after a few years in a hot hangar, then you've got a sticky mess all over the diagram. @the_drew, full lamination might be stiff, but it's the only way to stop coffee spills and grease stains from ruining a critical page forever. Getting comfortable with the diagrams is great, but new guys aren't, and they're the ones who will destroy an unprotected manual. Sometimes the annoying, bulky solution is just the right one.
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Yeah, the "sticky mess all over the diagram" part is so true. I read somewhere that the adhesive can actually soak into the paper over time and make it worse. Maybe it's just me but that seems like a real headache.
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