CONSTRUCTION
FIN/RUDDER
D 1. The fin is made up of the three pieces shown above.
Locate these three pieces and lay them out.
D 2. Glue the front part of the fin to the main part using
thin C/A. Assemble the two parts and check to make
sure they fit properly and then apply a line of C/A along
the joint. When the glue has cured, flip the pieces over
and add a little glue to the other side.
so that the outer hinges are approximately 1" from the
ends of the rudder and the middle hinge is in the center.
D 4. Draw a line down the middle of the trailing edge of
the fin and also down the middle of the leading edge of
the rudder. A sheet of wood (or anything) 1/8" thick laid
down next to the piece makes it easy to do this. Transfer
the hinge locating marks from the side to the edges as
shown above.
D 5. Use your hobby knife with a #11 blade to cut the
hinge slots in both the fin and the rudder. The slots
should go straight into the balsa without coming out the
side and should be about 3/4" deep.
CAUTION!!!: You must use extreme care when
cutting hinge slots with an Xacto knife, to avoid
cutting yourself! If the balsa part breaks while you
are pushing on the knife, the blade could go into your
hand before you know it! A good precaution is to
wear leather gloves while performing this step.
D 3. Lay the rudder in place against the trailing edge of
the fin and, using a hinge (see step 29, p. 9) as a
template, mark the hinge locations. They are spaced out
5
