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Author Topic: Fully Sheeted Wing  (Read 1261 times)

Offline t michael jennings

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Fully Sheeted Wing
« on: January 09, 2012, 08:49:09 PM »
Gentlemen,

What is the best way to fully sheet a built up wing with 1/16 inch balsa?

It is rather easy to sheet the lower portion of the wing.  There is no problem in getting to the glue joints (sheeting to ribs).

What is the best way to glue sheet to ribs on the opposite side of the wing? 

How do you assure the sheeting is fully glued to the ribs?

Thanks for the Helping Hand.

t michael jennings               ''
Knoxville, TN.





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Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2012, 08:53:08 PM »
I get everything fit up, then use a glue that takes a good long time to dry.

My favorite is Sig-Bond or other similar glue.
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Offline Mark Scarborough

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2012, 08:55:48 PM »
there is also a reported method by which you put titebond (?) on both surfaces, let it dry. and then put it in place using an iron to bond it together. The heat merges the layers together.
I have NOT done this, but I have read about it.
some research would be appropriate rather than taking my word on it
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Offline Derek Barry

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2012, 05:59:50 AM »
I would think that running a bead of glue down every rib would be good enough.

A side note: using 1/16 will be light but you could end up with the starved horse look when you start putting paint on it. Just a thought.

Derek
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Offline john e. holliday

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2012, 08:49:04 AM »
Slow cure epoxy and lots of weights.   At least that is how the Sweet Pea was done.  An Adimisin design. H^^

I have also done the white glue on both surfaces with hot iron to reactivate the glue.  Should work on balsa up to 3/32 if you let the heat do its job.   Learned this reading an article about building a radio conrol plane.  It does work. D>K
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Offline Don Curry AMA 267060

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2012, 01:09:38 PM »
Mark: I have used that method in the past on r/c pylon racers with foam core wings and never had one come apart due to stress. They will disassemble upon impact with another plane or the ground though.
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Offline Mark Scarborough

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2012, 01:52:06 PM »
Quote from: Don Curry AMA 267060 on January 10, 2012, 01:09:38 PM
Mark: I have used that method in the past on r/c pylon racers with foam core wings and never had one come apart due to stress. They will disassemble upon impact with another plane or the ground though.

Pretty sure that the whole dissasembly thing is a universal truth of pylon racing, I have had some of mine make really cool showers of bits and peices,, then some that the other plane came apart and mine was able to land,,

somehow, I dont think any glue would have made a difference though LOL
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Eric Viglione

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2012, 02:57:18 PM »
Call me crazy, I don't mind a minimal amount of the starved horse look (on a wing, not a horse!) as long as it's even throughout the surface, and it usualy is.
At least it let's you know there's some structure under there, like a real plane, and everyone seems to like the busy surface of an I-Beam wing.

Who knows, might even have a beneficial effect, like PJ's turbulator doo-dad's.  :!
EricV

Quote from: Derek Barry on January 10, 2012, 05:59:50 AM
I would think that running a bead of glue down every rib would be good enough.

A side note: using 1/16 will be light but you could end up with the starved horse look when you start putting paint on it. Just a thought.

Derek
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Offline Rafael Gonzalez

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2012, 04:20:57 PM »
I have used this method on several builds where I have decided to sheet the complete balsa wing. I has worked for foam wings also. Very light and solid!
USE GORILLA GLUE!
Set up the sheet all cut up and ready to glue. Bottom: glue as usual (as any other glue)with Gorilla.
Top
Set up your sheet ready to glue. Apply a very thin amount of Gorilla glue to the ribs. Press wing sheeting rolling from leading edge to trailing edge lightly, with hands. This gives you the actual line to apply the remaining glue to the sheeting. Add a bead of Gorilla glue along the marked lines. Install top wing sheeting using your tape, pins, foam cradle, etc. Let it sit top side up for about 2-3 minutes. Mist, again MIST lightly the top. Turn top side down and let it sit overnight.
Gorilla glue is a poly-u glue that uses humidity to set. As it sets, it foams. It glues any space/mismatch in surfaces. It is lighter than Sig, Ambroid, Duco, etc.
I've sheeted many foam wings with it and it is better and lighter than epoxy. Squeege the glue to a very thin shine on the sheeting, apply to panel, once the foam wing is on the cradle (of course with wax paper) add weight to the foam cradle. The glue seeps through any holes or knots in the balsa and it can be easy to sand. You can bet that any voids are filled and the surface is continuously bonded!!!
I won't use anything else to glue balsa sheet panels to foam or to an open structure!!!

