halfscalemustang
Well-Known Member
Hello, i am currently working on my 50% P-51 Mustang. The original builder sheeted the original wooden airframe in aluminum. He used several 1'x2' squares of aluminum sheeting and attatched them to the stringers and bulkheads with hundreds of brads that are approximately 3/4" long. This is ok, i guess, except for that many of the brads are coming loose, i assume due to the wood drying out? Although none of the panels seem to be loose. Also, when they hammered the brads in, it appears they used a regular claw style hammer and around each brad there is a circle where the hammer head struck the aluminum. Thus now the airplane looks like is has gone through a heavy hail storm, on all the sides. The plane has suffered damage to the right hand side wing spar where it attatches to the fusealage for an unknown reason. I am going to completely unskin the plane and check the entire airframe for any further damage as well as repair the current damage. So now this brings me to my problem, how and what do i recover the airframe in/with? I really like the fact thats it covered in aluminum, except for that it looks like hell. Any other ways to affix alumium to the airframe? Possibly covering it in fiberglass? carbon-fiber? Cloth? Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
