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ARTICLES
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Get started building with these basic tools
An easy, great looking color layout for maximum
visibility
Build swept back wings to avoid tail heaviness
Install your wings with bolts when the plans show rubber bands
How to build a straight fuselage
without
using a jig
How to build a simple cowl out of balsa blocks
Fixing construction mistakes
Set your engine thrust angle using higher math
How to iron Monokote into tight spaces
How to get longer run time from a Cox engine by
using a remote tank
Compatibility of various paints and finishing materials
Propeller selection guide for 2 stroke and 4 stroke glow engines
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robbie@balsaworkbench.com
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Jensen Speaker Dealer
Harmonica amplifiers with classic
blues tone
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I used to have a lot of
trouble ironing Monokote into cockpits and other small places where a
standard iron will not fit.


You can buy a tiny iron, usually referred to as a "trim sealing
tool". I had one of these for a short time, but the temperature
was hard to control, and the shape wasn't very helpful. So I got
rid of it before too long.
A better solution to this problem is a butter knife. Just heat it
on your iron for about 30 seconds and use it like you would use an
iron. It could also be heated with a heat gun, but it takes
longer. Heat is transferred a lot better by contact with the
metal iron.

The knife will fit right into tiny spaces where an iron won't, and it
will reach a lot farther than the trim irons that you find in the hobby
store. I used a butter knife to iron the entire cockpit floor on
this Small Wonder built from RCM plans.


Use the edge of the knife to iron film into corners. You can try
the same trick with a spoon for ironing fillets and other concave
surfaces.
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