Carlson Skunk Works

Hi all, this is Ben, Roger’s son. My son and I just moved to the same town as my parents, and I’ve been able to “help” (i.e. stand around and watch dad work) on the plane a bit!

So, Dad finished the second aileron, with a little help from my son:

Then we started covering the rudder. First we brushed the dust and dirt from the hanger and garage off, then we gently took a file, and a touch of sandpaper to any high-spots from varnishing/sealing them, so they wouldn’t snag the fabric.

Finally we got started covering the rudder with fabric. The first step is putting sufficient glue on the wood, then letting it get tacky. Once it’s tacky enough, we wrapped the fabric on it, dad trimmed it up to fit nicely, then he did an initial low heat (approx. 200-250 degrees if memory serves) pass on just the glued areas with the iron.

He went back and tuned up the fabric, so its a really nice, clean fit, then added a layer of glue, and once dry, ironed it at a higher heat. Once that was cool, then he ironed the whole rudder fabric – not just the glued areas – in a very methodical order so as to not warp or twist it when it started shrinking. Once he was complete, it was very taut, and looks very nice!

Its going to be fun being involved in the build in the coming weeks and months!

-Ben