3D Covering???

[Robbins]

I like balsarite, but for larger dings i try and fix the wood if really deep or ill hit small imperfections with the drywall compound. Cheap and light and strong. Sands very easily.

i think if you try aquanet you wont use balsarite again unless you need to fuelproof something. I do like it for that over butrate dope.

I dont build much but ive learned enough. Lucky to have skilled builders near like @Terryscustom and @ericb and a fellow or two that builld warbirds and jets from the north of us.

 

[HRRC Flyer]

Thats part of the reason I'm recovering. It's far from new and there is plenty of dings to fix. You like drywall compound better than balsarite?

Hey JLC,

If the dings aren't too deep, try wetting the balsa on at the ding, then heating the area with your iron and see if the wood swells up any to fill in the ding. Come to think of it, I know this works on newer planes, but if your plane is older, the balsa may not respond.

David

 

[Jlc]

Hey JLC,

If the dings aren't too deep, try wetting the balsa on at the ding, then heating the area with your iron and see if the wood swells up any to fill in the ding. Come to think of it, I know this works on newer planes, but if your plane is older, the balsa may not respond.

David

I'll give it a try on some of them and see what happens.

 

[Capt.Roll]

Hey JLC,

If the dings aren't too deep, try wetting the balsa on at the ding, then heating the area with your iron and see if the wood swells up any to fill in the ding. Come to think of it, I know this works on newer planes, but if your plane is older, the balsa may not respond.

David

This works really good.

 

[stangflyer]

Heat it up. Start in a bay or find a corner to start. Use a dull xacto for getting under seams without cutting. If youre pulling up fibers of wood slow down the pulling. Use plenty of heat dont be shy with it. but be careful around foam. Use a sharp xacto to section off large aeras. I have just stripped a hangar9 27% extra and recovered it with good results. Ill start a thread on that next.

Jlc,

This may sound obvious, but it depends on how well the covering was applied and how long it's been stuck to the wood........ While I haven't had allot of experience in covering planes, I've stripped the covering off my share of airplanes. One trick I've found is applying some heat to the covering while you remove it, helps soften up the glue again and the covering comes up easier. Of course you're going to get some advice from other guys on here that are far more experienced than I am, but I thought I'd pass this along. Have fun..................

Ooops, I guess I type too slow. Robbins beat me to the punch..........LOL

David

Actually the best way to remove old covering. I stripped an eight year old airframe, (SD Models 260) and recovered it. Lifting at an edge while using a heat gun which softens the adhesive, you should see it will come off as easily as it went down. I had very minimal sanding and no repairs to do prior to putting down the fresh covering.