Building the central body plug, part three

It’s nice to see it taking solid form, but two things come to mind:

1. This would be a lot easier with a hot wire to cut the foam. A razor is not very easy to get a nice cut with — if I use a hot wire I suspect there will be a lot less sanding and shaping work to do.
2. It’s harder than it looks and I think it’ll be a little wonky… meaning I may have a fair amount of second-phase shaping using spray insulation or something like that!

Building the central body plug, part two

I’ve finished assembling the bulkheads and mounted them on the central spar using shelf brackets, and am ready to skin the body with foam. I don’t think contact cement (the recommended method) is the best method — not that I’m an expert — so I think I’m going to use nails with oversized heads to tack the foam into place, at least to get started with the first few panels.

[Edit: In hindsight, the glue works fine, although I am using nails to temporarily hold the foam while it dries. I'm also a little worried about my selection of foam (polystyrene instead of urethane, mostly because of using what was easily available). I may need to paint it before fiberglassing lest the whole thing will dissolve like a wet witch?]

Building the central body plug, part one

I drew the bulkheads for the central body plug on 1/4″ plywood and then cut it all out with a jigsaw. Very simple. Next I’ll mount them on the central 2×4 spar (I need to go pick up some screws at the hardware store first), and then the plywood gets skinned with 1″ urethane foam.

A Package in the Mail

I got my package in the mail from RQ Riley just a few days after ordering it — nice fast service. Contained inside was a small photocopied instruction/assembly manual and a series of large technical drawings. At first read the instructions seem complete, if brief, and relatively self-explanatory and easy to follow. Will this be easier than I think to do? I’ll find out in a few weeks when the work starts.