splais

My Feedback: (25)

... and be careful to not score the wood or something might break. We have all seen this in ARF's. It's got to be one of the biggest pain in the arse things about ARF's. I have yet to find my own really neat way to do this other than just getting a sharp knife, nicking fingers, nicking wood and staggering through the process. So, have any of you come up with a tool or really neat way to do this quickly and easily, or am I dreaming.

davham

My Feedback: (4)

I use a soldering gun with high heat and a fine point. It makes a clean cut but you need to work fast as to not burn the balsa.
I got this tip from someone on here quite awhile back. It does work very well.

Dave

CHassan

My Feedback: (13)

I concur, I have used this method on the last few models and it works wonders.

ptgarcia

My Feedback: (36)

Yep, me too.

Volfy

My Feedback: (23)

Me four! Sharp tip and very little pressure are the key. I just let the tip rest on the monocote on its own weight, and I gently drag it along a metal ruler. You don't want to press down on the wood. Crushing the balsa is not much better than cutting into it with a knife.

With a hobby knife, even a brand new sharp one, it's far too easy to cut into soft balsa. That's okay along the grain, but across the grain, like on stabilizers, even a little bit of scoring on the wood can lead to structural failure later on.

bullfrog

My Feedback: (2)

I use a wood burning knife, it is like a sodering iron but with a dull razor blade! Its definitely the ticket.

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

Yep, throw the X-Acto away for that job! Soldering Iron all the way!

Jerry