I didn't find as much information on using Balsarite through my searches as I had hoped, so I thought I would add this post to maybe get some more information on it out there.

My LHS suggested Balsarite as a good fuelproofing material for the engine compartment. I liked the idea of something thin that could be spread relatively easily with a brush. I have put down 4 coats as that seemed recommended by others. Next I plan on spray painting the compartment gray just for looks.

I had hoped to reuse my brush by cleaning with denatured alcohol or paint thinner. Neither of these worked and just created a coagulated mess on the brush. Since these are cheap it's no big deal but I like to reuse materials whenever possible. I know they make a special cleaner/thinner for Balsarite called Coverite Ironex cleaner. I have not yet tried that but assume it would work since it is especially designed for thinning and cleanup of Balsarite. Does anyone have experience with the effectiveness of Ironex?

Since Balsarite is really meant for helping adhesion to the wood and sealing the wood, does anyone recommend laying down a coat of it everywhere after sanding but before putting on your Monokote or Ultracote?

I was also told that it is useful for keeping stubborn edges of Monokote or Ultracote down if they keep lifting up.

Any other tips, advice or experiences on the use of Balsarite would also be appreciated. This is my first build in a long, long time!

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Balsarite is used the help your iron covering stick better to the wood, not for fuel proofing. You should have used thinned out epoxy or polyurethane . Thinned out 15, 20 or 30 min epoxy with alcohol would have been good.

Joe,

For coverings, balsarite recommend putting it on with a piece of sponge which is thrown away. dip into the pot for just a smear - dont over load
I use about a 1" square of scrap sponge and swab it on as thin as I can. Any on the fingers just peel off when it dries ( fast )

not tried thinning with water to stretch it furthe - anyone tried that ?/

john

Other than Ironex that's already mentioned, I thin Balsarite with either dope thinner or acetone. I'm quite certain water ain't gonna have much of an effect.

Lacquer thinner should clean your brush.

Balsarite works well for fuel proofing.

You shouldn't need Balsarite under Monokote or Ultracote. Both have good adhesives applied to them. I find Balsarite useful under the "tex" coverings, where it provides extra insurance.

I'm with Tom on this one. I only use Balsarite when using fabric type coverings like 21st Century and Solartex. And acetone should easily clean your brush. In fact I thin Balsarite a bit with acetone before application to an airframe.

Balsarite has several uses. It can be used for fuel proofing but four coats seems excessive. Personally I prefer to use finishing resin to either Balsarite or thinned epoxy for this task. It spreads much easier and gives a better finish.

If you use Balsarite with film be sure to get Balsarite For Film. The standard stuff is much to thick and needs to be thinned heavily. It also doesn't apply very nicely. I Balsarite on every plane I cover but I only use it in strategic areas. Anything that's hard to get the MonoKote to stick or areas that are prone to losing that stick. Any plywood gets a coat and the firewall gets two coats. I put a little on the fuse right behind the firewall too. It really helps to prevent fuel related covering problems around this area. I do the wing saddle and inside the wing saddle, especially if there are ply doublers. And around any openings like open servo wells or any sort of hatch. No point in doing the whole plane, it'll make covering more difficult as well as making removing covering nearly impossible. Under film a little goes a long way. Just use it in problem areas and apply it very thin.

Reusing brushes is easy. I use 1" wide throw away brushes from the hardware store. They're about $1 a piece and I use them to spread on finishing resin. But when used with Balsarite wipe out as much as you can with a paper towel and then clean up with acetone. Don't worry that the brush gets hard as a rock. Next time you dip it in the Balsarite and mush it around a little, it will dissolve the old balsarite and will be good as new.

Dave

Balsarite is the same as "Poly Tak". It's celulose desolved in MEK. Best "cleaners" to dissolve it are (in order) MEK, Toluene, lacquer thinner, last and least effective alcohol.

Balsa rite works great for fuel proofing nitro engine areas............Paint a balsa stick with it and put it in a jar of 15 percent nitro fuel and leave it completely covered with the lid on the jar for 15 days.........I promise that the balsa stick will crack just as though it was a fresh stick........I know, I tried it and I always use balsarite for fuel proofing.

Is it true that Balsarite and Kilz are essentially the same thing?

NO

I've just gotta ask, *** is "Kilz"?

It's a house paint product primarily to kill mildew and cover old paint.

Balsarite is used to seal the balsa and to help the covering stick.Period, its not intened to be a fuel proofing either.Cover the places your covering will stick, I do the whole outside of my planes, because after Sanding, you will lose most of the weight. And it will make your covering job look professinol.But must be sanded! Good luck

I've been building since 1976 and have used balsarite exclusively for fuel proofing since it came out.....except for my gas and electrics.
To each his own.

wow!

Chip.... Any secrets on making it yourself? I can get MEK but what does one use for cellulose? I can't buy Balsarite in Thailand so have to make do with alternatives.

Great question and I have no idea where you could obtain raw cellulose. Does anyone know of old film will work? Maybe purchase a couple of rolls of cheap film, wash off the silver nitrate, and dissolve it in MEK.

Can you have a supplier in the USA send you a can.......it lasts a long time...get 2 cans, It comes in fabric and mylar types......Best of luck.

You should probably inform the people who write the instructions that are on the Balsarite can labels.
From the can on my bench:
Number 4. "Two to three coats around engine compartment create a fuelproof surface. Be sure each coat is fully cured."

I will contact the manufacturer of Poly Tak and see if we can come up with a way to obtain "Dry" materials that we can just add MEK. It would make life a lot easier for modelers around the world. Please stand by, it may take a while to cajole them.

You could contact the manufacturer directly:

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It's the import duty that gets people living overseas in some countries. I recently ordered a 60 dollar part from the USA and had to pay a 90 dollar duty when I collected the package. You can't argue the (fairly arbitrary) levy when standing in a long line of people to pay. It is just too expensive to order stuff from overseas.

I get stuff from places like China and don't have to pay a fee....Do you think you can order from them?
What If I sent you the stuff as from one modeler to another....let's say, a birthday present or some such thing?
Jacksonville, Florida, USA to you?

I appreciate the offer very much but it's not that critical at this point. Let me take a rain-check on it for something really important!

Although I don't like the arbitrary import policy here, a defined one sure makes sense for a country's economy. There is a story here about a famous brand BBQ from the USA that was being sold in stores. A local company saw it, came out with a similar product for half the cost, mostly because of no duty. Kept the jobs inside the country.

Oh, and I have have had gifts from the USA assessed duties as well.