ANYONE EVER HEAR ABOUT THIS METHOD OF FILLING DENTS AND DINGS IN WOOD?

http://www.airfieldmodels.com/inform...ough/index.htm

Would this method really work? Prob with this is it would have to be applied outside or in well-ventilated area. Anyone try this method and with what results? Would manufactured filler be better? I am going out soon to buy some filler, but if this method works better I will just buy what I need to make this instead. Or I will just buy the manufactured if that is better. Please let me know before I spend the cash.

EDIT: Anyone know of any other homemade fillers that realy do work. Someone told me talcum powder mixed with something else also works good as a filler. Let's hear some ideas on what you think works better. I don't want to pick around trying different sources (I have tried Balsarite, vinyl spackle, wood spackle, Titebond mixed with balsa). Nothing has really been good enough. What do you like to use?

Thank you.

Wow, that seems like a lot of effort. I use whatever my LHS has in stock. Model Magic, I think. I get the balsa-colored type. It's a little lighter than the wood, but who can tell after it's covered? Sands easily, maybe a little faster than the balsa, so you have to be careful or use a block. You can thin it with water (have to after a few months). My only complaint is it takes awhile to dry. I let it go overnight if I can.

I don't like working with balsa dust. I use a respirator when I sand. Doesn't bother the lungs so much as the sinuses--gets in there, plugs up the ears, gets infected--forget it.

What exactly is Micro-balloons? That sounds real funky, how does it work? And does it make a good filler?

Just about anything you find on Airfield models is going to be great advice. It's an outstanding source for modeling information.

As for an easy and quick to use balsa filler I just use Elmer's wood filler. It's cheap and does a great job in filling, and it's easy to sand. Another great filler is lightweight spackling material.

Micro-balloons are a material that you can put in epoxy that will give the epoxy more filling and sanding capacity. Mixing them with epoxy makes for a great material to use in filling in gaps, seams, and holes in your model. As with a lot of things that we use in this hobby there are household substitutes that you can use in place name brand items. Instead of buying micro-balloons at the LHS you can use corn starch.

Hope this helps

Ken

It isn't that hard to make -- that was what was used decades ago when micro-balloons didn't exist. You can make excellent sanding sealer as well, by mixing clear dope and talcum powder.

That's along the lines of what I was going to say. The person who runs the site is a regular on RCU, and knows his stuff.

One thing that works if you have a small dent/ding in balsa, is to fill an insulin syringe with water and then inject a small amount of the water into and around the dinged area. Then set your covering iron on "hot" and iron over the area. It will steam and swell the wood up again and take out the minor dings.

This method is especially useful once the model is already covered and you get small dents and dings from normal use and handling. It lets you get the ding out without having to strip off the covering.

Ken

The lite variety of dry wall mud (joint compound) has worked well for years as a simple and dirt cheap filler and it thins with water. Fools you when applied and seems heavy but when totally dry and sanded its as good as any specific packaged product for our purposes.

Steaming dents out talked about above is a neat trick that works well some kinds of dents and depressions. Along the same line a dent or shallow grove on an already covered surface (film) can be made frequently invisable by peppering the dent with tiny holes made by a dressmakers pin or the tip of a #11 blade and just puddling up a little water over the dent then running a covering iron over and heating.

John

#1)What's good for Ken is good for me, he is a professional builder and all the advice he's given me has been right on the money as they say. I will pick up some Elmers wood filler as soon as possible. I picked up a nail file he recommended for sanding small areas such as rib notches and such, and I will be getting some emery boards as well very soon. I didn't really like the idea of using dope any way - I've heard reports that it can cause brain damage if not well-ventilated.

Will be doing that as well - with me being a horse owner and needing to get them shots I can get medical syringes any time - I may even have one laying around the barn right now.

#2 point in Ken's quote) I have been using vinyl spackling for a while because my father has always used spackling as a filler for his planes for over 20 years. When it was mentioned that I used it I was left with this post in my thread ‘MY KADET LT-40 BUILD’ (post #5)

Just slightly confused here, but I think I will take Ken's advice on using Elmer's wood filler and see what that's like.

