Wow, that's interesting advice, why have I not heard that before?

Originally Posted by xrx1113

build it to fly not to withstand a crash

Yeah, the added weight of the strengthened plane makes it hit the ground harder. F=MA, ya know.

Originally Posted by xrx1113

and a close second was build it straight.

So true, it took me a couple of builds before I learned, the first thing to do is draw a centerline and stay on it. I built a couple of really squirrely planes before I figured that out.

I saw this at Sears and couldnt bring myself to pay like $30 for this when I had an old file organizer laying around the house. fits all your sandpaper perfect and now its easy to find the grit you are looking for.

I like that one thanks

Me too. My paper is all mixed up. I think I'll use this tip.

You want the all plastic version the paper/card one wont last long

Originally Posted by cbarnes0061

I saw this at Sears and couldnt bring myself to pay like $30 for this when I had an old file organizer laying around the house. fits all your sandpaper perfect and now its easy to find the grit you are looking for.

Yep,that's a good one.
Thanks... Fred

To some extent, strengthening a plane slightly can be good. You don't want the top wing of a biplane falling off from the force of a landing just because the balsa struts holding it on were too weak. But if you go overboard strengthening a plane (like I am guilty of in the past), then you end up with one way overweight.

white vinegar cleans unset epoxy off brushes; cheap and effective (albeit a bit whiffy)

saved me a lot of reasonable brushes for re-use

Originally Posted by scruffy1

white vinegar cleans unset epoxy off brushes; cheap and effective (albeit a bit whiffy)

saved me a lot of reasonable brushes for re-use

I'll remember that whenever I run out of acetone. I keep a jar full of acetone to put my brushes in between coats or when changing colors, and to clean them when I'm finished.

and i'll add another tip :

Originally Posted by RknRusty

I'll remember that whenever I run out of acetone. I keep a jar full of acetone to put my brushes in between coats or when changing colors, and to clean them when I'm finished.

that tends to make them fall apart with my brushes

and i'll add another tip :
beware that waxed paper has a shiny and a dull side, and if you put the dull side against the epoxy when you are sandwiching carbon fibre tissue to balsa will find it sticks like **** to a blanket, requiring a lot of effort to scour it off

isopropyl wipes do a reasonable job though if you must...

Originally Posted by scruffy1

and i'll add another tip :


that tends to make them fall apart with my brushes

and i'll add another tip :
beware that waxed paper has a shiny and a dull side, and if you put the dull side against the epoxy when you are sandwiching carbon fibre tissue to balsa will find it sticks like **** to a blanket, requiring a lot of effort to scour it off

isopropyl wipes do a reasonable job though if you must...

Even with wax paper, you need to be using a release agent if you want trouble-free fiberglass work. Trust me on this. I own a classic Corvette and have had to learn how to do fiberglass for the restoration process.

Use a release agent for your fiberglass jobs, folks.

Get a razor plane! Best tool I ever bought! Set it to take off paper thin slices and you'll get results twice as fast as sandpaper with none of the dust!

Originally Posted by 13Flatspins

Get a razor plane! Best tool I ever bought! Set it to take off paper thin slices and you'll get results twice as fast as sandpaper with none of the dust!

Yes, I love my razor plane, best $5 I ever spent for my modeling habit.

Never get CA on your fingers when you have baking soda on them. I just did that. Don't recommend it