Back to Basics

Have to say Brian, I admire your skill, optimism and sense of humour in adversity!!

This morning I covered the underside of the lower wing, it went pretty well, no snags for a change. Couldn't cover the topside, there was a snag after all. I'd completely forgotten to add the covering supports in the area of the interplane strut mounting plates. Cut and glued the four pieces, then had a go at the repaired upper wing tip. The home made Solartex decal was a bit harder to lift as it had been sealed round the edge, however it yielded to a newly sharpened balsa knife blade. Unfortunately I was a bit heavy handed and the liteply tip profile cracked along the original damage line. Cured that with a piece of balsa rebated to fit the tip thickness. Doing this doubles the glued area and helps prevent the reinforcement from getting too close to the covering. The strange looking clothes pegs are made from standard pegs opened out with a Permagrit rasp, they can grip things that a normal peg couldn't due to the lack of clearance. Don't know how much they cost now, mine were £1 for a pack of 100.

Don't know whether anyone noticed the improved appearance of my building board? It was looking its age, well it is over thirty years old, and I felt a bit ashamed of the state of it. A light sanding to remove the glue blobs and most of the accumulated paint, dusted it off and slopped on a coat of water based acrylic floor varnish. Now I have a "Shabby Chic" board, much nicer.

i must apologise Brian - i didn't notice your shabby chic building board

It was out of focus Kevin, so didn't show its true beauty.

Kevin Ross wrote: i must apologise Brian - i didn't notice your shabby chic building board

Nor me. I thought it was an old toilet door. not a precision model building board.