Progress Update
It has been awhile since my last post but not for lack of progress. In fact, I am working on the Reaction every night and on weekends when the weather is not suitable for flying. I almost finished the left wing panel and wanted to share a technique I employed for the first time. When sheeting the LE of wings, I always found it challenging to achieve a perfect contact between the balsa sheeting front edge and the LE spar Here is how I did it this time.
1. After cutting and trimming the sheet to size, I put Titebonnd II glue along the LE spar.
2. I propped the sheeting to the proper contact angle with the help of a USPS triangular shipping box.
3. The skin LE was secured with pieces of masking tape to insure continuous line contact while the glue was drying.
4.Glue was added to the ribs and spar.
5. The outside of the skin was moistened using a towel and warm water, this caused the skin to curl and more or less conform to the ribs contour.
6. Pressure was applied to the skin using a bunch of old magazines, the uniform pressure provided for a perfect contact and conformity to the ribs contour.
The attached pictures illustrate the process and final outcome.
Last edited by N99JH; 02-04-2018 at 12:21 PM.