Estes Honest John, #7240 Build, Part 6, Fin Shaping

The Great Planes Easy Touch sanding block is indispensable for fin shaping.
If you don't have one - get one!
That, and some 220 grit self adhesive sandpaper.

I've explained this technique before.
When sanding the light beige balsa it's hard to judge the thickness of the leading and trailing edges.
We'll darken the balsa edges for better contrast. But, seal the leading, trailing and outside tip edges first. Don't seal the root edges!

Medium CA glue is applied with a Q-tip. In addition to sealing the edge it also strengthens the fins.

After the CA glue has dried, quickly run a permanent marker on just the edge. Make this a quick swipe, don't let the ink soak in.
The CA glue will prevent the ink from soaking into the wood, but still go quickly with the marker.







Here's the fin ready for shaping.

Now the fun really starts!