andrew66

Hey, In a drunken stuper last night, i came across an idea that is crazy enough that it just might work...
I am building a plane out of about 80% foam, and have been covering the foam with fiberglass and using wood glue to stick it down. The problem is, going around curves and LE and TE. i had a hard time keeping the fiberglass down, and in a couple spots had to sand it down and do it over. I was told by a fellow modeler that balsa sheeting for wings can be stuck down with water based contact cement. So i thought, why cant fiberglass? I have got half of the stab covered doing it this way, and with a bit of care, it makes fiberglassing a breeze, and there isnt any bad fumes. I am just wondering if there will be enough strength? and if there is anyone else out there doing this. I was also thinking that it would be a great way to sheet turtle decks and other built up surfaces. It sands easy, and requires no clamping or taping. I will try and get a pic or two of the final results once finished.

pmw

My Feedback: (1)

Many, many years ago I read an article in one of the model magazines about doing exactly what you're describing. I seldom use fiberglassing on a large scale so I've never tried it. But I've always wondered why I never hear of anyone using this method.

andrew66

I tried searching for a bit (dont have alot of time) and didnt really come up with much. It is a very easy process so far

Chip_Mull

My Feedback: (1)

If you're not going to heat shrink Koverall and just use it as you would fiberglass, the contact cement would work. When working with Poly Fiber fabric or Ceconite we use Poly Tak cement because it chemically bonds the polyester to polyester. When it comes to heat shrinking, you want the best bond possible. Also, I would not recommend Koverall in place of fiberglass cloth. Fiberglass does not stretch and Koverall does.

andrew66

the only place im using koverall on this project is over the stringers on the top part of the fuse. the rest is made from 1/2" foam. So far it is really light and i hope that i only add another 2-3 pounds with fiberglass and paint. Im really making sure that everything is nice and smooth and looks good to reduce the amount of filler and primer. For the koverall i was thinking of sticking it down to the foam and then overlapping the fiberglass up to the edge of the foam. Then when i shrink the koverall, it shouldnt pull away unless i get stupid with the iron. I have used polycrylic to attach koverall to wood, but for some reason wanted to give this a try. so far its panning out. there is a couple more steps this way, but they are easy steps. the hardest part is cutting the fiberglass after the cement has dried. if it touches itself, then its pretty much permanently stuck there.

yel914

The only problem I see with this method is that the glueline is flexible. Contact cement is essentially rubber and is therefore not rigid like woodworkers glue or epoxy. In furniture making, there are problems using contact cement on veneers. The veneer and substrate move independantly because of the flexible glueline. This usually causes a failure of the veneer. Now furniture isn't an airplane and fiberglass isn't veneer, but, I'm just saying. It would be interesting to see how well this holds up over time. If it works out well, it's another great idea for the arsenal!