Top Flite TOPA0140 - Manual (Page 10)

BUILD THE TAIL SURFACES
BUILD THE STAB
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1. Use your own method or the Hot Tip that follows
to glue two 1/16" x 3" x 30" [1.6 x 76 x 762mm] balsa
sheets together to make a 6" x 30" [152 x 762mm]
sheet for the top and bottom stab skins.
This is the same procedure we will recommend
when it is time to make the wing skins.
❏
G. After the glue dries, remove the masking
tape and sand the sheet flat with your bar
sander and 150-grit sandpaper. The idea is to
sand the sheeting before you glue it to the
structure. This eliminates low spots that can
occur over the wing ribs from sanding too much
after you glue the sheeting in place.
❏
F. Place weights on top of the sheets to hold
them down. We prefer plastic bags filled with
lead shot, but anything similar will do the job.
❏
E. Inspect the seam and press the sheets
together where they do not align.
❏
D. Use a credit card or something similar to
simultaneously press the sheets flat as you
squeegee the excess glue from the seam. Wipe
the glue off your squeegee so it’s ready for the
next time. Immediately proceed to the next step.
❏
C. Place a sheet of waxed paper on your
workbench. Turn the taped together sheets over
and apply aliphatic resin (wood workers glue
such as Great Planes Pro) to the seams.
❏
B. Tightly tape the sheets together with
masking tape.
❏
A. Use a straightedge and a sharp #11 blade
to true one edge of both sheets. Do not cut all
the way through the first time but make several
passes with your knife to prevent the wood
from splitting.
HOW TO MAKE THE STAB SKINS
Top Flite selects balsa that is intended for sheeting,
though occasionally a few of these sheets may
have a small nick or split near the ends. If your kit
contains a few of these sheets, arrange them and
glue them together so the defects will not interfere
with the final shape of the skin.
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