But I still wanna hear what you other members use.

To use this homemade filler, you will be working with two dangerous materials: fine balsa dust and model airplane dope. I won't go into detail about the dangers of either. Here is an MSDS for nitrate dope: http://www.setonresourcecenter.com/m...b/wcd00bdf.htm

Here is an MSDS for balsa dust:
http://www.baltek.com/data/pdfs/safety/MSDSDUST.pdf

I've used commercial model fillers for many years and would be hard-pressed to find anything better. They sand easily, are easily applied, don't shrink and can be thinned with water to any consistency desired. They're also water-soluble and much less hazardous.

Dr.1

I've tried several fillers, many of which are listed in this thread. Here are my personal picks...

For balsa, the super light weight vinyl wall spackle gets my thumbs up. It is cheap, unbelievably light, applies easy, dries to where it can be sanded in under 1 hour, and sands as easy as balsa and covering sticks to it just fine. The only down side I can think of is that it is white, not balsa colored, but that has never bothered me. You can pick the stuff up at nearly any hardware type store. This stuff is not structural, but fillers shouldn't be structural anyway.

If you must fill a gap in a structural joint, balsa dust (or baking soda) and CA seems to work OK, but I prefer epoxy as it is less brittle and easier to apply/work. Typically I would mix the epoxy with microfibers (fine cut cotton, different than milled glass and balloons) if the gap is large. The microfibers lighten the mix somewhat and add a lot of strenght. However, none of these mixes (CA or Epoxy) sand well, but we are taking structural stuff here so sanding is a secondary consideration.

For glass, other composites, I've tried a lot of stuff as fillers. Epoxy/balloons works well, but once I tried Evercoat (brand/product name) I pretty much use it exclusively. It is a polystyrene product, similar to Bondo, but flows like warm honey. Very easy to work, sands easy, bonds well to composite parts and typically a leaves smooth, non-pitted surface after sanding. And unlike epoxy, the Evercoat can be sanded in about 15 minutes. The stuff is moderately heavy, but again, fillers should only be for cosmetic touch up, not structure, so the weight isn't a big deal since you should be using a very small quantity. The main downside of Evercoat is that being a polystyrene, it stinks really bad and it can be hard to find. It is generally only sold at professional auto body paint stores.

Cheers

If you must fill a gap in a structural joint, DON'T. Rebuild the joint so you have solid wood-to-wood contact. Any joint that is not solid mechanically is not nearly as strong as one that is. The secret to good, strong building is good, solid joints.

Dr.1

What DR1DRIVER said X2. I didn't mean to imply you can use fillers to mask shoddy building or big holes in wing spars, etc. We've all see the pilot that brings the model that is 90% epoxy. It's amazing they fly at all. Proper componet fit is critical to strong and light builds. However, there often comes a time (be it after a crash, or during a new build) when a minor flaw in structure exists that doesn't warrant a complete tear down/rebuild of the area. I.E., the part is attached, but there is a minor flaw in the joint. In such a case, a small fillet of epoxy/microfiber will often solve the issue and/or a gusset, doubler, etc. I haven't had many ARFs, but the ones I did have all required some "patching" out of box to meet my personal standards as some parts just didn't fit quite right IMO on the prebuilt parts when the ARF was assembled where ever it is that they assemble ARFs. Granted, a patch is heavier and probably not as strong as a properly fitting part, but it is easier than tearing the plane apart and rebuilding, esp a new in box ARF. Deciding when to compromise and patch is subjective and takes some experience. It is not worth losing a plane due to a patch. When in doubt, rebuild the area... that's what I meant by "If you must fill a gap in a structural joint." DR1 made a very good and important point. Others, Please do not read too much into my post, i.e. don't start slapping epoxy around on bad joint thinking you'll always be OK.

Cheers

We're together, John. Sometimes it's not feasible to completely rebuild an area. Your point about typical ARF construction is exactly one reason I don't assemble ( I won't say "build") and fly ARFs. Bottom line is, don't rely on just glue to hold a joint. Oh, it will, for a while... If you have to repair instead of replace; use scarf joints, gussets, and reinforcing, not just glue.

Dr.1