Another Practice Project

Way back when I first became enthusiastic about RV assembly, I ordered a practice kit from Van's. I had none of the tools I needed to complete the project, but I wanted to get a feel for what the materials are like. Since then I've taken the SportAir RV Assembly workshop (which I highly recommend to anyone thinking about building an RV). At the workshop we were each provided with a kit to build during that weekend (which is the same exact kit I ordered from Van's). So long story short, I have one practice kit that I completed at the SportAir workshop, and one that's still in pieces. I thought it would be a good idea to get myself warmed up for the real thing while trying out some of the new procedures I've learned using the practice kit. You can see that this time I used a solidering iron and a straightedge to score the plastic coating of the skins. This is a common technique that allows some of the protective plastic to remain on the skins while still exposing the rivet holes. Van's recommends removing all of the plastic as soon as possible because the glue strengthens over time and can be a real pain in the arse to remove. I'd rather deal with super sticky glue if it means fewer scratches. This time around I am also going to really smooth out all of the rough edges (I took some liberties with the SportAir project) and I will prime the spar, ribs, and stiffeners.

Here you can see the project in progress along with the completed project in the background:

My dad is coming over with a compressor just as soon as he's finished watching the Celtics kick the snot out of the Bulls. Hopefully tomorrow I can try my hand at spraying some AZKO primer.