<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
         <<  Lancair Builders' Mail List  >>
         <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

   If anyone is just starting, Rob gave some very good tips on making BID
strips.  I particularly like keeping the "messy cutter" in a jar of methylene
chloride.  The outline drawn with a Sharpie is a big help and also lets you see
it if plastic is left on the outside piece.
   A couple of additional tips:
   I used a bottle with a couple of inches of meth chloride to store the 1"
paint brush that I used to spread the epoxy on the strips and to paint the
surface with before applying the BID strips.  Later, I found that the brush
didn't gum up as quickly if I used acetone.  It seemed to be a better solvent for
the Shell epoxy system I used (the one that leaves holes in you if you get the
hardener on the skin... nasty stuff).  But it is flammable.  Or inflammable
(which is hard to explain to my foreign friends)..
   After trying flat and textured rollers and squeegees, I finally made a roller
that Lancair described in their early literature.  I don't know if it is in the
new(er) manual, but it did a MUCH better job of getting the excess epoxy (and
weight) out of strips.  It is made out of  ~3 inches of course threaded 3/8"
threaded rod (a bolt could be cut) and "dimples" put in each end.  A heavy wire
(like a coat hanger) is bent so that pointed ends of the wire goes into the
dimples and is bent around to make a 6" handle.  The two parallel wires making
the handle have safety wire wrapped around them to hold the pointed ends into the
dimples.

                                            xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                                   ------xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx------
                                   !        xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx        !

!                                               !
                                   -------------         --------------
                                                      !        !
                                                      !        !
                                                      !        !
                                                      !        !   wire wrapping
here
                                                      !        !
                                                      !        !
                                                      !        !
                                                      !        !
                                                      !        !
                                                      !____!

   I made my clear plastic "covers" from paint store drop plastics cut into long
4" wide strips which were tacked to the wall and cut off, as needed.  I think I
used a 3 mil thickness.  When it gets too thick, when you remove the top layer,
it lifts up the BID strip and tries to redistribute it, usually with success.

Bob Chesley
LNC2 - N4YH
Ojai, CA

LML website:   http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore:   http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair

Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.