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QuickTalk 6 - Q-TIPS

An excellent filler for large areas (wing and canard fillets or to extend the lower cowling as I did) is a product called Poly-Cell 500. It is available at better paint stores. It is similar in consistency to the orange foam when dried. It can be applied in any shape or thickness to any area and then easily contoured by sanding. With respect to my cowling extensions, the foam was sprayed on in one coat to about 3/4", sanded, filled with micro and glassed. Then the inside (original skin) was cut out leaving a perfect, new contoured shape, but 3/4" larger. (Fred Baron, #2076)


When the wing (or canard) is fitted correctly to the jig blocks, the blocks may be fastened to the construction table by using hot melt glue. This will adequately attach the blocks, but they may be removed with a sharp side blow. Our table has been varnished with polyurethane floor varnish, and it is waxed irregularly, with the result that this method has been used satisfactorily.

To attach the assembled wing (or canard) core to the fixed blocks, cut a 1/2" or 3/4" board that is as long as the wing tip jig block. Cut the height of the board such that it will be below the surface to be glassed when the board is attached to the jig block. The board should be drilled for free fit of 3" finishing nails that will enter the foam core such that the nails will adequately hold the core but not protrude through any surface to be glassed.

As long as the tip is flush or slightly recessed from the outer edge of the jig block, the holding board, with nails spaced less than 1" apart, will hold the core to the blocks as well as any other method and yet will not damage any surface to be glassed. (Harold Little, #147)



Body shop masking paper does better than wax paper for glass tapes and it absorbs epoxy to eliminate runs. Works great when wetting out several layers of cloth to be applied directly to the airplane.

Any improvement over sighting through the axle holes for wheel alignment is to put a piece of masking tape over the axle holes and punch a pinhole in the center. A flashlight may then be used at the opposite wheelpant. (Casey Strickland, #2661)


Last issue showed a photo of my wife, Mary, standing by our plane, which was on its back with the canard mounted. This prompted some questions. During canard fitting, it occurred to me that it might be easier to mount the canard with the fuselage belly up - so I did. Everything was easy to hold in position, lots of bending was avoided and I had easy access everywhere to do my final trimming and fitting. This worked equally well on a Q2 recently. (Jim Masal, #457)


A retractable NACA vent:



A simpler method of building fairings for cosmetic and aerodynamic purposes, rather than shaping foam, is to cut two or three-inch wide strips of nylon screen and pull it around and stick it down with five-minute epoxy. This works well with the canard-to-fuselage fairings after the structural tapes have already been applied. The screen conforms to the compound shapes and enables a simpler hollow fairing to be constructed. Two layers of BID laid right on the screen and overlapping 1" complete the job. (S.W. Hanke, #2148)


When hot wiring, make sure the hot wire cuts some foam prior to actually cutting the contours. This allows the wire time to temperature stabilize. (John McCluskey)


Once you have installed the main wing and rigged the ailerons, you can trim off the extra material at the trailing edge, but how to get a straight line all the way from wingtip to wingtip? If you don't have a chalk line, or if it always snaps crooked like mine, take two lengths of kite string and run them from wingtip to wingtip at the proposed trailing edge (measure back from the leading edge on both wingtips). Tie the string together at the two ends and support both strings slightly above the wing. Stretch one string taut and let the other hang looser, with a weight in the center. Now sight down from above until the strings line up and make reference marks all across the wing. Now simply connect the dots for your cut line. (Kim Singleton, #2170)



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