11
HOW TO CUT COVERING FROM BALSA
Use a soldering iron to cut the covering from the area
beneath the wing bolt plate. The tip of the soldering iron
doesn’t have to be sharp, but a fi ne tip does work best.
Allow the iron to heat fully.
Use a straightedge to guide the soldering iron at a rate
that will just melt the covering and not burn into the wood.
The hotter the soldering iron, the faster it must travel to
melt a fi ne cut. Peel off the covering.
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6. Wipe away the lines you drew. Insert the elevator
joiner wire in the notch at the back of the stab saddle.
Use epoxy to glue the stab in place, being careful that the
stab is properly aligned.
Tip: Place a piece of masking tape on the top and bottom of
the stabilizer, just outside the cut covering. Insert the stab in
the fuselage so that part of the bare wood is showing. Apply
30-minute epoxy to the wood, top and bottom. Slide the stab
through the fuselage so that approximately 1/2" [12.7mm]
of bare wood is showing on the other side and apply epoxy
to the wood. Now align the stab, remove the masking tape
and wipe off any excess epoxy from the stab and fuselage.
Recheck that the stab is still aligned.
You can now remove the wings and continue with the
assembly of the fuselage.
Install the Elevator Hinges
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1. Drill a 3/32" [2.4mm] hole, 1/2" [12.7mm] deep in the
center of each hinge slot to allow the CA to “wick” in. Follow-
up with a #11 blade to clean out the slots. Hint: If you have
one, use a high-speed rotary tool to drill the holes.
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2. Use a sharp #11 blade to cut a strip of covering from
the hinge slots in the wing and aileron.
Trim the Corners
1" [25mm]
3/4" [19mm]
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3. Cut six 3/4" x 1" [19 x 25mm] hinges from a CA
hinge strip. Snip off the corners so they go in easier. Insert
three hinges in each elevator.
