Sanding And More Sanding

The past few days have involved sanding, filling and contouring the fairing. Lots of sanding. The 4" radius sanding block is used in the center section. A small sanding block is used for the transitions and the sides. Low areas are revealed when the peel ply leaves texture remains when the sanding blocks are run over an area. These low areas are filled with Bondo which is then mostly sanded away. Bondo is useful because it dries quickly, sands pretty easily and is durable. Using the sanding blocks, the 4" radius gage and viewing down the length with a light reveals depressions that are filled and eliminated. Care must be used when sanding along the top line of electrical tape. There's 2 layers and they are sacrificial. Scuffing is permissible but care must be used not sand all the way through because clear plexiglass is underneath. The forward line of tape covers metal which is much less critical. After getting the contour I wanted a layer of resin is applied. This fills pinholes and the shiny surface shows irregularities. The front tape is removed, and the edge is sanded to a feather on the metal. Filler primer will be applied next and sanded as needed. The whole point this is to make the fairing as smooth as possible. Once painted it will show all irregularities. But it's very time consuming.