A ball on a stick? Some people use fondant tools.
Do you object to me calling a "ball on a stick" a tool?
Yes sir, fondant tools are an option....
But I think the fondant tools are a compromise, at best.
I commented in my build thread on some of the reasons I want to make a purpose built tool. I tried working with them back when I was building high end speaker cabinets, etc. (My then wife was a culinary arts competitor and had every baking tool known to man.) Short handles, big diameter handles, less visibility, less reach, no lubricant needed for Delrin balls, clean up easier...
Not to mention, I have a theory that I am testing out.... I believe that we use wayyyyyyyyyy too much epoxy on average to complete a build. I am trying to build a skills and tool kit to calculate and apply the "right" fillet in every circumstance, based on purpose, position, visibility, supporting bonds, et al.
Most of the "extra" adhesive is either tooled off and wasted, or worse, it is allowed to cure ON the air frame in a location of way in which it is not contributing much more than weight. Using too large a fillet, or the wrong epoxy or filler, or using the wrong consistency, et al, ad nauseum.
So much to go wrong. So most folks over-use adhesives to cover for inferior engineering and poor construction technique....
And in the case of external fin fillets.... too much emphasis on aesthetics as a priority over aerodynamic and structural concerns. Aesthetics, IMO, should reveal themselves from elegant engineering and skillful production/construction.
I AM an over-builder.... I admit it. But I am also a weight weenie.... I don't want weight in the air frame that does not have a purpose.
So I am studying.... and I will be testing my tools and assumptions as I build. What works, I will keep. What doesn't I will change/improve/eliminate.
stereointegrity.com
