RE: heating a rod
Hi Mike, it's a "shaped" stab so it varies from about 1/2 " to 3/4".
It has been arched from prolonged storage. I've straitened it since, but it does have a bit of memory in it, thus the need for these carbon braces.
I want to drill through the rounded balsa tip and use hot straight wire for the inside styro, than gorilla glue the rod in.