Horizontal Stab

This weeks progress has been the first half of the first page of the instructions. I have decided not to count hours; I don't really want to know. So if anybody asks, the answer is 1/2 a page :-)  And I will be done on Tuesday. I figure counting hours would be like these credit card mileage plans; they are a scam to get one to buy more stuff one didn't know one needed.

So all ribs and spars for Horizontal stab will be done tomorrow. I am looking forward to the first flight rivet in two weeks, I figure.

I originally tried the butterfly deburring tool on the ribs, but this didn't work. I tried a scotch bright wheel, and this seemed similar to using a die grinder to trim fingernails.

What I settled on was 1/4" strips of 320 grit sandpaper with the part clamped loosely into a plastic hobby vise. It might take a little longer than the scotch-brite wheel, but I think it will feel a whole lot better when I am 3 miles up.

The spars were a challenge not so much because they were hard, but because they take careful work. Here precision seemed to pay off.

I still haven't decide to prime or not, but am leaning towards priming and painting rear spar white to match the elevator hinge brackets, and then priming all faying surfaces with rattle can.

Steady progress is my goal.