Top Flite TOPA0951 - Manual (Page 7)

7
from puffi ng outward on hot days when your Corsair
is sitting in the sun.
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3. Take time now to shrink the covering over open
structure (elevators, rudder) and shrink and seal the
covering to the rest of the airframe over sheeting.
Covering not bonded to the wood underneath—even
if you don’t see any wrinkles now—may form wrinkles
later. The best way to get the covering down and tighten
any wrinkles is with a covering iron with a protective
covering sock—a 21
st Century covering iron with a
protective cover sock is best. Set the dial on the 21 st
Century iron to 350°F (this should provide a surface
temperature on the cover sock of approximately 320°F
– 330°F). The trick is to push down on the iron to bond
the covering to the wood, but where the sheeting is
soft, thin or unsupported it may bend inward, making
it diffi cult to shrink the covering. So where possible,
reach inside and push back on the sheeting. Where
this cannot be done, glide the iron
lightly over the area.
If blisters/bubbles appear in the covering you may be
using too much heat or leaving the iron in one position
too long. Allow the area to cool and keep the iron
moving or lower the temperature.
Note: This process
takes time. If you don’t feel like going over the entire
model all at once, do the center wing panel fi rst and
the rest of the parts as needed.
Note: A drop or two
of CA debonder on one of your paper towel squares
is great for cleaning the covering in any areas where
the pigmented adhesive from one color has bled onto
another color.
ASSEMBLE THE WING
INSTALL THE BELLY PAN & AIR INTAKES
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1. Test-fi t, then use 30-minute epoxy to glue both
5/16" × 1-3/16" [8mm × 30mm] hardwood wing dowels
into the leading edge of the center wing panel with
1/4" [6mm] of both dowels protruding. Be certain to
wipe away any excess epoxy around the dowel before
it hardens.
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2. Use medium-grit sandpaper to roughen the bottom
edges of the fi berglass belly pan so glue will adhere.
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3. Bolt the wing to the fuselage with the two 1/4-20 ×
2" [50mm] nylon wing bolts. Test-fi t the belly pan to the
bottom of the wing and fuselage. Make any adjustments
necessary for a good fi t. Use a fi ne-point felt-tip pen to
mark the edges of the belly pan onto the wing.
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4. Use the tip of a pointed soldering iron to melt
through the covering 1/16" [1.6mm] inside the lines you
marked and peel away the covering. If you don’t have a
suitable soldering iron, you could cut the covering with
a sharp hobby blade, but obviously use great care NOT
to cut into the wood. Wipe away the ink lines with one
of your paper towel squares and denatured alcohol.