Worked on the rear and forward strap yesterday for a couple hours. This included removing the flashing from the laser pilot holes, filing and sanding the sides, and finally a little polishing.
Today I finished up preparing the forward and rear straps, then started the assembly process.
I've decided to assemble the spars only to the point of up-drilling and clecoing them so I can fit the ribs between them to confirm sizing. After I've confirmed that everything is going to fit correctly, I'll sand and polish out all imperfections, then prime with zinc oxide. Then I'll permanently assemble them with rivets.
There are several reasons I'm not just updrilling and riveting the assembly together right now. One is that I've read that it's good to wait until the last possible moment to provide maximum flexibility. The second is winter is arriving and it's too cold to spray the primer outside, and I don't want to poison myself by doing it in the garage. Third, I want to be able test fit everything without commiting and if scratches occur during this time it's no big deal because I haven't "finished" the part. Having said that, I still plan on being very careful to not scratch the parts.
