TIPS & TRICKS

Model Airplane News, Jun 2005 by Stewart, John, Ray, Greg, Stevens, Gary, Martin, John

Budget Covering-Iron Socks

Even the cleanest covering iron can put very fine scratches in the covering material that you've painstakingly applied to your favorite aircraft, and as your iron gets older and its surface wears, those scratches become more noticeable. Commercially available covering-iron socks are an effective solution, but they come at a price. A zero-cost solution is to just make your own out of an old T-shirt.

Place your covering iron on an old T-shirt, and trace around it with a felt-tip pen. Cut out the pattern, fold the edges around the tip of the iron, and secure with one or two staples. When the tip of the cover is secure, tie the tails of the cover over the handle for a snug fit. When the cover gets old, use the same T-shirt to make a new one; you can usually make several covers out of one shirt.

John Stewart, Jamul, CA

Easy Pitts Muffler Extensions

The exhaust stacks on most Pitts-style mufflers are often too short to exit the bottom of your cowl. Although you could purchase muffler extensions, a less expensive alternative is to make your own extensions out of silicone heat-shrink tubing. You can get high-quality 3M silicone tubing at most electronic-supply stores. The tubing shrinks to about 50 percent of its original size and will withstand the heat from your muffler. Choose tubing that shrinks to about the same diameter as the exhaust stacks on your muffler. To ensure that the tubing doesn't slip off, secure the tubing and exhaust stack with a zip-tie.

Greg Ray, Montrose, CO

Nose Job

Many modelers store their pride-and-joy airplanes by hanging them vertically on a wall. After a plane has hung this way for a while, oil and fuel residue will drip onto the floor -not good, especially on a carpeted surface. Here's a solution: just hang a surgical mask over the engine and under the prop to catch the oil and fuel that may drip out. You can buy these masks at any hardware store or home-improvement center. A single mask will last an entire flying season.

Gary Stevens, Russell, KY

Prop-er Protection

Many propellers have sharp tips that can easily puncture the covering on a wing or a fuselage; even worse, the tips could scratch an unsuspecting passerby's arm or leg. Foam pipe Insulation makes great prop protectors. It's cheap and comes in many diameters and lengths. Cut two pieces to completely cover the blades of your prop, poke two holes through the ends of the covers, and run a cord through them to keep them together when they aren't in use.

John Martin, Mulberry, FL

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