Going to Christmas dinner at some friends from church this afternoon. And I am totally dead in the water getting anything else done today (tomorrow and the next few days will be very busy indeed), so I worked on the last inter-plane strut.

During this I completely snapped the L.E. at the last two ribs off the bottom wing. I epoxied it back. Good as new.

Cut and bent up the 4 40 rod attachment pieces.. Then a couple of short sticks laid against them (after bolting them down) to check angles and re bend till they lined up with the opposite piece. Went relatively fast this time, as I could almost guess close on the angles this time. Then cut the carbon rods to size. That went faster and I got better fits to boot as well. I have to disagree with the old adage that practice makes perfect, but it sure does help a bunch.

So then I epoxied the 4 40 rod pieces into the carbon rods I confess to laying the two end carbon rods down in the wrong sequence, and when I already had the glue all the rods, going what the heck, they don't fit now??????? DUUUUHHHHHHH STUPID; switch the ends!!!!! Yep I really did call myself stupid. But anyway the 2 inter-plane struts are glued up.

Now I have to wait till I can get my spectral fishing line (30# test) out of my smashed up car and warp the carbon rod ends. The filaments in the carbon rods are all uni directional. No spirals or winding's or anything else. So the ends can split real easy. The answer for that weakness is to wrap the ends of all the carbon rods with the spectra and then some thin epoxy. I don't think they will then fail. Heck the warping may not even be needed, but I will sure feel a lot better knowing I went the extra step. I would prefer to use Kevlar thread, But I be darned if I can find my bobbin of it.

I can begin roughing the ply gussets that fits where 2 carbon rods com together ie. the N parts of the struts.

Merry Christmas every one!!!!

Ken