glasairtd

I want to prime my balsa with a "white" primer prior to
putting down white ultracote. I'm trying to come up with
a primer that will work and will not be affected by
the heat from the iron when applying the covering.
ps....this is on a gasser w/ smoke.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

EdwardB

My Feedback: (6)

Don't do it for at least two reasons --

1. There isn't a primer that would stand up to the heat of applying the Ultracote. Even at the lowest application temps, the primer will melt, bubble, and just make a general mess.

2. With the surface sealed with primer, you will have a terrible time with bubbles in the film. Much like applying one coat of film over another. The unsealed balsa gives the heated air someplace to go.

I had the same idea with a Pica 182 I was building. I didn't like how opaque the Ultracote white was, so tried what you're suggesting. It was a major mess. I ended up painted the whole airplane, which wasn't bad, but not what I planned to do in the first place.

glasairtd

I did some testing today, and have found that the ultracote
white is much more opaque than the monocote that I have
used in the past. It looks like I won't need to prime after all.
Thanks for the comments.