RCPtero

I'm building a TF .60 Corsair and have been convinced that glassing is the way to go. So, I'm trying to read everything I can on the subject. I've seen several references to an article on fiberglassing located on the arts-hobby.com website. (Specifically: http://www.arts-hobby.com/fiberglassing.htm) However, it appears that Art's Hobby is closed as of 01 Nov 06. Does anyone have a copy of this article they can post?

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Tom

JetSet9c1

Give this a try:

[link]http://web.archive.org/web/20060322182050/http://www.arts-hobby.com/fiberglassing.htm[/link]

Nothing stays gone forever!


-JS

bfd04

you might want to look at this site also, not devoted to R/C butr there is useful info on it.

http://info-central.org/index.cgi?construction

You may find other things that will help in this hobby also.

John

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

Here is an alternative to using resin for glassing. About 60% of the strength of resin, but only 1/2 the weight, plus NO FUMES and very easy sanding.

Glassing with Water Base Polyurethane


1. Sand the model with 220 grit and remove any highs/lows you may find.
Fill as needed with lightweight filler and sand.

2. Give the wood 1 thin - medium coat of wood sealer. I use the
commercial stuff. What this does is twofold - it stops the balsa
from soaking up too much of the poly and at the same time protects
the balsa from the water in the polyurethane.

3. When dry, sand lightly with 220 to remove the "fuzzies".

4. Some people say to apply a light coat of 3M #77 adhesive to the
wood at this point. I have found that this is more trouble than it
is worth since if you have a wrinkle, the complete piece of fiberglass
has to be removed to straighten it out.

I prefer to lay the fiberglass cloth on the part/area to be covered and
smooth it out using a SOFT brush. Brush FROM THE CENTER TOWARDS THE
EDGES. The static electricity usually holds it in place. I normally
use 1/2 oz (.5 oz) or 3/4 oz (.75 oz) fiberglass cloth.

5. Using WATER BASE polyurethane and a FOAM brush, start at the center
and brush towards the edges of the fiberglass. All you want to do is
stick the fiberglass to the balsa, so excessive amounts are not needed.
Any additional pieces of fiberglass should overlap each other about
1/2 - 3/4 inches.

Let this dry. DO NOT SAND !!

Brush on another coat of polyurethane. This coat can be a little heavier.

Let this coat dry. DO NOT SAND !!


6. Mix up some polyurethane and microballoons. I use 1 part
microballoons to about 5 parts polyurethane. This will be on the thick
side.

Brush on a medium coat of this mixture and let dry.

7. Wet sand this with 220 or 320 grit paper. BE CAREFUL, AS YOU CAN
VERY EASILY SAND RIGHT THROUGH THE FIBERGLASS.

8. Check the fiberglass carefully to insure the weave is filled. If
the weave is not completely filled, repeat step 6 and 7.

9. SPRAY a coat of water base polyurethane on the plane and let dry.
DO NOT SAND !!

10. Spray a THIN coat of primer on the plane. When this is COMPLETELY
dry, block wet sand with 220 or 320 grit as much of the plane as
possible to highlight any highs/lows you may have missed during your
sanding/prep. The areas that can not be block sanded, CAREFULLY sand
by hand. (TIP: CA some of the wife's/girlfriends fingernail file boards
together. Wrap the sandpaper around them so you can block sand in tight
areas. The CA helps prevent the boards from disintergrating in the water)
Fill any low areas with a lightweight filler and sand when dry.

Apply a THIN coat of polyurethane to these areas.

When the poly is dry, repeat this step until you are satisfied that all
the highs/lows are removed.

11. SPRAY a thin coat of polyurethane on the plane. When dry, spray
the primer.

12. When the primer is dry, you can apply your rivets, panel lines and
other detailing desired.

13. Now you can spray your paint.

RCPtero

Thanks! I also got a copy of the document from Rob at RCWarbirds.com. I picked up some cloth and the West System epoxy. I plan on doing some experiments this weekend. I also do woodworking and have some of the Minwax water based poly which I might give a try. At least it is something I'm used to working with.

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Tom

RCPtero

Okay, a followup question for my Corsair. This kit has ribs on the elevator and rudder to give it a more scale appearance. Everything I've read seems to indicate that you need to sheet over ribs before applying the fiberglass. Is there a way to fiberglass over the ribs without sheeting to maintain the ribbed appearance?

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Tom

Charlie P.

I believe the Corsair was the last US warplane to use fabric covered control surfaces, so you may want to use something like Solartex over just them.

saramos

You cannot fiberglass over open structure. Some choices would be plastic covering (monocote), iron on fabric (solartex), or sheet the surface, glass and simulate fabric. For a .60 size TF corsair, the latter may add excess weight to the tail, though this is the technique that is used by Platt on larger planes. Personally, if the rest of the plane is glassed, I wouldn't use plastic covering. I would go with solartex, which will accept paint and will have a fabric texture.

Scott

jetboy2003

What kind of primer would be good to use, I am going to glass my TF Skylane and will use the Minwax method. Will prolly end up painting with PPG or some automotive type paint.

saramos

You might want to decide on your paint, then use the recommended primer for it. I recently built a TF Spitfire and used rattle can Duplicolor automotive primer and latex paint with a water base polyurethane clearcoat. I am happy with the results. One note, If I were to do it again, I wouldn't bother priming the fabric covering. I've since found that it takes latex well.

jetboy2003

Latex may not be a bad idea for me, but one question, can you get latex in a metallic? If not what would be some good alternatives. (I'm guessing I'll hafta stick with automotive type paints for that) I am looking to maybe paint the plane in a white/blue metallic combo. Thank you for all the help!!

saramos

I have seen, but never tried, metalic latex paints.

Scott

jetboy2003

Cool, thanks. Now just to find a place that sells it....

alqwad

My Feedback: (12)

Campy-

When you say that you seal it with the commercial stuff, are you talking about something like Thompson's water seal? I noticed that they have Thompson's in a spray can as well. Also, I found a can of Polycrillic as well. Maybe I could mist the wing and seal it up with that and then apply my glass and brush on Poly C as you have noted above. Your thoughts?? Thanks.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

I use the commercial sanding sealer. There are several different brands out there - I think the last time I got some it was the Minwax brand. You need the balsa to absorb SOME of the poly so the glass adheres properly, but you don't want it to play sponge. I have had my best luck using 1 thin - medium coat of sanding sealer (more towards the medium end ) on the balsa.

hezik

I'm sure you're getting amazing results, but I'm not so sure about your methods.. it sounds to me like your way of covering is incredibly heavy? I didn't count, but you spray on like 6 coats of PU?

Simpler method: lay the glass cloth on the object, apply a thin coat of PU using a soft brush, then use a foam roller to spread it. Let this dry for some time (PU takes long to dry, give it about 2 weeks) and then apply 'spuitplamuur' (dunno the english term, possibly spray-on-filler?) and sand it. Repeat if needed. Then put on your paint and finish it off with a clearcoat of either PU or another 2k laquer.