I've been using an old storm door as a cutting/gluing surface and it works real nice. The only trouble is the glue (yellow Elmers) sticks to the glass so I can't pry the balsa sheets off after it has dried. Is there a trick to prevent glue from sticking to the glass? I really like having a perfectly flat work surface.

Tom

I haven't tried it, but I'll bet Pam would work. Or a light coat of any oil for that matter.

Cut-Rite waxed paper between the wood and the table works for me. JC

If your building on glass, just wax it with car wax. I would bet that nothing would stick to it. Give it a try. Maybe 2 coats.

put RAIN-X on it.

I have always used wax-paper between the wood and plans.
It still sticks to the wood if you slop the glue, but wax-paper peels off or sands off very easy.

I build some parts on an old thick tempered glass entertainment center door. I've used car wax on mine, just like FLYBOY suggested. Minimal stickage, and any stubborn glue comes up easily with a razor blade. Now if I could just get those darn pins to push in easier...

Thanks for all the ideas. I was hoping to avoid wax paper but waxing the glass seems like a good idea.

Volture, sticking pins just takes concentration; relax and visualize the silicon atoms moving apart.

Tom

Do I understand you correctly. Are the plans below the glass and you're building on top of the glass ?

Any plan distortion from the glass thicknesss or viewing position ?

Bill

I'd like to know how you pin things down and would suspect that a sheet of glass has the ability to bend alittle.

>wax paper but waxing the glass seems like a good idea.

You would like to try that wax they use, when making boats of fiberglass.
(The forming thing they laminate fuses + stuff, my english stinks)

I was working in small boat factory app 15 years ago and nothing sticks in that wax. Ofcourse you know that they spray paint on that wax and laminate fiberglass on the paint.

Bill, I build over a hollow core door. I use another glass storm door for cutting and gluing. Like when I want to glue sheeting together to make wide pieces. Or other stuff I glue that doesn't need to be over the plans.

BTW, I never pin anything down. Instead I have a bunch of weights; all sizes and shapes. Just pile on enough to hold it flat.

Tom

Hi Tom,

OK now I got it. That's still a good idea for flat gluing parts.

Bill

Seems like a funny question, I haven't used a T pin on a model in over 25 years. I guess people still use them eh.

Monocoat backing works well too.

Go with the wax paper. If you wax the glass, you will loose one of the best advantages of using glass. You can glue parts to it. If you go to my site and look at my B-17 on the table, you will see no weights or any other means of holding it to the table. All I did was to lay the parts on the plan and tack glue it. The glue seeps through the plan and fastens the part to the table. Nothing can move and when I had most of the fuse planked, I just poped it off the table and peeled away the areas where the plan stuck to the wood. Normally I don't use the plans on the table, I just draw lines on it where the parts go and tack glue them to the table, but this time I got laying parts down and liked the way it looked so much I just had to start gluing! About 1 minute with a single edge blade had the table good as new.

Worked great!
Hans

If you've seen Dave Platt's "Black Art" videos, you'll notice he CA's his building crutch right to a tempered glass table...then takes a razor to it when everything's done.
pj