TIPS&TRICKS
Useful hints from modelers
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This old woodworking trick works for me when I have to install a threaded
insert. I use the appropriate-size bolt, spin on a jam nut, thread it into the
threaded insert and then lock the jam nut against the insert. Now you
can just use the appropriate driver to thread the insert into the wood.
Doing it this way saves those little tabs that almost always break off
when you’re using a screwdriver.
Wes McCann, Ripon, CA
PINNING IT DOWN
When I am building over plans, I try not to pin through the
balsa wood unless absolutely necessary. To hold the wood on
the plans, I push a T-pin through a small piece of ⁄2-inch fuel
1
line. The friction of the fuel line on the pin will hold the part
firmly in place. For large sheeting, I have to pin through balsa
wood, but the fuel tubing will hold the wood down better than
the pin alone. For hard spruce spars that are tough to pin
through, just alternate the pinning on each side to hold the
piece in place. Try it; it works great!
Don Northern, Moorpark, CA
A CLEAN SHAVE
Whenever I have some balsa wood to trim, I turn to my old Gillette razor
for that close trim. I found that the old straight-edge razor is perfect for
shaving (pun intended) off excess balsa wood from the wing’s leading
edge. The razor is perfect for getting rid of excess material anywhere
else and works better than a sanding block for carving balsa block into
shape. This way, there’s also less sanding dust in the air, which keeps
the shop cleaner.
Frederick Rushford, Rome, NY
THREADING YOUR ANTENNA WIRE
Some ARFs have a plastic or carbon tube installed in the
fuselage for the antenna wire. Even if this is not included in
the kit, it’s a good idea to add it to keep the antenna wire
from jamming pushrods and bouncing around inside the fuselage. But how do you thread that flimsy antenna wire into the
tube without kinking and jamming it up? I insert a small diameter piano wire (i.e. .032 inch) through the tube toward the
receiver end. Next, place a small drop of CA at the end and
attach it to the antenna wire. After curing, you can pull the
wire through the tube and then use de-bonder to free the end
of the antenna wire.
David W. Unger, Red Point Beach North East, MD
ILLUSTRATIONS BY RICHARD THOMPSON
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