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Building Tips and technical articles. => Paint and finishing => Topic started by: Allan Perret on December 23, 2014, 02:55:43 PM
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Can it be used to fill balsa grain on solid flat surfaces in place of silkspan ? If so, which side out, shiny or dull ? I have already started prepping surfaces with non-taut nitrate.
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Allen I would say that yes it can be used to cover balsa to fill the grain, and when I used it on Free Flight models I always put the "shiney" side up, so that when I doped it it would not take as much dope to fill
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I would agree with Gil, but if it's really Japanese tissue, I think it's a bit of a waste. A Domestic tissue would do just fine, might even be better for balsa surfaces than real Japanese tissue, and a lot cheaper. We used to buy it from the LHS...or Peck Polymers...I'm not sure where to get it now, but some guys I know used to just buy colored wrapping paper from craft stores and card shops. I could probably check around and get an answer...but I'd try Michael's or whatever craft shops you've got in your area. Hobby Lobby would be high on my list... LL~ Steve
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I already have the jap tissue and no other plans for it. I also have some of the domestic stuff. Will give them both a try to see how they compare.
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If it's real Esaki tissue, then give it to a free-flight modeler. I've found that Esaki is really hard to get to laminate onto balsa with dope without voids -- it's actually too high a quality. Domestic tissue seems to stick down better.
Best of all is still silkspan, though.
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Sig sells their Plyspan, which is labeled as Esaki Plyspan, Japanese tissue, etc. I've used the medium Plyspan in the place of silkspan on several models. Never had a problem with it over solid surfaces, but on open structures like wings it can get brittle and split. Recently the sheets of Plyspan got smaller and the price went up, but at least it's still available and fairly easy to obtain, for now.
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Hi.
I use the Lightest Esaki Lite-Flite in my free flight wings, as decoration over Salzer tissue or Icarex, and directly on carbon D-box.
Regarding the question which side up, shiny or matt, in this use there is no weight difference as it'll anyway be impregnated with dope. Maybe it's more important with indoor models. BUT I have found that when applied matt side outside, it sticks much better to carbon or Icarex. I brush 2 thin coats of dope to surface, let it dry and then glue the wet paper on with acetone. If you put shiny side up, the edges of paper will start lifting. Shiny side has more contact area.
But a well sealed balsa surface has more dope to stick onto, it makes less difference.
I like Lite-Flite because it's quite strong also when wet. With enough water it is easy to align accurately without wrinkles.
Happy Christmas,
Lauri
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Is that the Eiffel Tower next to that wing? The wing must be huge!
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Yep. Like in Las Vegas.
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I tried Ply-Span once, and disliked it intensely. My recollection is that it swelled up where I put thinned clear on it to stick it down. It looked like it would be a real mess if allowed to dry, so I ripped it off. Didn't have time to mess with it, so it was gone. That was PLY-SPAN, not Polyspan.
I've used craft tissue, and it was pretty much ok, but the colors, well, they're here today and gone next month. Your results may vary, depending on who made the stuff. There were some guys in California that used colored tissue of some sort that had vibrant colors and was fade resistant, but I don't recall the type. It was NOT Japanese tissue or Craft tissue, for sure. H^^ Steve