Hints & kinks

Model Airplane News, Jan 2000

PLASTIC MODEL

TECH TOOL @ This plastic modeler's scribing tool from the

Bare Metal Foil Co. is very useful for trimming molded parts because it creates a clean "snap line" after plowing out a thin, curly scrap of plastic. Outline the area to be trimmed with the hard, plastic label tape that's used in Dymo lettering machines, then use the edge of the thick tape as a guide.

Colin Cameron, Grayslake, IL CUSTOM TRIM SEALER Cut the ends off large aluminum rain gutter nails, then bend, file and polish the resulting rods to make custom trim-sealer tools that can be inserted into your Top Flite trim-sealing iron.

Donal Kavanagh, Sun City West, AZ EZ MOUNT COWL To prevent cowl screws from crushing the balsa, drill a large hole through each side of the cowl. Drill holes through two dowels to make wooden bushings. If you are able to, use a lathe. Finally, glue in the now-suitable-diameter hardwood bushings. The screws can be driven into wooden blocks or into the engine bearers.

Howard Schmidt, Green Bay, WI

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MIX OR MATCH

If you have a mix of radios that need different charging jacks, make sure to use the correct charger for each transmitter because you could damage it with the reverse polarity of a non-matching charger. To help identify the correct charger, stick a circle of brightly colored covering film around the charge socket, and apply a bright band of the same color film around the charging plug.

Fred Heddleson,

Oak Ridge, TN

SOFT SHOE SHUFFLE

Use CA to glue 90-degree balsa blocks and a very thin ply shoe, with all its edges rounded off, to the end of your hobby-saw blade, Pr making absolutely sure that it is at a right angle to the shoe. This supports the saw at a 90-degree angle while you cut fuselage spacers, etc., and seems to work much better than a slotted miter box.

Eric Marsden, Horndean, Hampshire, England

CUTTING CORNERS

For a better fitting corner joint when using triangle stock, sand a little off the 90-degree corner to provide clearance for any glue fillet that might exist.

Roy McGuckin, San Diego, CA

POOR

MAN'S DOT

Use CA to glue a 3/8-inchlong piece of 9/32-inch-i.d. brass tube through the fuselage side. Insert the fuel filler line, which should be about 3 inches longer than you need, through the tube. After fueling, insert a plug made from a shortened nail into the fill line then push the fill line and plug back into the brass tube until flush, as shown. Solder a soft wire loop to the nail and secure the plug to the model with a fine wire fishing trace, then paint the nail to match your plane.

Clair Sieverling, Phoenix, AZ

A TACKY JOB

To spray a lot of scale fittings, first attach a length of masking tape sticky side up to your paper-covered bench. Spray the bottom of the fittings and let them dry overnight. Set them firmly on the masking tape strip. This keeps them in place while you spray the upper surfaces and prevents them from falling over while they dry.

Mike DeBlasis, Houston, TX

LONG DOUBLE ENDER

Cut the short leg off differentsize Allen wrenches, then braze the longer sections to the ends of short lengths of 1/8-inch music wire. Carefully jig the wire to ensure that the keys are aligned and, while brazing, stick the key into a wet sponge to prevent damage to the end. Some modelers silver-solder keys into a small-diameter steel tube. This useful tool can be used in a cordless drill.

Frank Kelly, Lake Havasu City, AZ

KEYHOLE CANOPY

Attach your glider canopy with keyhole slots in the ply base as shown. The holes fit over two large screw heads, then the canopy is pushed back to lock it. Lloyd says that his canopy has never detached in flight, but you may wish to attach a cord and clip to the canopy to prevent it from blowing away if it's knocked off in a hard landing.

Lloyd Ressler Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England

COOL CRADLE

A very inexpensive foam cooler can be cut as shown to make a model cradle for bench or field use. The foam packaging from electronic equipment will also work well. Cut the foam with a hot wire and be sure to sand away the hard foam scab; it could scratch your model's finish.

Chris Archie, Beaumont, TX

CHEAP-O TRIM TOOL

This little, hard balsa "sled" with a glued-in blade produces a consistent flap of covering film around your wings, etc. The position of the blade in the block defines the width of the flap, while the blade point only needs to protrude about an 'A inch. Phone books will keep the wing in place while you apply tension to the scrap film.

Joe Jessee, Bristol, VA