leather fillets

[Bootlegger]

  Morning guy's, What way have you found that works best for you when you install leather fillets?
 I am thinking that using regular model cement (ambroid, duco & Sig Ment) is the best, but if there is a better way I would like to try it.
  Oh, if soaking them in water, how long do you soak them??
  Thanks for your ideas...and help...

  Moderators if this is better in the paint/finish section feel free to move it..

[Phil Spillman]

I have been using leather fillets since 1967 with excellent results viz.durable, strong, and now thanks to this forum fully flexible around leading edges! Soak for 15 min. in jar, apply with aliphatic resin glue such as Tite Bond II. Would not recommend Ambroid although I too have been using this fro many years! Reason being its not water soluble and TB is! Allow at least a day or so for the water to evaporate before going on to next finishing step. 

[FLOYD CARTER]

I've used leather fillets since 1950 !  (I located a tool supplier in downtown Los Angeles who had them for patternmakers).

I use Ambroid.  Wetting the leather works best.  A piece of wet paper towel will do.  I first tack down one end.  When that holds, the rest can be wet and glued down.  Ambroid grabs pretty quick, so the fillet stays down OK. While still sort of wet, I press the leather into a nice concave by using a round tool  (I use a ball bearing epoxied to a length of brass tubing).  Once dry, it stays in that shape.

Leather fillets tend to grab butyrate dope just fine, so there is never "pulling up" of paint from leather.

Good leather fillets are cut down to a fine edge.  Even so, a slight "ridge" remains.  Any water-based model filler can feather the edge.  (epoxy fillers are too hard to sand, and you will mess up the leather by sanding it.)

Floyd

[Dennis Toth]

Do the leather fillets add as much strength and stiffness that carved wood would fillets would provide around say a profile fuse wing joint and stab fuse joint?

I like to add twist stiffness to both joints.

Best,     DennisT

[Bootlegger]

  Ty, I AIN"T old just been here a looong time.. LOL LOL  Yeah I remember them marbles, some even say I've "lost" mine lol...