I've never been fanatical about preparing a surface for covering. usually, I just sand and wipe down with a tack cloth. But in preparing my new 27% Extra 300, I decided to try something new, and it worked so well, I thought I'd pass it on.

After it was sanded, I thinned down some Carpenters glue with water (About 1 part glue to 2-3 parts water) and brushed it over the entire surface. As it dried, it raised the grain, then locked everything in place. Then, I did a final sanding with 360 grit sandpaper, and the results were amazing. Smooth as glass!

Also easy and cheap! (I like cheap )

Thankx for the tip mike. Did you have any problem with wood warping ?. also I read somewhere that you can add some baby powder ( talcum powder) to this solution, I have not try it yet but it is something I like to try.

Mike:

"Sanding Sealer" is an old trick. But yours is the cheapest I've ever heard of. The only thing cheaper would be none at all.

And I'm just as cheap as you. Whoops - I mean I like cheap just as much as you. Haw.

Bill.

I did not add talc, but I also didn't wipe the surface with a tack cloth or vacuum it, so it was still covered with balsa dust.

Did you have any problems with the covering bubbling when you applied it?

What type did you use?

Sounds like a good idea.

Haven't covered it yet. Hopefully this weekend. I'm using both Ultracote and MonkeyKote, so we'll see what happens.

Although I'll mention that this is something I have done in the past on small areas (like those spots where you get a piece of wood with a funny grain and no matter how much you sand it, the wood is always fuzzy) and I've never had a problem. But this is the first time I've done an entire airframe with it.

So far, so good. I'll keep ya posted!