HOW TO SAND WING TIPS
Warren D. Shipp
FOR THE MODEL builder, the emery board that m'lady uses to file her fingernails, is a handy, versatile tool. In case you have not been introduced to these little sanders, they range in length from about four to almost seven inches, have fairly fine sandpaper glued to both sides of thin, flat wood. They taper slightly, and the long ones are about 1/2 inch wide. Usually they have two finenesses of sandpaper on them. Six in a package cost about 35 to 40 cents in most drug or department stores. They may be used for many sanding jobs, especially for flat surfaces. I have found them to work well in making the wingtips on some of my scale models conform to the airfoil shape of the wing.
First, cut off the round portion of the emery board on the wide end. Wrap two layers of Scotch tape, 3/4 in. wide, around this end. The balsa wing tip should be slightly larger than required and carved fairly close to shape. Place the emery board on the wing tip as shown in the drawing, with the taped end resting on the last wing rib. Do not sand from the leading edge to the trailing edge in one stroke. Start at the highest point of the airfoil and sand gently forward, then starting again from this point, sand to the rear, making sure to keep the taped portion on the rib. Your forefinger should be slightly inboard of the wingtip, with the other end of the emery board grasped lightly with your other fingers. With the taped end pressing lightly on the end rib to guide the emery board, and through pressure exerted by your fingers, you can sand the tip to a shape that conforms to the wing airfoil. The Scotch tape prevents damage to the rib during this operation. Constantly check your work so that you do not go too far — a new board sands balsa very quickly!
Some of these emery boards have a concave surface on one side and a convex surface on the other, the result of being stamped out of large sheets. Try to find a brand that has a minimum of curvature. For most sanding jobs the convex surface is best.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
