News:



  • June 18, 2025, 10:50:51 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Author Topic: Help......need a foam glue that sands well  (Read 2786 times)

Offline Lane Puckett

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Lieutenant
  • ***
  • Posts: 59
Help......need a foam glue that sands well
« on: July 29, 2012, 10:28:18 AM »
I have yet to find a good foam safe glue that also sands well.  For years I just thinned down the white glues.  Before I resolve myself to continue with white glues does anyone have a recommendation?

The problem for me with the white glues or gorilla glues is the glue line sands 'proud' of the foam.  With balsa or ply I just used ambroid but that won't work with foam.

Any ideas out there?

Thanks,

Lane

Offline Bill Little

  • 2017
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 12668
  • Second in COMMAND
Re: Help......need a foam glue that sands well
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2012, 05:03:24 PM »
Hi Lane,

Are you looking for a glue to use to glue down the sheeting?

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM
Big Bear <><

Aberdeen, NC

James Hylton Motorsports/NASCAR/ARCA

AMA 95351 (got one of my old numbers back! ;D )

Trying to get by

Offline kenneth cook

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • ******
  • Posts: 1499
Re: Help......need a foam glue that sands well
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2012, 06:03:43 PM »
          Lane, I'm assuming your sanding combat wings. Jeff Dawson has brought your name up to me a few times. I found your findings to be the same as mine when it comes to sanding. I found that in the event I repair a wing with Gorilla glue, it becomes pretty much hopeless as there is no way to keep the glue at the same level as the wing. Sanding isn't an option at all and I've actually pulled that oozing area off and used a light spackle to fill back to the surface. White glues don't sand and become quite rubbery usually tearing out. My best results came from Gorilla white glue. This wasn't the aliphatic wood glue but the polyurethane foaming variety. Unfortunately, this glue has some problems as it expands 4 X's the amount that the yellow version does, it dries even faster than the yellow, it absolutely doesn't come off of anything it makes contact with, and it isn't as strong as the yellow variety. I have had it sand relatively well. I try and place packing tape over it as it's curing and keep that area flat. It looks like foam and not a brownish yellow mess. Ken

Offline dennis lipsett

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • ******
  • Posts: 1718
Re: Help......need a foam glue that sands well
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2012, 06:14:10 PM »
Ken,

I've had no luck with most of the available glues if they ooze out to the surface of anything. There is one exception and that is laminating resin which if not overdone will sand with a lot less damage then the other products.
Dennis

Offline kenneth cook

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • ******
  • Posts: 1499
Re: Help......need a foam glue that sands well
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2012, 06:22:28 PM »
              I agree with what your saying Dennis, I was saying that I place packing tape firmly over the repair or glue line area keeping it down firmly. If it does go outside of that area your in trouble. I'm interested in all replies to this as I'm constantly fixing my combat fleet and they look real ragged when repaired. Ken

Offline Lane Puckett

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Lieutenant
  • ***
  • Posts: 59
Re: Help......need a foam glue that sands well
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2012, 06:55:30 PM »
Bill, Ken and others,

Yes this is specifically targeted at the spars in foam combat wings and not laminating a covering over the foam.  I see the stunt guys as being pretty painstaking in their search for a perfect solution.  So I thought a solution to this might have been discovered.

The glue actually only has to be as strong as the bond between the polystyrene beads in the foam.  Based on that idea one of the next things I'm going to try is a light slurry of water based polyurethane and microballoons.  It works great as a light weight filler and seems to sand real well.  Only just a 'touch' harder than foam itself.

I tried cabosil but that was a disaster in mixing with the water based poly.  There is probably some obvious chemical reason cabosil doesn't work but trust me on that one.

After this I really want to try the foam in a can but I can imagine a very shallow learning curve on that before I get it in control.

Thank you for the ideas.

Lane
PS Ken, yes Jeff Dawson and I have spent quite a bit of time on the phone together.  He has some pretty good ideas and is real passionate about combat.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2012, 07:43:43 AM by Lane Puckett »

Offline Motorman

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • ******
  • Posts: 3669
Re: Help......need a foam glue that sands well
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2015, 10:46:09 AM »
Did you ever find a solution?

MM
Wasted words ain't never been heard. Alman Brothers


Advertise Here
Tags: