Larry Larson

Tips for making The Big Cut and bonding a canopy.

By Larry Larson.

Masking curved lines can be an exercise in frustration. Most tape will not bend without forming a crease. Multiple strips don’t work because they leak or leave a jagged line. 3M Fine Line Masking Tape works great, but it’s pricey. Here’s a cheap solution. Harbor Freight sells a pack of 10 rolls of electrical tape […]

I recently painted the glareshield section of the top forward fuselage skin before gluing the canopy. Lots of work was invested, and I didn’t want it scratched when inserting and removing Clecoes. Aircraft Spruce sells “No-Mar” Reusable Cleco Boots in packs of 25 for $10.70, but there are close to 200 holes just in the […]

Often we have both hands busy holding a part and need two more hands to position a clamp and hold the wood pads in place before tightening the clamp. This can be really frustrating if, like me, you build alone. Permanent padded clamps are what we need. I’m sure such a thing exists but where’s […]

We all try our best to recycle and protect the environment. We haul waste oil to a recycle facility, pour fresh oil into our baby, then toss those empty bottles into the recycle bin. I’m sure, like me, you try to drain every last drop before the next one, but time is the enemy. We […]

We’ve all seen those commercials for painter’s tape. They make masking look so easy, but it seems every time I use the stuff, it leaks. Such was the problem recently while trying to Alodine the exterior of my RV-7A. Chemicals leaked everywhere. I needed a better tape. I can’t claim to be the first to […]

Sometimes we have to drive rivets in blind spots like under a longeron or behind a bulkhead. This trick has helped me many times to locate a rivet in a hole, align the bucking bar, and look at the finished shop head. Place a mirror in a stable location so the reflection you see is […]

Building an airplane in the mountains has its downside. The nearest tool store is 45 miles away so, as they say, “necessity is the mother of invention.” One of the tasks we all stress over is torquing nuts. We check the table, add the resistance factor, and dial in the torque wrench. Then we look […]

I’ve run into situations many times where a bar with a hole for a die would be so handy. It can be used to hold a die to back rivet universal rivets, hold a dimple die, or back up parts when driving out drilled rivet tails. It turns out a 3/16-inch reamed hole is perfect […]