Moving on after my last post I'll continue building the fuel tank area. After the epoxy fuelproofing has dried we'll put the fuel tank floor in. I decided to make a modification and build up a reinforcement for the fuel tank floor. If you look at pictures #1 and #2 you can see that the supplied fuel tank floor is a bit flimsy. I just don't like having that holding the fuel tank held in place by such a thin piece of wood. I used 1/4” balsa stock to build a small frame under the fuel tank floor. Picture #3 shows the 1/4” stock that I used, and picture #4 shows the framework that I am going to use. I glued the stock in place and clamped them down to let the glue dry (picture #5). Before I glued the tank floor in place I used a bit of epoxy (thinned with the heat gun and spread out with epoxy brush) to fuelproof the underside of the fuel tank floor. I did this prior to placing it in the fuselage because it was easier to do with the tank floor out of the fuselage. Apply wood glue to the edges of the fuel tank floor and put it in place inside of the fuselage (picture #7 and #8). After the tank floor is in place go ahead and fuelproof the top of it.

Pictures
1. Stock tank floor
2. Wood for tank floor is too flimsy
3. 1/4” balsa stock to reinforce the tank floor
4. Building a framework for the tank floor
5. Clamping the tank floor frame in place while the glue dries.
6. Bottom of tank floor after it has been fuelproofed.
7. Putting the tank floor in the fuselage.
8. The tank floor in place inside the fuselage.

Until next time

Ken