Readers' tips & tricks

A mini-vise is a valuable modeling tool in any shop, but all too often it isn't in quite the right place for the job at hand. That's where a portable vise mount comes in handy. You can make one with a few pieces of 3/4-inch-thick scrap wood and two 5-inch machine screws. Cut the top and bottom pieces to suit the size vise you have, making the bottom piece slightly larger to add stability. Make spacers to set the distance between the top and bottom pieces, then drill holes for the two screws and bolt everything together. Router mat from woodworkers' supply stores makes an excellent nonslip surface for the underside of the base.

Dave Seale, Dedham, MA

A NEW TWIST ON Z-BENDS

Z-bends are an established method for securing control arms, but they leave little room for adjustment later on. Instead, bend the wire as shown here. The effect is the same as a Z-bend, but you can open the bend back out with a screwdriver to make adjustments.

Jack Dundas, Ridgeville, Ontario, Canada

CLEVER CLEVIS TOOL

Clevises can be tough to get hold of when you need to disconnect them. You might be able to buy an appropriately shaped tool to spread them, but it's easier and less expensive to make your own from a pair of needlenose pliers. Using a rotary tool, grind a flat notch into the taper of the pliers, just behind the tip. Try to make both sides smooth and even, and don't grind too much, or the tips will snap when you use them as pliers. Simply slip the closed plier tips into the clevis, and use the flats to spread the clevis as you open the pliers.

George Anderson, Wimauma, FL

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MANIFOLD MAGIC

Refueling scale models can be a real hassle, especially if the cowl is not easily removable. One solution is to build your own two-line fueling manifold; all you need is some brass tube in 1/8- and 5/32-inch diameters, a 5/32-inch wheel collar, a simple bracket, a couple of screws and some soldering equipment. Drill an s-inch hole in the side of the 542-inch tube, and slip the wheel collar over the tube so the setscrew hole aligns with the hole in the tube. Slide a piece of 1/8-inch brass tube into the setscrew hole so it sits up against the 5/32-inch tube, and solder all the joints. Insert this assembly into the hole in the bracket, and connect the fuel line to your tank to the bottom of the 5/32-inch tube. Connect the 1/8-inch tube outlet on the side to the line that runs to your carb. Drill an access hole in your model's fuselage, and mount the bracket so that the top of the 5/32-inch tube lines up with the fuselage hole and sits flush with it. Insert a longer piece of 1/8-inch brass tube into the line on your fuel bottle to serve as a fuel probe; it will slide into the filler tube in the access hole. When your tank is full, plug the filler tube, and you are set to go.

W.N. Henderson, Trenton, Ontario, Canada

PLUG PROTECTION

It is tempting to use a plug wrench to reach down past the cooling fins to thread a new plug into the head. Wrenches are designed for leverage, and sometimes this extra torque can cause you to cross-thread a new plug, damaging the threads on the plug-or worse, the head-before you realize it isn't lined up. Instead, to extend your reach as you start threading the plug, slip a length of small-diameter fuel tubing over the plug. If the plug is properly positioned, the tubing will provide enough grip to get it started cleanly, but if it's cross-threaded, the tubing will lose grip before the threads become damaged.

Phil Shrive, Arnprior, Ontario, Canada

THE OLD STANDBY

Good old-fashioned white glue is still among the best adhesives for sheeting balsa onto a foam wing. It is affordable, easy to find, easy to clean up, and most important, it is effective. If an air bubble appears under the sheet, use a syringe filled with white glue to fill the bubble, then place weight over the spot where the bubble appeared to hold the sheet flat while the glue dries.

Augusto Villar, Montevideo, Uruguay

FUEL CAN TEE-TOPS

Moisture is the enemy of nitro fuel; once it's contaminated, both the performance and the reliability of your engine will suffer. Fuel cans with fuel fittings are convenient, but they are a prime source of moisture contamination. To seal up your can and preserve costly fuel, stick a couple of golf tees into lengths of fuel tubing. Make sure the seals are tight, then stick the other ends of the tubing over the fittings on top of your fuel can.

Tom Baker, Canandaigua, NY

LIGHT FLY WHEELS

Are you having trouble finding wheels that are the right size and light enough for your park flyer? Light plastic test caps for plastic pipe are sold in almost any hardware or home improvement store, and they can be had in 1 1/2-, 2-, 3and 4-inch diameters. Most have a recessed center that is perfect for holding a bushing, and the plastic is easy to paint for a more scale look.