HOW TO CUT COVERING FROM BALSA
Use a 25 watt soldering iron to cut the covering from the stab.
The tip of the soldering iron doesn’t have to be sharp, but a
fine tip does work best. Allow the iron to heat fully. Use a metal
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 fine cut. Allow
the heat to melt the covering. Do not apply much pressure or
the wood may be damaged. Peel off the covering.
❏
8. Apply a light coat of 30-minute epoxy in the stabilizer
slot and the top and bottom of the stabilizer. Slide the
stabilizer into position. Make sure the stabilizer is centered
from side-to-side using the string method to re-align the stab
with the fuselage. Insert the fin into the fin slot, but do not
insert it completely. The fin is used to space the fin slot
correctly while the epoxy sets. Wipe off the excess epoxy
with a paper towel dampened with denatured alcohol. Allow
the epoxy to set completely before installing the fin.
❏
9. Fit the fin all the way into the fin slot. Again, use a felt-
tip pen to mark the fuselage onto the fin. Remove the fin
from the fuselage and remove the covering from the fin.
❏
10. Glue the fin into position using epoxy. Use a builder’s
square to make sure the fin is perpendicular to the stab.
Wipe off the excess epoxy with a paper towel dampened
with denatured alcohol. Masking tape can be used to hold
the fin in position until the epoxy sets.
❏
11. Use a sharp hobby knife to trim the covering from the
notch in the leading edge of the rudder.
❏
12. Join the rudder to the fin using three CA hinges. Use
thin CA to glue the CA hinges in the rudder and fin following
the same procedure used for the ailerons.
❏
1. Position one of the aluminum motor brackets 1/4"
[6mm] back from the forward edge of the mounting rails. Set
the motor on the motor bracket so that the aft edge of the
motor is 3/16" [5mm] from the firewall.
MOUNT THE MOTOR
10