ORIGINAL: strulag
AAAAAAAHA...Now I got it. The secret is to use those toothpick shims with thin CA. WOW...That would've helped me so much to know when I did mine. Thx a lot campy...this info is really helpful.
I still don't get how you use the T pins though. Is that in case where the tail is not covered?
>T pins can be used whether or not the horizontal stab is covered
>or not. I use the T pins when the horizontal stab is sitting ON the
>fuselage, not in a slot. I do a lot of scratch building, so often times
>even though it may appear that the horizontal stab is in a slot, it
>actually isn't due to the way the plane is built.
Another thing...When you shim it with toothpics do you do it along the whole stab?...or just put them in key places?
>I try to put them in as much of the gap as possible.
What do yo do to make it look pretty afterwards if there is a bunch of toothpics in there that are really visible?
>To make it look "pretty" again, I trim the toothpicks flush with
>the fuselage side. A new #11 blade is best for the trimming.
>then I use some lightweight filler to fill in any gaps. After that
>drys, I sand the filler smooth and cover the area with matching
>film, or if the plane is painted, paint to match. This conceals
>the "repair" and unless someone looks very closely, they will
>never see it.
P.S. What's a 30/60/90 triangle?
>If you go to a drafting supplies store (some stores have
>these in school/office supplies) it is actually a piece of
>(usually clear) triangle shaped plastic about 1/8" thick,
>6" high and 3"wide. They come in larger sizes also.
>What I do is draw a semi circle about 1" up from the
>corner and 1" on the side and cut it out with my
>scroll saw. Now when I want to check the vertical
>alignment of the stab, I have a recess in the
>triangle that will easily fit over any parts of the
>fuselage that may be sticking/protruding out.
I will give you a tip to make using your thin CA easier. Get some "Micro Tubing" at the hobby shop. This is a very small diameter teflon tubeing that is normally sold in 3' lengths. The take the tip OFF a NEW bottle of CA and very carefully trim the plug off the tip. What you want to do is just get the plug off.
First take one end of the micro tubeing and cut an angle on it. Now this part takes a little speed and timing. Take a T pin and carefully insert it in the opening of the tip from the CA bottle. You will want to wiggle the pin around a little to SLIGHTLY enlarge the opening. Now remove the pin and insert the micro tubing into opening on the end of the CA tip. Once you have it inserted about 3/4" into the tip, you want about 3" left hanging out of the tip when you cut it off. The micro tubing will allow very precise placement of the CA and easily controls the amount of CA that comes out. If the end of the tubing gets clogged, just cut off about 3/16" and you are ready to go again.
I also suggest using the hard extender tips for your medium CA. If/when the hard extenders clog with CA, put the tips in a tightly capped bottle of acetone for a couple of days - they come out good as new.