Semroc IRIS Build Part 20 Fin Mask and Gluing

All four fins have been sprayed red. The root edge on the left still has the thin masking tape strip in place.
On the right, the tape has been removed.

I used a sanding block over the root edge to remove the paint "step" and to take off most of the red down to the bare wood.





A thin strip of Monokote Trim was removed for the root edge gluing.







Using the "double glue" method, the fins were glued in place.
I'm going back and adding some thin CA glue with a toothpick tip. The glue will be set at the rear of the root edge and under the fin tabs with the hope it will run underneath and reinforce the joint.



NOTE: Gluing the fins on after painting doesn't make for the strongest bond! Gluing bare balsa to a bare tube and fillets before painting is much stronger. But, taking into consideration the color separations on the body tube and the fin tabs getting in the way, this seemed to be the way to go.