Blue vinyl

I see some that remove the vinyl on the rivet line, how do thy get such a straight edge wihout marring the surface? I use a pencil soldering iron and have to pull it up slightly which works, but leaves a jagged edge and looks like ****. If I let the iron touch the surface, it leaves a slight Mark.

I think that mark is melted plastic. Should come off with a little elbow grease.

Low Temp

Round the tip with a file or grinder. Keep the power low. I use an old 40w pencil soldering iron that generates less heat than new but an adjustable-temp irons works. At the right temperature the iron melts enough plastic to create a tear line and never touches metal.

For straight lines I started with a yardstick. After a while you'll be able to freehand.

Cheers
Bob

YellaDawg-

Ditto what the others have said. In addition, to a rounded off tip use GENTLE pressure and at an angle so as not to scratch the aluminum.

To make straight lines on curved parts a thin metal ruler was used.

Once the parts have been worked and riveted together, I would suggest pealing the blue film off. If you leave it on … there will likely be a little corrosion along the edges and under any bubbles that may form along the edges of the cut if you store the pieces over a period of years as is typical with a project of this magnitude.

Happy Building,

Blue vinyls

Thanks guys,
It probably was just reaidue, I'll give it a shot on the HS skins. As soon as I am done I'll revive the blue and tuck the part away.

YD

I don't usually get negative here, but---get over it! I spent probably a dozen hours developing a double tipped iron, exactly one inch apart, that left perfect lines to pull up the strips. Then I wasted dozens of hours pulling up those nice strips. Months later I wasted more hours pulling off the plastic that was left, just to get back to what I should have done in the first place. Unless you have plans of building a polished plane, forget the whole thing, it isn't worth the effort. On the next three planes, I just stripped the plastic and was done with it, and there is no difference, when the paint is on. The plastic really won't protect from anything that wouldn't be polished out in paint prep. Just my two cents...

Bob

You're right!