FINALLY! A balsa filler I'm happy with!!

[Turbojoe]

Along with many, many other fillers I've been using the Elmer's wood filler for quite a while and while I like the fact that it is a pretty close color match for balsa wood like all the others but it doesn't stick to the wood worth a damn, it rolls up and in general only sucks very slightly less than all the other R/C hobby fillers out there and trust me I've tried them ALL over the years! Out of desperation I tried something different with the Elmer's a while back. I put several drops of water in a very small plastic cup. I first wet my finger tip then wet the wood before adding the Elmer's. The Elmer's "attaches" to the wood like no other filler I've tried. I fill the area just above level then wet my finger tip again and smooth everything out. When wet the Elmer's becomes super smooth like pottery clay and dries to a surface that requires very little sanding.

I know Elmer's now has a tub of wood filler but I don't know if it's exactly the same stuff. Because the material can thicken over time and become difficult to squeeze out of the tube I just cut off the bottom of the tube and squeeze it all into a very small ZipLock container. Then I can use my fingers or a Popsicle stick to spread it. With water of course....

Joe

 

[TazRC]

Thanks for the tip, Turbojoe. Is it super light like Hobbico HobbyLite Filler or more like construction type wood/drywall filler?

 

[Turbojoe]

Thanks for the tip, Turbojoe. Is it super light like Hobbico HobbyLite Filler or more like construction type wood/drywall filler?

While it's not as light as the typical fillers it's not like adding a brick either. Look at my thread on EVA mods and you'll see winglets in my latest post. To make the fillets I tried the Hobbico filler and ended up scraping it off. Tried lightweight spackle and scraped it off. Tried WBPU and micro balloons and scraped it off. I even tried a concoction of Super Phatic and micro ballons and scraped it off. I've been using the Elmer's for years but as I said above the last tube was starting to get too stiff to squeeze through the nozzle (and to be honest even when first purchased it's hard to get it through the nozzle). Only after I cut the bottom off and squeezed it all into another container did I notice that it got to the smooth consistency I've been looking for after the addition of a very tiny amount of water. A little dampness on the wood to help it "grab" and a little on your fingertip to smooth it out after application and it lays down glass smooth and on a flat surface could take little more than a kiss with sandpaper to have it ready to cover. I've tried adding water to the other products with less than expected results. Been doing this for 40+ years and finally found a filler that I'M happy with. Most are quite happy with the typical Hobbico/spackle/WBPU/micro balloons etc. for fillers but not me.

Joe

 

[TazRC]

Thanks for that, Turbojoe! I'll check out your other thread too.