Hello,

Does anyone know if Titebond II is suitable for edge joining balsa sheets ?
I tried a wood glue years ago but the moisture warped the edge and did not glue properly as a result, I dont want to use CA as the cleanup is a mess.
thanks,
L

Put the two edges side-by-side to be sure they mate well. If they don't you can sand them, or slightly overlap them and (using a straight edge) make a single cut with a razor blade through BOTH sheets so the edges will mate well.

Now lay them side-by-side and tape them together.

Flip it over, bend them at the tape joint and apply glue to both edges. Wipe off any excess.

Lat the sheets tape side down on a flat surface, again wipe off any excess glue, lay a sheet of waxed paper over the seam and then lay something flat over the seam (Like another piece of sheeting, or a long straight edge). Finally, add weights to hold it flat until the glue dries.

If you want, you can even leave the tape for a little added strength.

When doing as Minn has stated I prefer to use Great Planes wood glue. It takes a while to dry, but it sands good and is strong. Good Luck, Dave

Here a pick or 2 , hope this helps.

The beauty of using titebond or the Great planes alphietic resin is once you wipe the excess off, you can clean the sheet completely with a damp paper towel, this way there is very little sanding to do, or excess glue resiue on the sheet. Plus, it sands better without that hard as a rock joint that is almost impossible to sand flush.

ok thanks, I am putting the titebond in an old ca bottle to make it easier with a smaller spout.
I was just a bit wary as I messed up in the past with some other regular white wood glue which probably had too much moisture and didnt grab as fast as titebond.
using CA is a pain as a lot is wasted and hard to sand

If you can find an old 55 gallon aquarium get the front and back long glass pieces out to lay the wood between while drying...really keeps it straight and flat.
Any glass will work, but the over thick plate is best. You really don't need to put as much weight on it unless you are laminating something with expanding glue ....

If you plan to wet the sheets for bending, I suggest you use Titebond II since it's water resistant. I don't know the Great Planes glue, but the original Titebond will fail if you get the wood too wet while bending.

Yup! Luckly this happend on a foam core where it was easy to fill and not so much stressed...

Good information on edge joining sheet balsa http://www.airfieldmodels.com/inform...kins/index.htm

Dave

all good suggestions,I also use Tite Bond II, not the III, it really doesn't sand well at all, and is for exterior const.

I would add I like to use a old credit card or plastic squeege to help line up the seams on the sheets,while using my thumb to press the pieces down to a flat surface like glass, so you dont have to sand the seam much at all and the piece ends up being nice and flat with hardly any noticable bump at the joint.

also if your stacking sheets, just place some wax paper between them and you can do several pieces in a session,I like to do the whole wing in a siitting prepping the balsa with the tape and then glueing them all up at once, just to get it done, I then let it sit overnight.

I also use a old CA bottle to apply the glue it works well, one thing is add the smallest bit of water to the glue just a couple of drops and it flows through the CA bottle better makes things easier