sahartman21

In a couple hours the finishing epoxy mix has hardened to the consistency of soap.

I use a razor to scrape the surface flush.

sahartman21

If you happen to cut too deep into the surface and damage the hinge, here is how to fix it.

1) Cut a piece of 2 ounce fiberglass cloth on the 45 degree angle.

2) Mix a small amount of finishing epoxy and apply it to the damaged surface.

3) Place the fiberglass cloth on.

4) Apply a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the patch.

5) Pull it tight and tape it in place.

sahartman21

Next is planning and installing the elevator flex cable.

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Test fit the tail surface with screws prior to gluing on the tail.

Double check the incidence of the wing and tail.

The tail surface was then glued on with 30-minute epoxy. The tail was upside down to allow the glue to flow into the glue joint,

sahartman21

The flexible cable was glued in place with Shoe Goo. This is vibration resistant and does a good job of holding parts in place.

sahartman21

The model is getting close now. Just a few more steps and then it is ready for painting.

sahartman21

A balsa wood post was glued in place with epoxy.

sahartman21

I initially tried the fiberglass rudder but found it was a little thin. I chose to cut one out of 3/8" thick balsa.

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I piece of 3/8" diameter dowel rod was installed in the rudder.

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The rudder is being covered with 2 ounce fiberglass cloth and finishing epoxy.

This is later placed between layers of peel ply and placed in the vacuum bag.

sahartman21

The following pictures show how to make the cowl.
Scissors and a Dremel tool were used to shape the surface.

sahartman21

The model is now ready to seal, prime, and paint. Here are a few pictures prior to painting:

sahartman21

I began by washing the fiberglass parts with shampoo and water to remove any release agent. It was allowed to dry.

The fuselage was then lightly sanded going down to 220 grit paper.

Larger holes were then filled with polyester filler (Bondo). This stuff dries in a few minutes. Sand it smooth and then go down to 220 grit sandpaper.

sahartman21

I then applied lightweight Spackle to the surface with a squeegee. This fills the pinholes.

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Sand the surface with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the majority of the lightweight Spackle.

The goal is to leave the surface smooth and ready to prime. The Spackle does an excellent job of filling the pinholes.

sahartman21

I used white Klasskote epoxy primer on the models.

Approximately 4* ounces of primer was mixed per model. *Note: If done again I'd suggest 5 to 6 ounces per model.

The primer was thinned with 1 part thinner per part of primer. The Klean-Strip Lacquer Thinner worked fine to thin the primer.

sahartman21

Lightly wet sand the primed surface of the model.

Use a sanding block on flat surfaces and a loose sheet of wet-and-dry sandpaper on other surfaces. I used 400 grit wet-and-dry sandpaper.

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Here is what the model looked like after wet sanding.

I am planning to paint the model yellow. Yellow tends to be transparent and therefore the surface must be perfectly white with no grain or imperfections, or they will show up after painting.

I took the opportunity to fill a few more pinholes. Another coat of primer will be applied.

diggs_74

Looks great Scott.. Can't wait to hear how it flies..

sahartman21

An additional coat of primer was applied and later sanded (220 and 400 grit sandpaper).

sahartman21

Here are my spray gun and materials used for the color coat. The spray gun is available from Harbor Freight for about $15.

I mixed about 5 ounces of paint (acrylic enamel and hardener) per model.

The final mix was about 3 parts paint and 1 part reducer.

sahartman21

A light coat of paint was applied first and after a couple minutes the remaining coats were applied.

The model was initially white and the yellow covered it great.



FYI - I've tried painting yellow over darker colors and had less that perfect results. [&:]

sahartman21

After about 24 hours you can wet sand the surface to remove dust, runs, etc.

2000 grit wet-and-dry sandpaper works fine for this service.

sahartman21

I wanted the model to be unique and very visible in the air.

What do you think?

The clear coat will go on tomorrow.

jeffk464

Hey, the go fast sticker actually say fast.