Top Flite TOPA0700 - Manual (Page 20)

❏
2.
Cut the co
v
e
ring from the openings in both
sides of the fuselage f
or the stabiliz
er
.
Also cut the
co
v
e
ring from the ele
v
ator pushrod tubes on both
sides of the fuselage and from the r
udder tube on the
left
side of the fuselage
.
❏
3.
Slide the stabiliz
er into the fuselage
.
C
enter the
tr
ailing edge of the stab in the fuselage b
y
taking
accur
ate measurements along the tr
ailing edge
.
❏
4.
Inser
t a pin through the top of the fuselage o
v
er
the middle str
inger at the fire
w
all.
Tie a loop in one
end of a 60" [1.5m] piece of non-elastic line such as monofilament or K
e
vlar line (K+SR4575).
Slip the
loop in the str
ing o
v
er the
T
-pin.
❏
5.
F
old a piece of masking tape o
v
er the str
ing
near the other end and dr
a
w
an arro
w on it.
Slide the
tape along the str
ing and align the arro
w with one
end of the stab as sho
wn in the photo
.
Swing the
str
ing o
v
er to the other end of the stab and hold it in
the same position.
K
eeping the tr
ailing edge of the
stab
centered
from side-to-side
, mo
v
e
the stab tips
forw
ard or bac
k as necessar
y until the arro
w aligns
with both ends of the stab
.
❏
6.
Use a fine-point f
elt-tip pen such as a
T
op Flite
®
P
anel Line P
en (T
OPQ2510) to mar
k
the outline of
the fuselage on the top and bottom of the stab
.
❏
7.
Remo
ve
the stab from the fuselage
.U
se a
sharp,
ne
w
#11 hob
b
y
b
lade or use the f
ollo
wing
Hot Tip
to cut
the co
ve
ring from the stab along the lines
.
U
se care to
cut
onl
y
into the co
ve
ring and
not
into the w
ood.
Cutting into the balsa will w
eak
en the str
ucture
.
❏
8.
P
eel the co
v
e
ring from the top and bottom of
the center of the stab
.
R
emo
v
e an
y ink from the stab
and fuse with a paper to
w
el square dampened with
denatured alcohol.
Re-seal the ends of the co
v
e
ring
to the stab where it ma
y ha
v
e
lifted while peeling off
the middle
.
One more alignment pr
ocedure bef
ore gluing
the stab into the fusela
g
e
…
T
o
a
v
oid cutting into the balsa, use a solder
ing
iron instead of a hob
b
y
knif
e to cut the co
v
e
ring.
The tip of the solder
ing iron doesn’t ha
v
e
to be
shar
p
, b
ut a fine tip does w
o
rk
best.
Allo
w the iron
to heat fully
.
Use a str
aightedge to guide the
solder
ing iron at a r
ate that will just melt the
co
v
e
ring and not b
u
rn
into the w
ood.
The hotter
the solder
ing iron, the f
aster it m
ust be mo
v
ed to
melt a fine cut.
HO
W
T
O
CUT CO
VERING FR
OM B
ALSA
- 20
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