Just started spending some time working on the plane today.


Sunday evening I made 2 false starts at making the strut fairings. Batting zip so far. That's OK, I got a bit ahead of myself anyway. So took a pause.


I am working on what has to be done before the fairings, warping the ends of the strut carbon fiber rods. They are cheaply made. The carbon strands are not wound, just strait from end to end. I found that out when cutting them. I suspected that from the start. That is OK they are really strong except to splitting. If they carbon strands were wound they would not be subject to splitting.


To resolve the possibility of the ends spitting out where the 4-40 rods enter, I am winding 203 test Spectra fishing line around the ends .. oh maybe 3/4" to 1" from the end of the carbon rods.


A bit of a frustrating and tedious chore, but I feel absolutely necessary. It would have been much, much easier to wrap the ends after the carbon rods were cut to size, but before gluing the 4-40 rods into the ends. I had planned to warp the carbon rods the whole time. It just never accrued to me to do it before gluing up the struts.


Oh well. I am still able to wrap the carbon rod ends. Just takes effort. I start with a wrap and single knot on the 4-40 rod just above the carbon rod. I lock that with with thin super glue. I finally figured out how to clamp just part of the strut assembly to my work surface and with two hands going at it to get a good wrap on the carbon rod ends. I then hit the wrap with thin super glue and cut the excess Spectra line. Then work the whole wrap with thin super glue.


6 ends down, about a hour of work. Only 18 more to go. Heck I am almost there ..not.


Ken