.
10a. Even though we’re not going to glue it on right now, let’s make the Tail Skid.
Take one of the 10" pieces of bamboo provided and put a pencil mark at 7" and
8" from one end. The 1" area between these two marks needs to be bent to form
the curved bottom of the tail skid, as shown on the plan.
b.
There are a lot of different ways to bend wood, but for this application we’ve
found that the easiest method is simply to do a "controlled break" of the area we
want formed. In other words, we simply bend the bamboo slowly until it just starts
to break. Start with the tip of your thumb near one end of the 1" marked area.
Bend the stick over your thumb until you feel it start to break. Stop, move your
thumb about 1/4" or so further along in the area you want formed, and then bend
again. Continue moving along in small increments in the area you want formed,
bending it to the point of almost breaking, until you have the shape you want.
Don’t worry if a few strands of bamboo start to get loose on the outside of the
curve. Once you’ve got the shape you want, thoroughly soak the entire bent area
of the bamboo stick with thin CA to re-strengthen it. When dry, sand off any
rough spots. Cut off the unwanted portion of the bamboo stick at the 8" mark and
sand the end round.
NOTE: Don’t worry if the bend in your tail skid doesn’t match the plan exactly.
The tail skids on the full-scale Antoinettes were all a little different too.
c.
Bevel off the top end of the Tail Skid to fit against the bottom of the fuselage, as shown on the plan. Then, trial fit the Tail
Skid on the bottom of the fuselage. You could glue it on now, which would lend support to the rudder post, but we’ve found
it’s a lot easier to cover the rear of the fuselage without the Tail Skid in place. So set it aside for now, and try to be careful
not to break off the rudder post.
11.
Double check that the ends of the two 1/8" sq. balsa Top Longerons are cut off
right at the front face of former F1 on the plan. Then, install former F1 at the front
of the fuselage. The angle on the front of the Keel sets the proper "downthrust"
angle for F1. Just make sure the ends of the Top Longerons and the front portion
of the Keel are flush with the front face of F1, and that will set the proper angle.
12.
Inspect all the glue joints in the fuselage to this point, and apply more glue where
needed. Let dry. Then unpin the fuselage assembly from the building board.
13.
Using a small sanding block with 100-150 grit paper, bevel the front edge of the
keel slightly in preparation for adding the fuselage side sheeting. You don’t have
to sand it to a sharp point, just take the edge off the corners of the keel to provide
a good gluing surface for the sheeting.
14.
Two sheets of 1/32"x3"x24" balsa are provided for sheeting the sides of the
fuselage from F1 back to F7. The best procedure is to lay one of the 1/32" balsa
sheets on a piece of wax paper on your flat building board. Then lay the side of
the fuselage down flat on the balsa sheet. As you hold the fuselage down flat
against the balsa sheet, start tack gluing formers F7 thru F3 to the sheet. Also
glue the top and bottom longerons. Let dry. Note: Don’t glue the sheeting to F2
and F1 at this time. Wait until we get the sheeting put on the other side first.
Содержание Antoinette 1909
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