Now that the bondo–between the wood main gear jigs and the main gear–is completely cured, I final sanded it along with the glass on the gear in between the tabs.
I removed the gear bolts and removed the gear bow from the fuselage.
I then went on a foraging mission for materials at Praktiker & Toom (German DIY stores).
Upon returning from a successful buying venture, I marked the center of the steel gear tubes on top of the main gear & glued on two (2) small marker tabs (and marked the CL on the gear bow with a Sharpie… just in case).
I prepped the workbench in the downstairs shop with spare wing foam pieces that I secured to the table, and then got the epoxy and glass ready (the glass that Gina had spent about 2-1/2 hours cutting…Hoo-ah! It’s awesome having help!). I took the main gear bow down to the prepped workbench and secured it to the wing foam & table.
I then glassed 2-1/2″ x 12″ 18-ply UNI strips onto the bottom of the gear on each side. These long UNI strips start & cover the tab on one side, then get laid across the gear strut and end by covering the other tab. Analogous to a UNI “band” or “strap” across the bottom of the gear bow, for the left and right side mount. Once the 18-plies of UNI are in place, then on each tab, placed over the now pre-existing UNI band, 18 plies of 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ BID squares are glassed onto each tab (only covering where the gray duct tape was applied). So, total glass each side: 18-plies of UNI (side-to-side strap) + 18 + 18 = 36 plies BID (tabs only). I then clamped 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ wood pieces covered in saran wrap (so they wouldn’t stick to the layup) over the outside plies of BID with just enough pressure to squeeze out any excess epoxy and to form a nice smooth/straight outer surface.
After a break, I glassed the Right front and Left rear console with 1-ply of BID and peel plied.
I also went back to the gear–with the layups being a little gummy but starting to harden–and knife trimmed the gross excess of glass (it looked crazy but it’s structurally correct… promise!)