jbeck

Hi all,

I was having a conversation with some members at my club, and we were talking about the best way to build over plans without having the plane stick to the surface. Most of us (myself included) pin the plans down, cover them with Wax paper, and then pin the wood on top and get going. The general problem that we have is that sometimes the CA will wiggle its way under the wood and between the wax paper (for example, on a wing when you start by gluing your ribs to the bottom spar). When you go to remove it, some of the wax paper sticks, but what is worse is that you have CA on surfaces that you didn't want to have CA on! :-)

So, what do most people do (other than being very careful with the CA)? Is this just part of the process, and a little wayward CA won't hurt, or is there a better way (using the wing as an example, say just "tack" it together, and then apply more CA once it is removed to prevent any excess from dripping)?

I have built a few kits, and had this problem on each one, as have my friends. Granted none of us are "great" (or possibly even "good") builders, and we can use all the help we can get!

Thanks!

tiggerinmk

I don't use wax paper, instead I use a roll of clear plastic wrap I got from the flower dept in Michaels (craft shop). It looks to me like the same stuff that GP sells as their 'plan protector'.....

PigHeaded

My Feedback: (8)

Hello jbeck,

when I first started using CA I was building Guillow kits. I was getting it everywhere. I was ripping wax pager off the underside of wings and stabs and had to sand off the excess. Now I use CA applicators and can control the amount of glue I use and this has helped tremendously. You will use less glue. It will still stick from time to time but not as severe and the wax paper pops right off.

I believe Tower sells them and you might find them on Ebay. I got them at my LHS.

Here they are on Tower
[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL490&P=7]www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL490&P=7[/link]

[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXB970&P=7]www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXB970&P=7[/link]

As for replacing the wax paper, you can use a piece of tempered glass in between your plans but you won't be able to pin anything. You would need to use weights to hold down parts.

I had not tried plastic wrap. Might give that a try.

Thank you,

Jerry

beardking

My Feedback: (4)

I started out using wax paper to cover my plans when I build, then I saw a post on here that gave me a new idea for how to do it. Now, when I'm covering a plane, I keep all of the plastic backing material to the side and I use that to cover my plans. Works great, and you've already paid for it so might as well use it.

TerrellFlyer

I prefer GP plan protector film and a little less ca,ca will also stick to glass and sometimes the wood will stay glued to the glass.

PigHeaded

My Feedback: (8)

You are correct my bad[&o]. I don't use glass, but I do now remember watching Dave Platt gluing a jig to his glass surface in his video. In fact it seemed to hold real well.

Thank you,

Jerry

beardking

My Feedback: (4)

Has anyone tried emptying the oil out of one of these (and cleaning it really well) and using it for a CA bottle?

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJY55&P=7

Kaos Rulz

jbeck,

Try the plastic used for home construction. You can find it at a Home Depot, or other hardware store. It comes in 3, 4, and 6mm thicknesses. I use the 4mm and it works great. CA dosen't stick and you can see through it to the plans.

cde0214

I use the "tack it" method with medium CA. I lay my wing on wax paper, pin the spar down in a manner where the pin isn't close to a glue joint, and start tacking pieces to the spar with medium CA. I do have it stick to the paper occasionally, but not like when I used thin. After I'm finished tacking, I go and make good glue joints where nesessary. Also I use accelorator, it seems to catch the glue before it has time to get to the paper. Just my $.02

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I use something like that for my Kicker. That way I don't spray kicker all over everything. That stuff sticks around for a while. I've had times where 2 or 3 days later, I apply CA and it sets up instantly from the old kicker.

As for not sticking to the plans, I use waxed paper, and only apply Med CA to the top of the lower spar where it meets the rib. I don't even go over it later, because there's really no need to. The sheeting and cap strips will be binding the two much better than a little more CA will.

cknaack

My Feedback: (1)

jbeck,

What you are looking for is Polyethylene sheet, also called film. Monokote backing is a good example, but if you need larger and thicker pieces, try your local home improvement or hardware store. Plastic painting drop cloths are usually made from PE. CA won't stick to PE, but it certainly will stick to Nylon. Some plastic sheeting contains a cap layer of Nylon, so look at the package.

CafeenMan

hmm... the obvious answer is to not use CA. I use Carpenter's glue and don't have any of the problems mentioned in this thread and I don't have to jump through hoops or go to Michael's or Home Depot or Tower Hobbies to find things to keep it from sticking. Waxed paper works just fine. So does Saran wrap and drop cloth plastic. Plus it's about 1/10 the price and a lot less messy.

DustOffUH1

My Feedback: (2)

I use wax paper and a little ca. I use a tool from Micromark - [link=http://www.micro-mark.com/]MicroMark[/link] thats called a mini loop applicator. It kind of like looks like a dental instrument, except at the end there's a little loop. Just dip that in the CA and I get a perfect little amount of CA everytime. I've been using it for about 2 years building static models, now for planes. It was worth the $7 to me the first time I used it. I was tired of using toothpicks, and cleaning out the applicators. They also have a smaller applicator. The end has 2 tiny prongs instead of a loop. My .02
Joe