Polyspan with Japanese Tissue trim
11-18-2009, 05:30 PM
#1
Polyspan with Japanese Tissue trim
How do you guys apply the trim?
I've got a model that I want to try and put a scalloped edge on the wing. I've never tried it before as I normally paint the trim on. I want the semi-transparent look of tissue.
I've got a model that I want to try and put a scalloped edge on the wing. I've never tried it before as I normally paint the trim on. I want the semi-transparent look of tissue.
11-18-2009, 07:54 PM
#2
Senior Member
RE: Polyspan with Japanese Tissue trim
Put some dope on your polyspan, enough so the tissue will stick. Cut out your tissue trim and lay it in place. Use thinner on a small brush and stick the tissue down starting at the middle and working out. Then put some more dope on the whole wing. After a couple of coats of dope, give the tissue a very light sanding.
11-18-2009, 08:37 PM
#3
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RE: Polyspan with Japanese Tissue trim
Yep, that pretty much covers it. The only other hint I'll offer to add is that I found the tissue lays down easier and seals more firmly if you place it and then mist it very lightly with just enough to make it go limp. Don't worry about the moisture. Even if it does cause some blushing that'll go away with the next coat of thin clear.
You want the dope to be dry but I found it works best if it's newly dried. So plan on the last coat going on an hour or so before you apply the tissue. The thinner has an easier time activating it that way.
There's a catch to doing something like scallops on the wing though. If you want them to line up with the ribs you'll need to space the points a couple of % tight so that when you mist the tissue and it slackens and goes limp the stretch that occurs will then line up the points with the ribs. To see how much to fudge this put a scrap stripe of tissue on the wing and mark the location of the inner scallop point or the wing's center line on one end and the last rib on the other. Now holding the strip in the air mist it with some water from a plant mister to dampen it. No need to be soaking wet, just damp is enough. While it's damp measure the distance between the two marks. Compare that to the same distance on the wing. There's going to be roughly 3/16 to 1/4 inch difference for a wing panel on a typical 1/2A model. Based on this you will want to squeeze the points in by the difference divided by the number of points to set the spacing. Then when you mist the tissue the scallop points will line up with the ribs.
The first time I used scallops it caught me off guard this way. The second time I fudged the spacing a little like this and they came out really close over the span.
You want the dope to be dry but I found it works best if it's newly dried. So plan on the last coat going on an hour or so before you apply the tissue. The thinner has an easier time activating it that way.
There's a catch to doing something like scallops on the wing though. If you want them to line up with the ribs you'll need to space the points a couple of % tight so that when you mist the tissue and it slackens and goes limp the stretch that occurs will then line up the points with the ribs. To see how much to fudge this put a scrap stripe of tissue on the wing and mark the location of the inner scallop point or the wing's center line on one end and the last rib on the other. Now holding the strip in the air mist it with some water from a plant mister to dampen it. No need to be soaking wet, just damp is enough. While it's damp measure the distance between the two marks. Compare that to the same distance on the wing. There's going to be roughly 3/16 to 1/4 inch difference for a wing panel on a typical 1/2A model. Based on this you will want to squeeze the points in by the difference divided by the number of points to set the spacing. Then when you mist the tissue the scallop points will line up with the ribs.
The first time I used scallops it caught me off guard this way. The second time I fudged the spacing a little like this and they came out really close over the span.
