Scale Wendell Hostetler 30% Piper Cherokee Glass Fuselage Build.

Married the right and left halves this morning. The halves were joined with a thickened epoxy mixture of milled fibers and colloidal silica mixed to peanut butter consistency, this was applied with a Mono-eject tube cut off to about 1/8" opening. The mixture that squeezed in was smoothed with a brush on a stick then carbon strips were placed on the joint that could be reached, plan to finish the remainder through the door opening after the fuselage is removed from the mold. There is heat on the mold now so it may get removed later today?

Continue to work on the remaining small parts, finished the stabilator tips and working on the second main gear fairing.

After looking at the stabilator skin mold decided to wet sand it smooth, don't know I didn't do this before? At any rate it is sanded down to 2500 grit and waxed ready for PVA. Have plenty of carbon left so thinking 1 1/2 and 4 ounce glass, 1 layer of 5.7 carbon fiber, will see how that works.

It's out! Weight came in at 3.86 pounds, was estimating 4, so I'm happy. The door stayed in the mold, the clear packing releases very well. Tomorrow I plan to cut away the door area and finish the seam tapes. It feels really light.



No need for the plug anymore! I filled two contractor garbage bags with debris from vacuum bagging, I think most of the epoxy went to the curb.

Geeze…….

Here's what it looks like with the cowl and tail cone installed. I need to revise the tail cone that was previously made. The tail cone should go all the way to the point where the fin trailing edge intersects the fuselage. When I made it I wasn't worried about minor details, now that I began scale competition I need to rethink a few things. Plan to glue the tail cone on and finish the seam, then cut it off at the correct location and make a new mold.

Have the first stabilator skin in the bag. All those dots puts me in mind of the candy I bought when I was young, you know, the white paper strip with colored dots of candy glued to it. Started getting the rudder mold ready to lay up.