The two identical halves were then welded together, with a central strengthening piece sandwiched down the middle and forming part of the weld. The aim here is it reduce the shrinking and warping from the welding process, as obviously, there’s no chance of hammer and dolly work once the two halves are joined. Fortunately the central piece worked and deformation was minimal.
Once the welds were filed and dressed, the fuselage was sanded through the grades to 1500 and buffed on the wheel.