The forebeam top looked and felt fair but to be sure I gave the beam a coat of automotive black paint, James gave me some in an ice cream container and I rubbed it onto the beam with a rag. Then about 5 minutes later (it dries almost as soon as it hits the beam) I started sanding. I mentioned yesterday I didn’t think it would take much sanding and I was both right and wrong. It didn’t take long to sand nearly all of the paint off again meaning the beam was fair where the paint was gone leaving only the odd rut or low here and there with paint in it. The deeper the rut the blacker the paint that is left. Even though 60 minutes sanding is not a long time it sure felt like it. My shoulders are a bit sore (I remember this feeling from when I last had to fair) and I could not sand for more than a few minutes at a time without a few minutes rest. So the 60 minutes was closer to 30 minutes of actual sanding. So I think 30 minutes is not long at all.

A couple of tips when sanding long compound curves (or any surface for that matter) keep the long board parallel with the beam and push across at 45 degrees in one motion then another motion back moving slowly along the beam as you go, not sanding twice in the same plane to avoid digging holes with the sanding board. Then once you have reached the end of the beam go around the other side and in 45 degrees across the other way sand it again. Do not get tempted to sand around a high or low spot only, you are only making the problem worse, you have the fair the entire beam (or panel) relative the the rest of the beam (or panel) so trying to fix just this spot wont work.

Tomorrow I will back fill the last few spots with car bog, then turn the beam over and strip bog the other side in preparation for fairing the underside. A tougher job but not as critical as the top.