Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Whats the best glue to use to glue the balsa sheeting onto the foam fuse. I just got a 47" Edge. Does any glue work other than the Gorilla glue? Was wondering if something Titebond would work. I've heard horror stories about usin the poly and the sheeting sliding off the foam if you dont use enough weight. Thanks, JT

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Hopefully well get some good answers from everyone, when we do we'll make this thread a sticky for the forum. We get asked this a lot.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

I used Gorilla Glue on both the GS Edge 540 and the Yak 65 with no problems. I did not use lots of weight. With the two planes I used a sheet of 3/4" plywood to spread out the weight and put two car batteries on it. The Gorilla Glue really does work well and you do not have to be afraid of it. I would hate you see you shy away from it and compromise because you have a miss conception that you have to place a mac truck over it in order to get it to work. I suspect if the sheeting actually slid off then way too much glue was used. Any product will be a headache if not used right.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

STL,

You missed your mark. Orlando is not is PA. What happened, the hurricanes scare you away?

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

I used 30 minute epoxy thinned with alcohol. Edge glued the sheeting, painted the epoxy on the foam, layed it on the sheeting covered it with a flat board on a flat surface and weighed it down with a tool box full of automotive tools (about 40 pounds) and let it cure. Then painted the other side of the foam and repeated the above. Came out straight as an arrow and is hanging together real well............RJ

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

This thread is also running in the main fun fly forum. I'd recommend removing it here as it's not necessarily OMP specific.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

West Systems 206/105, vacuum bagged, works well. I also laid in some c/f mat at critical stress
points (TE junction) under the balsa.

Peter Young
Watertown MA

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Hi there,

I use just white wood clue......is almost as strong as epoxy, but much lighter

Michael

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Gorilla glue without hesitation is the preferred method by all OMP folks. This stuff penetrates the wood and foam better than any other glue. We use it on all balsa to foam from the profiles to giant scale planes. Plus it is non-toxic!

By the way we keep plenty of Gorilla glue in stock in various size bottles so if anyone ever needs some with their kit, just say so.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

i just built a Giles 202 with foam core wings, i used 100% polyurethane glue, it has unbelievable holding power, and can be bought at home depot or Lowe's..this is also what some manufactures have told me to use

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

I have a 47" edge that I'm getting ready to start on. I want to use polyurethane glue on the fuse like the instructions say, but I don't have any experience using it. How much should I use so that the balsa sheeting doesn't slide off? The instructions say to use 200 lbs. of weight hold the sheeting in place. Is that realy necessary?

Thanks!

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

You want a LIGHT film of glue, because as it cures, the poly glues expand in volume, this is why you need enough weight to hold it all together. I squeeze out some glue, and use an old playing card to spread the glue across the foam core. You can drill a couple small holes in the sheeting and insert round toothpicks through the holes into the core to prevent it from sliding off the core.
Cut the toothpicks flush with the sheeting before you add the weight.

This stuff isn't as scary as you may have read, but if you're in doubt, find an old piece of foam and a scrap piece of sheeting, and make a test run with it so you're comfortable with the procedure before you do the real thing.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

What about the weight needed to hold the sheeting in place. remcl1 uses two car batteries but the instructions say 200 lbs would be adequate. I would think 200 lbs might deform the foam core.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

You want the weight spread out over the entire surface of the core. When I built my 65" Yak fuse, I used a piece of granite trim off a building, it's 48" long, 20" wide, and it probably weighs close to 300 pounds, but if you think about it, that much weight spread over 200 square inches is only 1.5 pounds/sq. in. That's not anywhere close to the compression load of blue foam. I have made 72" foam core wings with plain old white styrofoam, and used almost 800 pounds of weight on them while the glue cured. The Gorilla glue actually came up through the balsa sheeting, and it forces itself so deep into the foam core you can't believe it!

You need lotsa weight!!

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Thanks for your input. I'll find some scrap pieces and give it a try.

Jon B.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

The poly glues react to water. If it is cold and dry it will take longer to cure and won't expand as much. A very light mist from a spray bottle on the cores will really set the glue off.

Jeff

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

How would this work ?


[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXB967&P=7]Dave Brown Southern's Sorghum [/link]

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

I used it a long time ago on some wing cores. It works pretty well for wing skins, but I'm not sure how well it would adhere the balsa skin to the hard points like the lg mounts or motor mounts. It is really easy to use, and actually smells good. It is a kind of latex sugar and water based contact cement, that brushes on like paint.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

I used 3M spray contact cement on my 80" edge, Yak54 and my small Edge and it holds great. Spray both sides with adhesive and allow it to dry then stick them together. Viola, instant bond. It is important tp allow the glue to dry first though, If you do not the cement will attack the foam.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Hello, I write from Italy, and I don't know the Gorilla glue, neither I can buy it......
I ask: is it an Aliphatic Resin Glue ?
Can I use Great Planes Aliphatic Resin Glue to Glue Balsa to Foam?
Thankyou
Ciao

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

No, Gorilla glue and ProBond brands are polyurethane glues and expand into the pores of the wood and foam when curing. This is what provides the superior bonding. Yes you can use aliphatic glues but I would still weight the cores down to be sure you get as tight a bond between the balsa and foam as possible. Thinned epoxy also works well but with all the above choices just be sure not to use too much.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Use 2 Gal ziplocks filled with sand for weights works great.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Hey guys, I'm no expert by far but I did run into a small problem with the Gorilla glue on my "80 edge kit. I got some of the glue in the wire channel and it blocked the channel. If I were to do it again (I'll buy the arf LOL ) but I would put a strip of masking tape over the wire channel before I glued the skins to the cores.

Just one mans opinion I could be wrong

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

Hey that's actually a good idea. Thanks for the tip. Also keep in mind these modern urethane glues are really strong and you don't need very much at all. All you need is a very thin layer, wet the apposing side, and make your sandwich. The water helps activate the glue and allows better expansion into the pores. If you use too much glue it will expand into the servo channels.

RE: Glue for Balsa to Foam??
 

FWIW, I tried a foaming/expanding polyurethane glue on a balsa/depron fus... unfortunately I didn't spread it out well enough and where it was thickest in the middle of the fus it expanded BIG time! I had sheets of 3/8" glass on top and then 1/2 doz house bricks for weight. When I made the cut-out for the wing I found gaps of ~1/16" where the glue had 'bubbled' [:o] Strike One! On my second attempt I used a very thin skim of 30min epoxy ;)

I'm not saying don't use PU glue, just make sure it's a real thin, even layer you're putting on.

(BTW the poly glue I got here in the U.K. is like the thickness & consistancy of silicon sealer and it comes in the same type of industrial tube. If Gorilla is thinner then you'll have an easier time).

HTH,
Steve