Success!
I finally got bored enough to attempt an Explorer build which I had been putting off because the FB I use is almost impossible to peel. Well I should say WAS.
Yesterday I dug out my box of scraps and cut out the fuselage parts and as some of them require the removal of the paper on one side I set about making the process as simple as the posted build video. Whilst not quite as simple because of the setup it was very quick and neat.
The procedure I used was to either leave a paper or tab on the side to be removed or to glue a peice of the paper onto the paper side which is to be removed. Do not use a heat sensitive glue!!!
I then got out my trusty iron and dialed up a moderate temperature, With the paper to be removed in contact with the hot iron under the edge where the tab was and the iron edge providing only a hot edge at that point I pulled the paper down whilst feeding the FB piece horizontally across the hot iron edge.
After I got it started the pulling down of the paper fed the FB piece across the iron edge incredibly fast. All done.
The largest nose piece of the explorer was stripped of the paper where required in about 1 to 2 seconds PERFECTLY!
Another problem I was worried about was the overall weight of an Aussie FB version of the Explorer and the excessive number of posts about the weakness of the original spar design. I had a design for FB spars that Maximise the FB strength without adding other materials but it required long narrow strips of FB and my cutting ability is variable over long lengths.
Yet another SUCCESS! I had purchased a Balsa stripping tool a little while ago to assist in building my Electric version of the S-Tee. Pondering the strip FB problem I noticed my balsa stripper sitting on top of my tool box. So I picked it up. Adjusted it to the required measurement and gave it a shot. PERFECT, SQUARE cut pieces! What a revelation.
Actually there were two revelations. The first was what a great and simple way of doing things and the second was waht a DUMMY I had been by not thinking of it before! Anyway the new spars are progressing well and the fuselage, (made from scrap) is effectively finished .
I might even get this one flying first attempt
