RE: Bluejay XLT question
Between pictures #2 and #3 above, I was waiting for the polyurethane glue to cure. I decided to go ahead and glass the center section of the wing.
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The first thing I did was mix up some epoxy and add a little acetone to get it going and thin it out. Yes, I know I got the wrong kind of hardener (209 instead of 205), I can never remember the correct number of what I got last time when ordering. I think this will work, just takes longer to cure. I then measure out and cut my fiberglass with a rotary cutter. I like the rotary cutter since it doesn't mess up the fabric. The next step I do is mask off the areas around where I'm going to apply the glass and spray a light tack coat of 3M 77 spray. I then carefully lay down the fiberglass cloth and smooth it out with the plastic scraper. This keeps the cloth in place while applying the resin and keeps any wrinkles out after I get it laid down.
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Once the cloth is in place I liberally apply the resin. I make sure the glass is wet all the way thru to the wood. If your shop is cold, you can also enlist the help of your wife's hair dryer to warm it up and help it flow. Once the resin is soaked into the cloth and balsa, take your plastic scraper and carefully scrape the resin. I practiced this on a couple pieces of scrap balsa before trying it on my model. Once you get the right combination of angle, pressure, and speed, you can remove almost all of the excess resin and leave only a little that has soaked into the wood and the glass. The surface will look dry. If you work your way from the leading to trailing edge, your last glob of resin will slide right off the trailing edge and drop onto your paper towel. A little technique I use is to soak the top half of your paper towel with denatured alcohol to help wipe off your scraper and finger. I tried acetone, but it evaporated too quickly.