The heat is on

After waiting a few days for more carbon, I've begun work on my second strut. It's a pain because of the temperature - 95 degrees yesterday. Even with the extra slow (tropical) hardener, when laying in 8-10 layers of carbon cloth, uni, glass (for the bottom tang) and maple strip core, it's always a question of can you get the release cloth and bleeder fabric sorted, and then the whole kit and kaboodle into the bag and under vacuum before things start to kick. Yesterday's lay-up was successful - this morning I popped out the first half and today I'll lay up the second half.

I'm also having problems (no, change that to read challenges and opportunities) with the rudder head. I tried laying a sleeve onto the tiller with suitable plastic and release silicone but the heat gun I used on the shrink tubing caused the resin to kick too fast. The release plastic melted and I ended up having to cut the carbon sleeve off the tiller. So two steps forward and one step back. I hope to have the rudder head finished today so I can start work on the rudder's AoA mechanism.


The consolation that home-builders have is that they inevitably are better at fixing things that go wrong since they're so intimate with the construction. No "factory team" for me!

Enjoy Glenn Frey



The Heat is On, by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey (1984)

The heat is on, on the street
Inside your head, on every beat
And the beat's so loud, deep inside
The pressure's high, just to stay alive
'Cause the heat is on

Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
Caught up in the action I've been looking out for you
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
the heat is on Oh it's on the street , the heat is - on

Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
Caught up in the action I've been looking out for you
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
Oh it's on the street , the heat is - on

The shadows are on the darker side
Behind those doors, it's a wilder ride
You can make a break, you can win or lose
That's a chance you take, when the heat's on you
When the heat is on

Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
Caught up in the action I've been looking out for you
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on

It's on the street
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
Yeah it's on the street
The heat is on