That is one of the neat things about working with composites. There are so many different ways to do something and it is very difficult to screw something up so badly that it can't be repaired. If the Slim Jim is plastic then it sounds like another arrow to put in the quiver. After hundreds of hours working on getting a new plug ready, I don't think I would come anywhere near it with anything metal. I have actually had very good results with using about 80 pounds of air pressure and one of the standard air blowing nozzles. Once you get the least bit of a separation with the wooden wedges directing the compressed air into the space can in many instances pop the part out for you.
I made up a mold for a radio control model of the full size RV-7 I am building and air pressure alone pops out molded fuselage sides from the mold. Another secret, buy some two part epoxy primer at your local rip-off auto paint supply store and spray a coat of epoxy primer in your waxed and PVA coated mold before you lay up the part. Let it cure and gently scuff it with a scotchbrite pad and then lay up your part. When it comes out of the mold it is already primed and MANY of the pin holes are eliminated. Vacuum bag it and your part will be virtually pin hole free, primed and ready to use. For the more adventurous, spray in the finish paint, let it cure then the primer and finish as above. R/C model builders have been doing it this way for years. I can't stress rip off paint store loud enough. I am currently painting a friend's RV-8 with PPG Concept. Over $300 a gallon when you add in the hardener. Paint and primer for this plane is going to be over $1,000. Soap box mode off now :-) Steve Eberhart Morehead wrote: > What also works to get a cowling mold apart is a "slim jim" sold at auto > parts stores to unlock your car door when your key is inside. > > Jim Morehead > Cameron Park, CA > > on 10/16/03 7:42 AM, Mark Langford at [email protected] wrote: > > >>Excellent post by Steve! Two things I would add is that a yardstick that's >>tapered to look like a builder's shim works great for getting cowling molds >>separated, and since PVA is water soluable, standing the cowling up on end >>and pouring water into the partially separated part/mold will dissolve the >>PVA and make part separation a lot easier. >> >>Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL >>N56ML at hiwaay.net >>see KR2S project N56ML at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>see KRnet list details at http://www.krnet.org/instructions.html > > > > _______________________________________________ > see KRnet list details at http://www.krnet.org/instructions.html >
