In a healthy dog of any breed, whether it's a Chihuahua or a German Shepherd, you should not be able to see the ribs, but you should be able to feel them. The correct way of feeling the ribs is to place your palm along the side of the spine, fingers downward over the ribcage. In this position, you should be able to easily feel the ribs underneath your fingertips without having to push hard.

No! but if you try steam bending you will be glad that you did. First of all, only the ribs need this treatment not the longitudinal members. If you can locate good quality straight grain clear green Ash an over-night water soak will soften the small section wood. It can then be nursed into shape to make the bends. The satisfaction received when you take the same piece of wood from a 15 minute steam bath and tie it into a knot is worth the effort. The instruction manual details the procedure.

For a 2 meter glider, I'll go with 1/16" (1.5 mm, GH) unless you're planning to winch it, then I might go 3/32" (4.5 mm, GH) on the inner 1/3 of the ribs. on my great planes spirit, it has 1/16" ribs (1.5 mm, GH). The wingspan is 78" which I believe is classed as a 2m. Both Andy Lennon (Model Airplane News, Nov. 96) and Paul Denson (R/C Modeler, Nov. 95) recommend that the stab area be approximately 20% of the wing area.

We have a dinghy sealant for new ribs and dinghies. This is simply sprayed onto the hyperlon and wiped over with a cloth. For old stains on a rib/dinghy, you will need to use our hull cleaner first to remove the marks and then spray with dinghy sealant.

Down-and-dead saguaro ribs may be collected for personal use only. A rule of thumb is: the amount that can be carried manually to the vehicle in one load is the annual allotment. Jojoba beans are seasonal and can be harvested in designated areas with a pre-approved permit, based on the weight of the beans. Live vegetation collection is not normally allowed. Call your local BLM office for specific information on collecting plants or other items.