Hello everybody,

I will be painting my Twister soon and I'm going to use Rustoleum. I am covering the wing with Monocote.

I am wondering what is the best way to prepare the balsa for the Rustoleum?

I usually use 2 coats of dope sanding sealer but I heard or read somewhere that the dope gasses off to much and ruins the Rustoleum.

Will primer be enough to seal the wood for the paint and what type of primer should I use?

Thanks for any answers you can give me.

Dennis Heckel

Dennis ,, great post,  i am in the process of building a Magician and will soon be building a Twister, both to have this same finish! I am eagerly looking for any help also!! In the past i have used Ace spar varnish,, but now i want to get just a little more serious about the finish on my planes and would like to hear from some more experience with this process. 

Not a front row method, but this works prety well.

I have had very good results using water based sanding sealer from the hardware store.  My normal method for sport planes on non open bays

Sand smooth up to 320, work real hard at getting the bumps and rough edges taken care of.
brush on water based sanding sealer.  I use the store brand from Ace hardware.
Lightly sand
Re-coat any places you have sanded through.

At this point you could go right to paint, but I usually spray  1-2 fill coats of automotive primer, that fills the grain.  The ammount of time you spend on the fill coats and sanding will determing the level of finish you can get.

Try the water based sanding sealer, you will like it.  It really toughens up the wood, doesn't add much weight and works under dope or rustoleum.
It does not smell either, so you can do it in the house.
 

I haven't tried for a perfect finish but what works for me is Rust-o-lem Rusty Metal Primer. It seals the wood and is easy sandable material.
Larry

Are you talking about water based polyurethane or is there actually a water based "sanding sealer" ?

It feels like, smells and looks like a water based poly.  But it is listed on the can as sanding sealer.  It goes on milky white and dries clear.  it doesn't have the gloss of minwax poly, but it toughens the wood nicely and seals the wood quickly.  I used it on a flight box, and was impresed.  I have been using it for 8 years now.  No issues under dope or Rustolem.

I use the water based sanding sealer from Ace Hardware paint department.  Quart can about $7 a quart will last a long time.