❍
6. Peel the covering from the bottom of the stabilizer.
❍
7. Reposition the stabilizer onto the fuselage. Resting the
fuselage on your workbench, place a weight on top of the
stab to hold it down. View the fuselage from the rear. If the
stab is parallel with the workbench, proceed to the next step.
If the stab is not parallel with the workbench, remove the
stab and use medium-grit sandpaper to sand down the “high
side” of the stab saddle where the stab rests until you can
get the stab level.
❍
8. Use 30-minute epoxy to glue the stab into position–be
certain to coat
both
the bottom of the stab
and
the fuselage
with epoxy. Use weight or T-pins to hold the stab in position
until the epoxy hardens.
Join the Fin
❍
1. Taking accurate measurements, use a fine-point, felt-
tip pen to mark the center of the fuselage in the two
locations shown.
❍
2. Using the marks to align a straightedge, mark a
centerline down the top of the fuselage and onto the stab as
shown—this will be used to align the fin.
❍
3. Place the fin on the fuselage, accurately aligning it over
the centerline. Without using any glue, place the tri-stock
fin
braces
on both sides of the fin. The same as was done with
the bottom of the stab, use a fine-point, felt-tip pen to mark the
outline of the fin braces onto the fuselage top and the fin.
How to cut covering from balsa.
Rather than using a hobby knife which could
inadvertently cut into the balsa, use a heated soldering
iron. Move the iron at a pace that will just melt the
covering without burning into the wood–the hotter the
soldering iron, the faster you will have to move it. A sharp
tip isn’t necessary, but a fine-point does work best.
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