glueing large areas
 

What is considered one of the better ways of glueing large areas of balsa? Say... sheeting a wing for instance? What kind of glue is perferred, clamping etc...

RE: glueing large areas
 

when i sheet a wing i use elmers white glue (school glue) and pin it in place dries in about 35 mins or so. if im glueing ply like a fuselage doubler then i will use 8 hr epoxy and clamp with clothes pins. or weights
you'll be surprised how strong elmers glue is on blasa

RE: glueing large areas
 

I always use yellow wood glue (Titebond) when gluing up large areas or intricate parts. like sheeting. Titebond also makes a slower setting glue, Titebond III. One other little known trick-it is possible to apply yellow wood glue to both surfaces, let them dry, and then use a steam iron to iron the pieces together. Professionals use this method to apply veneers to substrates. Hope this helps.

RE: glueing large areas
 

The technique I liked (recommended in the GP CAP 232 .40 kit I just finished) was to wet the sheeting with alcohol (I used 70% rubbing alcohol from the drug store) and let it soak into the balsa. This softened the fibers making it much easier to bend around the formers. You then use masking tape over the balsa sheet to shape it to the formers or ribs and hold it in place. When the balsa dries, it will retain the shape. Then use medium CA on the formers and carefully pull the sheeting down onto the formers and hold it for about 30 seconds. You can add masking tape to hold it until the CA fully cures. I suppose you could also use this technique with wood glue, you'd just have to hold it in place longer.

Brad

RE: glueing large areas
 

I usually sheet a wing in two steps.

First, I use CA to glue the front of the sheet to the back of the LE.

Next, I apply CA to each rib and to the Spar and fold the sheet down (You can wet the wood if you like)

RE: glueing large areas
 

I use wood glue (Titebond, Elmer's wood glue, etc ) and put it on my ribs and trailing edge. Then I CA the leading edge of the sheeting in place. Finally, I use Zip-Lock bags filled with sand to weight the sheeting down until everything is dry.

RE: glueing large areas
 

Ditto on what minnflyer said that is the exact same method I use and so far it has worked very well

RE: glueing large areas
 

I have tried the "all CA" method. I found that unless I work quickly, the CA (slow setting thick ) has a tendency to set up before the sheeting is properly in place.

The wood glue, while taking a looooong time to dry (usually several hours ), gives you plenty of time to get everything right without the worry of the glue setting up on you.

RE: glueing large areas
 

Thanks guys for all the replys. I never assumed Elmers could do the job. I to have tried the all CA approch on larger panels but run into the problem of the glue starting to set before I'm ready for it to be!!

I think I will try the alcohol and wood glue tricks

RE: glueing large areas
 

I copied this from one of my other posts.

I've had great results with Elmer's EXTERIOR GRADE carpenters wood glue. When sheeting I put it on each piece, smear it paper thin. Then let it dry. After it dries for about an hour, I then put the sheeting on and hit it with a covering Iron. When the wood is hot to the touch but before burning, the glue polermarizes and the sheeting immediately sets permanently. Try it on a couple pieces of scrap and see if it will wor in your application. There use to be a how-to either here or on one of the magazine web sites...I can't remember which. I like to sheet this way because it sands very easy.

RE: glueing large areas
 

A little off the subject.
I use Tight Bond II on full sized boats to glue in gusset blocks.
The wood breaks before the glueline does.

RE: glueing large areas
 

I like to use TiteBond thinned a little with water. Coat both surfaces and weight the surfaces and let them dry. I use freezer bags filled with lead shot as weights. The only thing I haven't heard anyone else mention is that I save this particular building chore for a day when I know my wife wants me to go somewhere with her. i do the glue-up and then take care of my husbandly duties while the glue dries. That way I'm not tempted to peek before the glue dries. It really should dry overnight and I sometimes lack the self control to let it sit.