Surprisingly, I couldn't find any threads like this by searching...maybe I'm just not good at searching in this forum software.

What kind of prepwork do you do to a typical balsa/ply model prior to covering? What's your favorite method of removing all the balsa dust left from the building process? Do you treat the wood with anything prior to covering? I'm about to start a covering project. In the past I blow the model surface off as much as possible with a can of that compressed air used for cleaning electronics. If I had an air compressor I'd just use that instead. Just curious what other types of things people do to prepare the plane for covering.

Thanks!

depending on new are recovering? on a new build i first use a dremel to get any epoxy that i missed down to wood level, i then start with a medium grade sandpaper and sand the complete airframe changing as i go to finer grades. on recovering my first issue is checking for any fuel damage to the wood, it might sound barbaric but i have buried a complete airframe in oil dry for a few days it does wonders for pulling fuel from the wood!! then i start the same process like it was a new build. works for me!!

Your method of blowing it off is a good start, but not nearly enough.

Give it a good wiping with a tack cloth, or better yet, I use a cloth sprayed with Spray Adhesive. It lasts much longer than a tack cloth and you can re-spray it if need be.

If I get any areas where the wood gets "fuzzy" (Where the ends of the grain lift from the surface) I mix 3 parts water with 1 part wood glue and paint the area, let dry and sand with fine paper - comes out smooth as glass.

Thanks guys. I've used a tack cloth once with my last plane, in the past I hadn't even done that much. Mike, is there any particular type of cloth you prefer to use when using the spray adhesive? I've got some microfiber cloths for waxing a car that are really soft and also very smooth, might put one of those to the task.

I have a roll of shop towels that I use because they're disposable. I wouldn't waste anything good - after all, it's the adhesive that the dust is sticking to, not the fibers.

Sand, sand and sand some more using finer grades of sandpaper as you progress! Get that surface as nice as you can BEFORE applying any covering. I use a vaccuum a lot when I'm sanding: sand some...vacuum, sand some....vacuum.... When I am ready to apply the covering material, usually Monokote, I first go over the entire framework with paper towels and the vacuum. You will really be surprised at just how much wood dust will come off onto the paper towels. If you are using a covering material like Monokote see my posts in the thread entitled Tips For Using Balsarite (post #8 and #12) if you are interested.

Joe

Thanks Joe. I've got the surface sanded down as good as it's going to get with 400 grit, so I was mainly looking for the best way to collect as much dust as possible. My shop vac doesn't have a soft bristle brush attachment so I may look for one of those to be able to go over the surface with the vac better. Also I've never used Balsarite or seen a real need for it on my previous models, but I do like the idea of poking the small pin holes to allow air to escape. It never fails that an elongated bubble will appear on a sheeted surface somewhere on the model within a few months. Hopefully the pin holes would alleviate that.

I make very effective tack cloths by spraying hair spray on Viva paper towels.

Bill (cheaper than a third squirt)

...Cheaper than a what.....????[X(]

I've been told that hairspray acts as a good pretreater for all wood surfaces to be covered. It makes the covering stick better.

How do I prep for covering?

A couple of these.

I'll drink to that......![8D]

BTW: When I lived I Aurora it was Coors or nothing!

Joe

That's funny - one of the guys in our club a few years back shared that he used to have a few drinks while building, get snapped and inevitably make a few errors lining things up; i.e. mess things up. Had a good time doing it though :^) and I guess that's the main thing!

Re covering prep advice, once it's perfectly sanded, particularly if it's a repair job/rebuild, I'll wipe down with acetone or ketone to make sure the surface is clean. Around the nose area and anywhere particularly susceptible to contamination I will often give it a thin coat of finishing resin (I'll often glass the front end with the thin .5 ounce fibreglas cloth), and/or treat with thinned down Balsarite. MEK/Ketone thins Balsarite nicely and thinned like that it penetrates and drys very quickly. When everything is smooth, clean & sealed, the covering sure sticks better. I'll often run a bead of CA on covering edges (front end around the engine area) to further seal the job. Nothing worse than fuel soak and I do everything possible to prevent it without adding too much weight.