REFLECTOR: Interior Fire-Proofing & Coverings

[Joe Stack <joestack@technologist.com>]

I've been ruminating over when the best time might be to apply the interior
fire proofing compound (as it says in the catalog, "Recommended by Rutan
for EZy's, by Swings for Velocitys").  When you apply it earlier, you don't
need to work around as much of the stuff you've been so carefully adding to
the interior (e.g., break & gear hydraulics, switches, etc.).  On the other
hand, if you wait until later in the process, you need to work around all of that
stuff but you don't need to worry about grinding it away every time you want
to add an unplanned piece of glass.

The same question applies to the gray speckle paint (that looks so great in
the nose of the factory XL).  For some reason I can't imagine removing
everything forward of the canard bulkhead, once it's installed, just to apply
this stuff.  ....In terms of the finished presentation, it seems that Dave Black's
nosewheel box would also look better from the outside (as well as serving
other practical purposes).

All that having been said; I'd rather not find myself waiting until it becomes too 
much of a pain to apply it, and then just saying: "to hell with it".  

So, I could use some thoughts and strategies from some of you folks who
have already finished your interior work (or you chess players who are good
at thinking 1000 moves ahead).

Tx,

Joe Stack
N983SC - XLRG