In the process of getting out the skin rivets and rib flange rivets, I found out that laying the HS flat on the table is not the best position for working on the HS. I decided to take time and some plywood and 2x4s I had laying around and make a cradle to work on the HS. This job is one that is such an extra pair of hands would be helpful....and since I don't intend to mutate i decided to build the cradle instead which is just about as good. I used a 1/8 aluminum welding filll rod that I have a box of to get the contour of the HS where the mid rib is located in order to have more structural support.
After bending the rod around the leading edge I taped the open rod ends to the proper rear spar dimention. I then traced the rod contour on the plywood and cut out with a jigsaw. I cut the contours oversize because I intended to buy some foam pipe insulation to set in the cutouts in order to get a snug fit and protect the HS from damage. Easy peezy. The cradel has worked tremendously!!!!!! It was worth the time of fabricating.
