Lots more progress. With the bones of it assembled, I've been able to get a sense of the ergonomics. Because of the long neck, I've found that it's most comfortable in a pseudo classical pose (ie neck pointing up at 45 degrees rather than parallel to the floor), so the tail got reshaped:



Now it sits comfortably, like Reed Rothchild's Flying V:



I've also given it a belly cut of sorts by contouring the rear top wing, and shaped the ply that makes up the arm contour.

So now I've got all the wing parts shaped, so I've stained the wooden bits and starred oiling them. Contrary to my previous plan, I've sanded back the black stain altogether and I'm just going with the FW Jarrah, neat.



The blotchy sides won't be visible under the wings, so it's all about the striping in the end grain.

I've also started on the control cavity, but the router bit I bought for the neck pocket isn't quite long enough.



Looks like another Carbatec order will be needed. I'm still waiting on my back-ordered bridge, so no rush.

I have to say that I'm loving the stain and tru-oil approach to finishing. It's a lot more forgiving than rattlecans for one, but it's also quite tactile rubbing the oil in by hand. I've even got a pretty solid clean up routine going:

- Rinse hands with turps
- Wash with mechanics' soap
- Wash with regular hand wash
- Wash with wife's fancy hand wash
- Moisturise with matching fancy hand balm

My to-do list is getting ever shorter, and even better, my list of things to buy is down to a small handful of items. I'm really looking forward to getting the bridge and putting it on so I can reveal the anodized matt black under the protective film on the aluminium.

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