Mods-R-Me

My Feedback: (1)

Geetings all,

I've fiberglassed the leading edge of my wing and am covering with Ultracote. What is the best way to fill the weave? I usually use primer, but I don't know if the covering iron and the paint will play nice (i.e. melt the paint). Can I still use primer or is there a better way?


Figure 1

Thank you for your time,

Mods

daven

My Feedback: (1)

Primer will melt, personally, I'd just cover over the fiberglass.

If you really want to fill it, use water based polyeurathane mixed with Micro Balloons.

MajorTomski

Don't seal the plastic to the entire surface. Only do and edge seal around the perimiter and shrink the plastic over the rest of the structrure without pressing it down.

Mods-R-Me

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks. One more question. I'm also doing a mold of this section with 3 layers of fiberglass (finishing resin is the adhesive) for the leading edge flaps. How long do I wait after applying the first layer (cure time) to apply the second or third?

Thanks,

Mods

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

You could make a thin slurry of light weight spackle and water, then apply a skim coat over the cloth. Covering won't stick to spackle, so then you would have to use Balsarite. Spackle blends the edge of the cloth to the wood, feathers it in nicely. Only use LIGHT WEIGHT spackle.

hoofty

first question - use bondo to fill the weave. it's pretty light and VERY easy to work with. sands better than epoxy / microbaloons and less hasardous than poly. plus, it will hold up to the heat fine. and pressure is very necesary to ensure proper adhesion.

second - first, check with the manufacture for cure times. Also, if you are laying up more than one ply in a structure, it is always best to lay up all plies at once. just use a vacuum bag to ensure you dont have any air pockets. but, if you must do the layup in steps, let the resin cure to the "firm but sticky" stage before applying the second or third plies. if you are unsure about cure time, mix a little and wet out some scrap fiberglass as a test piece. cover it with plastic and write the mix time down and check the cure stage about every half hour. (keep in mind that temp and humidity play a factor on the cure also.)

Hoofty