 y1 y1
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Offline L0U CRANE

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2012, 04:40:23 PM »
The heat-cured yellow glue method works very well, for both: LE sheeting on a C- or D-tube wing, AND for a fully sheeted wing.

Yellow glue, notice. Titebond or Elmer's are good examples. These are aliphatic resin glues which cannot be weakened with water after they cure. White glue remains water soluble. Aliphatic resins can slow-cure to max strength over several days to a week. The joint could shift a bit during the first several hours. So, as Doc said: jig, weight, and make sure it is in proper alignment during cure.

The advantage to heat-curing an aliphatic resin is that it is immediate. A $Kote iron presses heat through the outer surface, and you can hear a hiss when it 'kicks'. If it wasn't aligned when you hear that, it never will be...

I use a very small tip on the glue bottle (actually cleaned printer ink cartridge refill bottles) with either the metal 'stock' needle or a teflon tube as on CyA bottles. You can get teflon tube from a well stocked electronics supply store in pretty long rolls. It is also used as an insulator for fine wire. Might take enlarging the hole in the bottle tip with a fat push pin point...

Cleaning a plugged tip is like with CyA: either slice off the plugged end or push a thin wire through.

I wet the ribs and spars then fit the sheeting on the framework. This marks the inner surface with the glue line. Then lay a thin line of the glue along the transferred glue line; smooth it with a folded paper towel. This makes sure the sheeting has enough glue on ITS side of the joint, with minimum weight gain.

When both the structure and the sheeting bond lines are dry to the touch, jig up the structure, fit the sheeting over it and apply the heat.

Don't press too hard on the sheeting -  you can lay 'tracks' from the iron.

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\BEST\LOU

Offline louie klein

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2012, 06:02:44 AM »
I have yet to sheet a wing but I have used Titebond on lots of surface to surface glueing, like profile doublers. The key I found from old wodden boat builders is to put a coat of glue on each surface and let dry to seal the grain. This will stop the next glue coating from leaching into open grain areas. Lite sand first coat and put the next coat on and you will get one strong bond! This applies for epoxy also. Two coats and you got it. Try a sample and test the strength, you will be surprised with the one coat vs. two coats. Good luck!----LOUIE  H^^ H^^ D>K
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Online Dennis Toth

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wing
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2012, 09:45:46 AM »
Another method that will work is to use medium weight 1/32" balsa, make up the wing panels using the tape over the joint method (i.e. you take your sheets and use a straight edge to true the edge to be glue then fit them together on a flat surface (glass plate works great) apply masking tape over the joint. Make up the full panel then at each joint open it and apply slow cure CA. Once you have all joints done put it face down on the flat surface and with some weights and let it cure). Once you have the panels cut them to shape for each section of the wing (good idea to mark them on the under side which one goes where) then mix up some slow cure epoxy and drizzle it over the complete surface. Then take a stiff brush and spread it over the whole surface. Last take a playing card or similar size piece of 1/64" ply and crap off as much epoxy as you can leaving only a damp looking (not shiny) surface. Now apply to the wing structure and weight it down. This works best if you have a foam cradle but would work on a straight building board also. With the very thin layer of epoxy on the bottom side of the wood it will stiffen it and prevent sagging between rips.

Best,         DennisT
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