What's a good easy cheap method for filling dings and dents in balsa? Way back in the 70s when I built control-line, there was a dry product called Micro Balloons you could mix with epoxy or wood glue to use as a sandable filler. Any ready-made products like lightweeight wall spackling that work? Or any "home-remedy" ideas like cornstarch mixed with glue or some such?

i actually try to save as much sanding dust as possible mix that with wood glue and you got a cheap wood filler.the other stuff is water based wood filler costs about $5 bucks a jar.

You can get balsa filler at the hobby shop. But I use lightweight spackling from the hardware store. Just lightly dampen the wood before aplying it so that it will stick. Sands easily.

ok both there ideas are great but if it a tiny ding try wetting it then run your heating iron over , sometimes the heat will draw out the ding

Microballons and epoxy are extremely heavy. Over the years I've tried several different things for fillers and have settled on Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler. It's easy to apply, easy to sand, lightweight, and it's not expensive. I've been using for about 4-5 years now and I really like the results I get from it.

Hope this helps

Ken

being a carpenter and painter my latest favorite filler has been Minwax wood filler it's pretty much the same as the type ken recomended just a different brand, I like the minwax brand because it sands nice and smooth, although it is quite hard when dry.
another ding removal tip for balsa sheeting a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water, will puff up the dent with the water and the alcohol evaporates fast so the wood doesn't warp I have found it works great for small dents in wing and fuselage sheeting as well as for softening the wood for bending around curves.

RCKen thanks for chiming in! As I thought about it, I though lightweight spackling might indeed work.

Ken, I'm sorry my PIF thread has started PickOn Ken Fridays again, I'm innocent! I just think the Barbie covering might help me justify in my own mind buying planes and dragging my kids out to the field. At this point I crash every time on the hobby store's demo simulator, and I can't afford my own simulator yet, but I do find SUCH satisfaction in buying old trainers, modernizing them, and recovering them to look beautiful. At this point I now have 4 planes, and I have never even flown on sticks, let alone solo-ed. Perhaps I'm a builder and not a flyer, but I so want to be able to fly.

how will I get over the fear of crashing my handiwork?

ARF's I love to build and try to make something I can be proud of. But I don't think anyone will tell you they would feel worse about crashing a $200 ARF than that $60 kit that took them 2 months to build. So go out and get a $60 Tower trainer ARF get an instructor and get it done already.

And don't worry about Ken. We were getting ready to start picking on him anyway.

I don't know if you have there in the usa. but I use a product called timber mate. it is a water based filler and it is very light so it will not add that much weight to your plane

is that good for cracks in the fuse too? An area where someone held down too hard for starting, etc?

Also, another good reason not to build for me, not at this point, I'm worried enough about crashing my planes and I don't need to build something and then not fly it because I can't crash it, I'm beating up my PTS...LOL

I built my trainer about 10 years ago. I had not flown it until recently. Partly due to not having the time, and partly due to being afraid to crash it. I got over that fear the first time it was flying. To see a plane you built from sticks of wood and glue soaring thru the sky is well, awe inspiring. Get an instructor, and you won't crash your first time out, you won't worry about crashing, and when you eventually do crash you will realise that it can be rebuilt or a new plane can be built in tribute to the one that just gave it's life.

I also find it is easier to fly in real life than on the simulator as the simulator has a limited field of view, but in real life you have much more references to items around you so you know where the plane is in relation to the ground much better. Get good on a simulator, and you will be great in the air, but the simulator is not really needed. An instructor is needed though.