Great Planes Giant Aeromaster Kit - GPMA0502 - Manual (Page 9)

D 3. Make the 3/8" stab ribs from a 3/8" x 1/2" x 30"
balsa stick, then glue them in position. Hint: Use a sharp,
single-edge razor blade to cut the stab ribs.
D 4. From a 1/8" x 3/8" x 30" balsa stick, make the 1/8"
cross bracing. Glue them in position between the stab
ribs. We recommend cutting these cross braces with a
single-edge razor blade, too.
How to Make Stab Skins:
• Wherever practical, prejoin the balsa sheets to make
a "skin" before attaching them to the structure.
• Many modelers like to sort the wood so they can put
the best wood with the most even grain structure on
the top of the stab.
• Make your skin larger than needed to allow for
misalignment. On the stab we suggest leaving 1/4"
extra.
• To make skins, the following steps are suggested:
1. True up the edges of the sheets with a metal
straightedge and a sharp hobby k n i f e or a long
Easy-Touch Bar Sander.
2. Test fit the sheets together to make sure they match well.
3. Method "A": The fastest method for gluing the sheets
together is with thin CA over a flat surface covered with
wax paper. A quick wipe of the joint with a fresh paper
towel will remove most of the excess glue and make
sanding easier. Mark the poorest surface with an "I" as
the inside of the sheet.
Method "B": An alternate method for gluing the pieces
that make up the skin is to glue them together with
aliphatic resin (wood glue). Aliphatic resin sands much
easier than CA so your skins won't get too thin from over
sanding. Wipe off the excess glue with a damp paper
towel. Use masking tape to hold the sheets together
until the glue cures - usually in about thirty minutes.
D 5. Remove the stab from your building board. Inspect
all the glue joints and add CA to any joints that don't look
strong. Cut the ends of the leading and trailing edges so
they extend past the end of the stab about 1/16". Use
your bar sander to finish the job by sanding the ends of
the LE'S and TE so they are flush with the end of the stab.
Use your bar sander or a large sanding block and 220-grit
sandpaper to sand the entire top and bottom surface of
the stab until it is flat and even. Be careful that you don't
sand any area of the stab too thin o r gouge the stab cross
bracing and ribs by snagging the sandpaper on them.
D 6. Make the skins for the stab by using five 1/16" x 3" x
30" balsa sheets. Cut one 1/16" x 3" x 30" as shown in the
the top sketch. Make a pair of skins by edge-gluing two
1/16" x 3" x 30" balsa sheets together. Center and glue
the cut sheet on the edge of the glued sheets. Use your
bar sander or a large sanding block and 2 2 0 - g r i t
sandpaper to sand the entire top and bottom of the
skin flat.
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