Netters and new builders, I will pass along a tip that really helped me when I was clamping all those gusset blocks in place with cheap, simple, and easily installed clamps. Since the whole idea is to hold the gussets in place until the epoxy cures and because you are horizontal to begin with you don't need a lot of clamping pressure. I went to my local five & dime and bought a bag of small hair clamps. I think there were fifty in a bag and I bet it didn't cost five bucks. These things came with teeth that would make a great white proud and some of them I cut the teeth off and others I left them on because the "grip angle" of the gusset blocks would require the grip that these would provide. These clamps were made from thin plastic and would actually conform to the joint being clamped. They would provide enough pressure to squeeze the epoxy out but not leave an impression in the wood which should be avoided. If you have to apply this much pressure you need to recut the gusset. Epoxies are a lot better than the resorcinol glues of the past that required near perfect joint contact but that is not an excuse to be sloppy. By using these clamps I found that I could "afford" to complete the entire fuselage side frame at one time instead of having to do it in stages because I didn't have enough clamps.
Stephen [email protected]
