Hi Folks, and a Happy Fourth of July to everyone. With any luck at all, when you read this Shari and I will be in Switzerland, having completed our time with family in Germany and a side visit to Austria and perhaps one to the Czech Republic (I have to get those Model Motors somehow!).

   The City is making progress at the field, and I expect that Stan's Fence will also install the new fence posts for the safety fence within the next few weeks. For those who yearn to fly, every day can be a lifetime, and I appreciate your patience.

   I ran across the following article in Air Scoop Magazine, written by my friend Jerry Smith on CyA, and thought you might enjoy it.

   You know, CyA (cyanoacrylate) is getting to be downright expensive, especially when you are building a big airplane. But, with a little management on your part, you can hold the usage to a minimum and get a little more mileage out of a bottle.

   One good way to use it is for pinning a part in place--that is, to hold it in place and then apply the cheaper white glue, or epoxy, to do the real holding. I have done this many times in the past with great results. When applying white glue, use it sparingly. Most modelers apply too much, adding unnecessary weight to the model.

   Here are a couple of helpful hints I ran across that will make things go easier when using CyA:

   1. Once opened, always leave the cap off the bottle. Why? The cap is not made of the special thermoplastic the tip is made from, and CyA will stick to it, gluing it in place.

   2. When a blob of CyA forms across the end of the bottle tip, knock it off with the back edge of an X-Acto knife. For worse clogs, take a rag and hold it against the tip until the CyA bonds to the rag. Hold the rag tightly against the tip, and twist the bottle while pulling it back. Grab onto the blob with a pair of pliers and twist it off.

   3. Never stick a pin or anything else into the tip of a CyA bottle to open it or to remove a clog. This will introduce foreign material into the bottle and scratch the inside of the tip which will cause more clogging. It is better to replace the bottle top with a new one if this becomes a problem. Keep a small bottle of acetone handy, and place your clogged tips in it. Next time you need one, it will be free. Always open a bottle by cutting off the tip with an X-Acto knife. Don’t squeeze the bottle when doing so, and do not have it pointed at your face. Bad news!

   4. Use accelerator sparingly and only when needed. Don’t flood the joint with it. A light mist is all you need. Too much accelerator will weaken the glue joint.

   These are some of the tips I have run across, and hopefully you can add them to your idea folder, making CyA more cost effective and agreeable with your modeling dollar.

   I hope that helps, or at the very least starts some conversation.

   The next meeting of the MMRCC is scheduled for July 1, 2004 at 7:00 P.M. The meeting will be held at the Northrop Grumman facility Personnel are required to sign-in and sign out for security purposes.