Author: B. Boss
Edition: Model Aviation - 1994/07
Page Numbers: 118, 122
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CONTROL LINE SCALE

Bill Boss, 77-06 269th Street, New Hyde Park, NY 11040

NEW ITEMS

Aluminum Detailing Foil is a new product supplied by Jeff Foley of Foley Manufacturing, Inc. The foil comes in 10 x 13-1/2 or 20 x 27-1/2-inch sheets, has an adhesive back, and can be applied to any model to give a realistic aluminum finish. Once on the model, rivets or other details can be burnished or otherwise applied.

  • Properties and handling:
  • Cuts easily with scissors or a hobby knife.
  • Applies readily to almost any well-prepared, clean surface.
  • Will press into and pick up surface imperfections (dents, nicks, cracks), so careful base preparation is required.
  • Can be marked with simulated rivets, panel lines, etc., and can be burnished or given a weathered look with 000-grade steel wool.
  • If applied properly, the results are very realistic.
  • Riveter tool and accessories:
  • Foley also offers the Riveter, a precision tool for applying adhesives or lubricants and for fine detail work (simulated rivets, screws, cockpit detail adhesion, or any situation needing very small amounts of adhesive).
  • Included Grid Sheet aids rivet spacing at the four most commonly used measurements: 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, and 3/8 inch.

For details and prices, write to Jeff Foley, Foley Mfg., Inc., P.O. Box 245, Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870, or call (919) 537-5237. Information on the Aluminum Detailing Foil and Riveter was found in Replica, the newsletter of the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA).

WORKSHOP HINT

This month's workshop hint comes from Jim Thomerson of Collinsville, Illinois. Instead of using the usual brushed-on dope as the initial bare-wood coating for finishing and painting, Jim uses thinned Titebond wood glue.

  • Advantages:
  • Less costly than dope.
  • No odor and cleans up with water, so it can be used indoors without disturbing family members.
  • Gives the wood a hard surface and raises the wood fuzz; a light sanding then yields a smooth finish.
  • When used over silk or Silkspan covering on open framework (such as a wing), it gives the covering material an opaque look that can simulate the natural color of older fabric-covered airplanes.
  • Jim reports that the thinned glue adhesive does not loosen as dope sometimes does with later coats.
  • How Jim uses it:
  • Thins the Titebond with water depending on the job—ratios range from 1:1 to 5:1 (water:Titebond).
  • Applies with a one-inch brush.
  • Use light sanding after the glue dries, then apply silk or Silkspan and the thinned Titebond again if desired before proceeding with a dope finish.

Author's note: It would be wise to test compatibility between thinned Titebond and any finishing materials you plan to use.

ODDS AND ENDS

I recently visited a craft store that carries party favors, wood crafts, costume jewelry, ceramics, and similar items, and found several things useful to the scale modeler.

  • Costume jewelry section finds:
  • Pierced earring posts with flat or cupped round ends. The post ends can be filled with solder, sized, shaped, and painted to serve as instrument panel knobs.
  • Acrylic mirror material in round, square, and triangular shapes; the smallest mirrors are about 1/4-inch round. A single bag (about $2.50) provides enough mirror material for many models.
  • Sequin pins that could simulate rivets.
  • Nylon-covered steel wire (Westrim), less than 1 mm in diameter and sold in 30-foot rolls — usable as wing rigging on small biplanes.
  • The store also stocked a complete assortment of glues, glue guns, soldering irons, and other workshop items.

A browse through one of these stores and a little imagination will turn up many items useful for our models.

CL Scale/Boss

Contest Activity

  • West Coast (Whittier Narrows Scale, October 1993):
  • The meet was light on attendance but had quality entries.
  • Fred Cronenwett won the Profile event with his A-20G Havoc.
  • Runners-up included Merle Mohring (Emily) and John Wright (Beaufighter).
  • Ken Long won the Sport event with a Betty Bomber converted from a three-line system to electronics for throttle control.
  • Merle Mohring was second in Sport with an innovative kit-built Messerschmitt Bf 109 (with electronics for throttle and flap control, in the color scheme of a restored flying Bf 109 in England).
  • Other notable entries: Don Hutchinson (Stearman), Fred Cronenwett (Mustang), John Wright (Nieuport).
  • East Coast:
  • The Garden State Circle Burners, Inc. will hold their tenth Annual Carrier/Scale meet on Sunday, June 5, 1994, at their club field on Two Bridges Road in Lincoln Park, New Jersey.
  • The contest will feature all AMA classes of Carrier and Profile Scale.
  • For contest details, contact Roy Ward, 19 Hewlett Rd., Towaco, NJ 07082; Tel.: (201) 402-0925.

Wanted

Information, photos, construction items, building tips, contest reports, or anything related to CL Scale modeling. During winter months, flying and contest activity slows, but this is when new projects and building ideas take shape. Please share your ideas, photos of current projects, contest reports, or notices of upcoming CL Scale events.

This column belongs to the CL Scale modeling community — a place to show off your work and promote the hobby. Keep it alive and well. Send contributions to the address at the top of this column.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.