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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: Joe Messinger on January 30, 2007, 06:31:55 PM

Title: Filling Balsa
Post by: Joe Messinger on January 30, 2007, 06:31:55 PM

Hello,

Anyone have a favorite material they use for filling joints or transition areas in their planes?

A friend who manufactures light weight gun stocks uses a product named "Evercoat" polyester filler to finish his stocks. It's a catalyzed product and mixes with a cream hardener.  He claims it's about half the weight of standard auto body filler.  Might be worth looking at.

Joe

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Superclown on January 30, 2007, 06:43:07 PM

I use the lightweight vinyl spackling compound I get at Wal-Mart.  Cheap, easy to use, and it works for me.  When I use it for fillets, I wait till it has dried thoroughly (usually overnight) and then put thin CA on it.  The spackling absorbs the CA and makes it quite hard.

HTH,
Henry

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Bill Little on February 02, 2007, 02:48:14 PM

Quote from: Joe Messinger on January 30, 2007, 06:31:55 PM

Hello,

Anyone have a favorite material they use for filling joints or transition areas in their planes?

A friend who manufactures light weight gun stocks uses a product named "Evercoat" polyester filler to finish his stocks. It's a catalyzed product and mixes with a cream hardener.  He claims it's about half the weight of standard auto body filler.  Might be worth looking at.

Joe

Hi Joe,

Evercoat makes a polyester filler called "Featherlite". IIRC, which I have used in the past.  I think it is a *little* to heavy for my tastes, though. ;D

Best thing I have found is Superfil from Aircraft Spruce. y1

Bill <><

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: minnesotamodeler on February 02, 2007, 04:15:46 PM

I hesitate to admit it, but I use plain ol' carpenter's wood filler in a tube.  And I'll let you in on a little secret, Frank Carlisle does too!  I put it on straight from the tube, and smooth it with water on my finger. Sands nicely, takes paint very well...I don't know any down sides to it.  But then maybe I'm just not too particular.

--Ray

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Randy Powell on February 02, 2007, 10:10:57 PM

Yea, Superfil by Poly-Fiber is THE stuff. Light, easy to work with and sands easily. Aircraft Spruce sells along with Poly-Fiber direct.

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Joe Messinger on February 03, 2007, 09:14:50 AM

Hello,

Can anyone fill me in on a source for Superfil?  Sounds like pretty good stuff.

Thanks,

Joe

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Bill Little on February 03, 2007, 12:24:10 PM

Hi Joe,

Here's the people who make it and a description:

http://www.polyfiber.com/products/superfilepoxyfiler.htm

Here it is from Aircraft Spruce:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/superfil.php

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Joe Messinger on February 03, 2007, 09:09:21 PM

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the info on locating Superfil.  I'll give it a try.

Hope things are better your way.

Joe

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Bill Little on February 03, 2007, 09:32:43 PM

Glad to help, Joe!  You'll love the Super Fil.  It's actually the first product I have seen that is as close to perfect for making fillets that I could come up with.

Working on the other............

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: W.D. Roland on February 04, 2007, 11:26:49 PM

hope im not butting in but this has been a subject of frustration with me for the last 15years or so and the cause of 3 nice scale projects to sit unfinished--and for me to almost give up on painting and just use monokote--a real turn off for nicer things.
i have been looking for something to replace the best suff i ever used- a product called softglass but cant find now and no one aroudnd here remembers it.think it was made by coverite.(most fliers around here didnt mind woodgrain paint jobs)
it looked like grey auto primer-smelled like polyester resin and used polyester hardner/mekporoxide(fiberglass resin hardner)and had short fine hairs of glass in it.(couldnt see hairs)
verry light after sanding(may have also had micro ballons in it?)
one coat--sanded mind blowing quick and 2or 3 coats of paint-1or2 coat with dark colors and looks like painted metal.
the first airplane i did with it was an r/c scale pt 19 23yrs ago and as of now it still looks like painted metal.(still fly this one)
sure wish i could find formula or current mfg.
this was super good easy to use stuff.
   any clues?
         
super fill sounds good--is it liqued or putty like epoxylite?

                David

Title: Re: Filling Balsa
Post by: Ward Van Duzer on February 07, 2007, 09:51:58 AM

Super Fil. (affectionately known by those who know and love it as "The Blue S---"! A putty like substance that mixes 2 to 1 by weight or volume. It's not real fussy. Cure time - 8 hrs.
Cure to sand 12 hrs
Pot life 1 hr.
Shelf life 2 yrs. (unopened)!

Weight 3.68 lbs per gallon, Mixed

You get about a quart of material, so would be a good idea to line up some buddies to take some home! I'm not sure of the cost but think it's around 20 bucks. (I ripped mine off from Ostella)!  8)

Ward-o