airhead

Good Morning,

I have a float-kit that I will be working on in the near future. I was advised to add a coating of waterproofing to the floats. That is an excellent idea should the skin get a tear. However, I do have the following question:

Should I waterproof the wood before or after construction?

I thought about before, but was curious if that would cause issues with the bonding of the CA (I have yet to find time to experiment with this).

Also ... what kind of weight penalty does the waterproofing add? I have a NEA Train-Air .40 with a TT .46 powering it.

JimCasey

My Feedback: (1)

It's a real good idea to put a coat of clear urethane varnish on the inside of the float before you close it up.....assuming you are talking about built-up wood floats. A coat of dope or balsarite on the outside before you cover them, or even better-a single layer of light fiberglass will seal the wood and add a lot of strength and almost no weight. Built-up wood floats are your heaviest option anyway.

The best plan is to use foam floats that can't get any water inside them anyway, and then waterproof the balsa skin before covering.

airhead

Great thanks for the tip!

I wish I thought of the foam route before purchasing the built-up wood kit. Then again, I am in a building mood so not a huge deal ;-)

Now to show my greeness - when you mention fiberglassing the outside of the floats (with very minimal weight addition) do you mean:

1) fiber-glass resin
2) fiber-glass tape expoyed down
3) milled fiber glass

??

Thanks,

Dan

JimCasey

My Feedback: (1)

3/4 ounce fiberglass cloth. (Lighter than a Hankie.) Last time I used it I stuck it down with Polyurethane varnish, although I understand laminating epoxy is good, too.
Available at better hobby shops throughout civilization and Georgia. Sig, for one, sells it, and Dan Parson also advertises it.