Today I tackled the weld contamination again and really went about it methodically, being careful to get all the contamination out. After over three hours I was finally able to declare it done! It doesn't look pretty, but it's going to stay that way. It gets covered with fabric anyway.
After that challenge, I was able to fit the rudder hinges to the tail post. The tail post needed a little tweaking with some judicious application of heat, but it came into line. I drilled the bottom hinge and filed the top one to fit. The top hinge had a 3/16th hole in it already. I won't do that type of pre-drilling again! I shaped the front of the hinge and the next step is to make a template for the front tube of the vertical stabilizer. It's actually looking like an airplane!
