Glue for balsa Buildup

[stevewp]

I am a bit frustrated at the moment. I have tryed 3 diffrent Ca type glues and they wont hold the balsa pieces together.

I have tryed these glues.

" Super Gold " an instant setting oderless type.
Zap Ca another instant setting type. pink lable
Zap Ca+ this is a gap filling medium thickness Green lable.

none of these stick. I hold the pieces for a couple of min then I can see that the glue is "set" and I can pull the pieces apart.

so how do you clean this crappy ca off a spar and a wing rib ?

I am gonna try elmers wood glue next.

does anyone use ca on balsa ? if so what brand ect.

[AirWarriorBelgy]

hey man
i would say try titebond pu takes a while to set though (about an hour)
2ng would say probond
testors used to make good balsa glue but again set time is long

this is after all a hobby of love , money , and most importantly
time and patience

most fast settin glues still have a fairly long set up time anywhere from a couple of hours to 24 hours
try splitting work up into segments that allow for this

in other words try working on fuse for a while then switch to main wing then to stab and elevator ...so on and so forth......

even hangar 9 6 min epoxy needs 24 hours for full cure
or so it says on the label..

<<S>>

[flyinhigh]

Hey Steve
Probond is great stuff I agree but you will be along time building your plane with this stuff ...Im still wondering why you are having a problem with the CA I use all Bob Smith (BSI) glues and all have worked wonderfully with the exception of the super-gold witch seemed to be a lil to thin on the softer woods.Are you holding your joints tightly together?This greatly reduces curing time as a thinner layer dries alot faster.
their is really no good way to remoce the CA from the wood as it soaks into the wood ans becomes a part of it.you can remove parts already glued with CA debonder the scape or use a file to get excessive amounts off.
As I said tho using a slow curing glue will be a lil dificult all around .
But maybe somebody here has some tips on using it on built up balsa aplications....
Good Luck :D
MIKE

[CalmAir]

I use CA for my balsa buildups. You could be using too much. When the two pieces of wood are squeezed together it will spread a long way. Once the air is squished out it will set immiediatly. Sometimes faster than you can get the piece in place. When I am setting two pieces together and then put the CA along both pieces to create a filet, then I use the spray accelerater. This will set the glue in about 3 seconds. Otherwise the filet will take a while to set.

I just use the house brand CA that my LHS sells with their name on it. The accelerator is sold under names such as "zip kicker" etc. Have some ventilation going when you use accelerator. When the joint sets it will give off some fumes which bother some folks.

Regards,
Dale

[stevewp]

Thanx for the tip's folks, I will try the accelerator.

This is my first balsa build up and I am in no hurry to finish it. I am trying to develop the skills and procedures for good building.
I am going to order some rib **** from Micro-Mark and use some Titebond and see how that works.

could somone pls tell me how to post pictures so I can show you guys what I am doing and mebby you can see what I am doing rong or what I could be doing better.
Thanx again for your help.

Steve

[AirWarriorBelgy]

hiya steve
to post a photo all you got to do is attach the file (works like any mail services file attachment) when you enter a new posting to a thread

right under where you write the body of the message

scroll down after you type message and you will see

ATTACH FILE: with the customary Browse button that lets you find the file on your hard drive

and i think it was calm air that suggsted the accelerator with ca method i would try that first if you want to speed things up

<<S>>

[Basketcase]

Since nobody has mentioned it. I agree with what CalmAir said about maybe too much. I found I used to accidentally get too much out of the bottle and it would have the same effect noted by Steve.

Somebody recommended the micro tips that go on the bottle tip and I've been having much better luck with tiny and controlled amounts of glue. All you need is the tiniest drop you can manage so that it soaks into the wood instantly. If there is liquid glue sitting on the surface you have used too much.

You can get them at the LHS or a place like Hobby Lobby (the craft store, not the hobby shop)

Just leave it on the bottle and if the tip plugs dip it in some acetone or scrape the end or even cut the plugged tip off.

Remember CA is heavy, if you use 1/2 ounce of it buiding a model you add that much weight to the plane. ;)

BC

[nolasco]

In my experience, the Super Gold series of odorless CA are best used on foam parts.

On balsa, I use tiny drops of Insta-Cure to join them together, Insta-Cure+ if I need to fill gaps, and Maxi-Cure if I wish a hardened external surface for sanding.

But these days, I mostly use Superphatic glue from David Lewis (www.homefly.com)on balsa and foam. It is stronger and lighter than CA. It is also much easier to clean off. Just use water or alcohol. But, it does take several minutes to set and more than an hour to fully cure.

Using micro tips, especially for the thin CA, is a really good idea.

Jun Nolasco

[stevewp]

Ok I think what happened is that I used 2 much ca The glue bottles do have a what I thought was a fine point and a small opening. But when I applied the glue it seemed to me that it was a lot comming out. The glue spread out over about a half inch of area.
I am going to take a quick picture and try to attach it.

As to the weight of the glue is the Titebond/Probond/Elmers lighter then the ca type glue's ?

[flyinhigh]

The probond is definitly going to weigh more,Just for the simple fact that it is thicker and you will not be able to get a thin amount on to easily..I always took a thin pushpin to pop a hole in the top of the CA bottle this hole has always lasted trough the life of the entire bottle with only slight enlargment..never used the micro tips before but will have to try them.Good luck on building your plane and happy flying
:D
MIKE

[2NG]

2ng would say probond LOL:p

For the whole application of building. I have learned the hard way. CA, can at time turn brittle over a period of time. GP is what I used for all of my balsa applications, Thin for fast and it wicks in the wood, Medium for extra strength.

Don't use too much of it, just a drop, here and there.

The probond application. I use for the Firewall. Since, I like to crash all the time. Probond gives it a flex, as to it absorb a small amount of shock, and a great filler as well.

If your patient enough. Elmers glue is the way to go.

most fast settin glues still have a fairly long set up time anywhere from a couple of hours to 24 hours AirWarrior is right, this is the way I would do it.

If you want to use Probond. Please the stuff is great, but use in moderation, when it comes to a model that weight is an issue. Probond tends to expand, and if you airplane is already sealed up, your gonna add more frustration to yourself.

Over all, I think your putting on too much CA.

AirWarrior, is gonna have a ball at this, But Steve, don't forget Probond....

[AirWarriorBelgy]

lol 2ng

lol

no insult intended lol

[2NG]

no insult intended none, taken:)

Take care,
2NG