On Sat, Oct 9, 2021 at 01:17 PM, Zack N8FNR wrote:

I would like to make a suggestion for something to add to your "Supercharging the XHDATA D-808" instructions. If one sands down the top of the radio where the glue will go and also the bottom of the level the glue will work a lot better. Glue will adhere to a rough surface a lot better than a smooth one. I would use a very rough sandpaper so that there are deep scratches.

Zack
N8FNR

Thanks for your suggestion, Zack.

This is certainly a judgement call, because the tricky part is deciding how much sanding is too much, and the orange plastic carpenter's level surface isn't perfectly smooth as it comes from the factory. Probably the only way to answer the question is to judge from glue joint survival out in the field, and that was the standard used in the assembly instructions. Out of about 25 loopstick frames superglued to portable radios I have never had one break off at the glue joint, unless the modified radio was dropped on solid concrete from about 5 feet high. There are a couple of practices that will make the glue joint stronger, however. It's best to have completely clean surfaces before gluing, and also use a generous amount of superglue, up to the point where it will still not show on the finished model, and will not stop the rear cabinet from closing properly.

Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)