The Little World

The grey primer stage of the Skyhawk build is very accusatory – it accuses me of great failure in losing that canopy. The rest of the plane is superb.

Ah, well, it is ever thus. I have a long history of losing parts – and not all on the concrete floor of the workshop, either. I can lose them in sealed rooms. A small bit – like a wheel – rolls to the edge of the table and I can hear it hit the bench leg or floor. Then no amount of searching, sweeping, and vacuuming will retrieve it.

It makes a man mad at first. Then frightened – is there something at which his mind is failing? Then finally it makes him resourceful. I’ve adapted scrap parts, moulded new ones, and resorted to a number of subterfuges to recover the build.

One idea was suggested by my wife yesterday. I asked her whether she could think of a semi-sticky film that could be put over the bench top to retain dropped parts. We reviewed sticky tapes and glues and paints and rejected them all. Then she remembered seeing a watchmaker’s bench that was covered in green felt…

Perfect. I shall get a roll and test out the idea – it could be just the energy-absorber and shock pad for the bench top. Of course it will get dirty with glue and paint and need to be replaced – but felt shouldn’t be that expensive and it need not be an attractive colour.