Time to layup the nose floor with two plies of BID. I tried the hardshell technique to see if it reduced very small areas of air in my BID layups.

I microslurried the floor as usual but let it cure. Then there was a lot more sanding as you can’t lay up on a shinny surface. It took a while. The layup was done with pure epoxy on the floor then the dry cloth on top. The usual squeegee work then the second ply.

Finally an extra ply just on the floor where heels go. The hardshell thing worked OK. Not a perfect layup but still nice. I did get epoxy going off early as the fuselage was close to the room heater…I have to watch that. The extra step was a lot of work and may not be worth it given it introduces a secondary bond. All edges were peel plied.

It was a tricky layup going up the sides and front as well as aft behind F22 for an inch but worked out OK.

Hard shell floor

2 ply BID left

2 ply BID right