Tips & tricks

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IN GOOD STANDING

A properly fitting stand helps protect a model against being dinged and dented and makes it much easier to work on. But unless all your planes are the same size and shape, you'll probably need several stands or a heavy, compli cated adjustable unit. A convenient alternative is to make a stand with replaceable foamboard end pieces. Make a center section out of two lengths of 3/4-inch dowel that you've drilled holes in for 1/4-inch dowel cross-braces. Insert the cross-braces to form a "ladder" and glue the dowels into place. Cut rectangles of 1/2-inch-thick blue or pink foamboard, and drill 3/4-inch holes In them for the dowel ends on the center section. Cut out a cradle in each foam block that fits the shape of your model, and slide the blocks onto the dowel ends. You can quickly and easily cut a pair of foam end pieces to fit every new model, and swapping them takes just seconds. The stand can be broken down for transportation just as quickly.

Lee Richter, New Berlin, WI

PLUG AND PLAY

Connecting an aileron lead while holding the wing, the lead and the connector In the fuselage requires a third hand, double-jointed fingers, or some juggling. Add an inconveniently timed gust of wind and you can easily end up with a dinged wing. To avoid this, fix the receiving connector in the fuselage using a simple balsa block. Drill two holes in a small block, and then use a rotary tool to connect the holes to form a slot that's approximately the size of your connector. Insert the connector, CA it Into place, and mount the block on the Inside of the fuselage near the wing mount where It will be easily accessible. With this setup, connecting your wing requires just two hands. What a concept!

Jerry Sivin, Talent, OR

A BETTER WAY TO RECYCLE

One and two-iter plastic bottles provide excellent modeling materials. The center section Is Ideal as windshield material; Its curve naturally follows the contour of many fuselages. It's flexible enough to be bent and shaped, and it can be trimmed cleanly and easily. You can use the top of a bottle as a fuel funnel, and the bottom makes a great epoxy mixing bowl or parts storage container.

Don Sektnan, Eagan, MN

CUT-RATE COVER CUTTERS

A common, scroll-shaped letter opener makes a surprisingly effective tool for cutting airplane covering material. The slot in the bottom feeds the material In flat for a smooth cut. The cutters are sharp enough to slice the covering without hanging or snagging on it, and the handle makes it easy to cut in one long, smooth motion. Best of all, lots of businesses use these letter openers as advertising, so you can probably collect a few without spending a dime.

Fredrick Wolfe, Fort Worth, TX

KEEP YOUR HINGES

ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

Do you have trouble keeping CA hinges straight when you Install them? Try Inserting a couple of straight pins through the hinge line to serve as stops when you install the components. Feed each side of the hinge material into the hinge slots, and use the pins to reposition the material as necessary. When you have the hinge lined up, carefully remove the pins before you apply CA or you'll be flying with the pins still in place!

William Masetti, Somers, NY

ADJUSTABLE SMOKE FLOW

Here's a neat trick to help control the flow of smoke fluid to your muffler. Bend the end of a length of piano wire into a loop that's approximately the diameter of your smoke-fluid tubing Run the tubing through the loop, and then thread the other end of the wire through a small hole drilled in a plywood plate. On the other side of the plate, attach the wire to your servo. As the servo rotates, the piano wire will squeeze the tube against the plywood plate and will restrict the flow of fluid.

Hisham Bu Jawdeh, Beirut, Lebanon

FILE THIS TIP!

Mini reciprocating sanders are a clever Idea, and you can buy them from a few sources for about $70. Or, for less than $20 In parts, you can make your own. Most common electric toothbrushes provide the same reciprocating motion as a sander. Simply pop off the removable brush head and attach a piece of an emery-board nail file to the shaft; It's OK to CA It on. You can mount different grits of sandpaper to the emery board with spray adhesive, and the emery board can be trimmed or shaped to fit any application.

Rodney Myers, Platteville, WI

EASY-T0-INSTALL EYELETS

The brass eyelets that come with rubber servo grommets are often a tight fit, and they can be tiresome to install by hand. A handy alternative Is to use a punch or a piercer to apply them. Mount the grommet on the servo, and slip the eyelet over the tip of the punch. Then use the leverage of the punch to pop the eyelet into place. When you want to remove It, just insert the punch from the top. Be careful not to get your other hand in the way of the tip, and be sure to brace the servo on Its casing rather than on the output gear to avoid damaging the servos by putting pressure on them.