Nooks and Crannies

Gang --

How do y'all shape those little nooks and crannies, like where the leading edge of a stab meets the fuselage, and the stab LE is already rounded? Not just the fillets, but where fillets join. Know what I mean? Those really tight little places where even a piece of sandpaper around a dowel rod seem inadequate, and the adjoining flat surfaces are easily ruinded because they are already perfect. Even with 400 grit as the shaping paper.

I wrap a piece of sandpaper tightly around the blade of a regular dinner knife. Works pretty well.

I have a bunch of pieces of tubing of different sizes, bits of plywood that I whittle a bit, do some things with a bit of sandpaper folded just so. Also use a set of Swiss needle file on occasion to do rough detail shaping. I do OK on the little stuff, it's the big things that shoot me down!

Put some masking tape on the two panels out a quarter inch or so, so that when you apply whatever you use for filler it doesn't get all over everything. Leave the tape in place while you sand the fillet, that way you won't cut into the surrounding area. I use Evercoat Metalglaze part # 100-416 for fillets. You can get it at any auto paint store for about $16/quart. That's enough for dozens of airplanes. I smear it in with my fingertip as smooth as I can & it doesn't take much sanding, though you do have to sand it until there's NO shiny spots before you continue with your finish. Sand down to the tape,then pull it off & then carefully sand the little edge down with fine paper.
Nils

Get a Micro Mark Catalog. They list hundreds of dollars worth of neat tools for doing that and whatever else.