Can I paint straight balsa?

[DarkFire]

Just like the title says, can I paint balsa with say spray paint without damaging it too much? I'm not building a flyable plane so the strucural integrity doesn't matter too much.

 

[jsknockoff]

Spray paint will not damage balsa. Might not get the finish you're looking for out of it though. Without treating it with something first it usually turns out a little hairy.

 

[DarkFire]

Huh, thought spray paint would've somehow damaged balsa like it does foam. I suppose the hairy things could be trimmed off, it's not going to be a part of the model closely scrutinized. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Turbojoe]

The paint won't hurt the wood other than sucking up the paint to the point that by the time you get a finish it weighs a ton. Way, way, way back I used clear dope with baby powder in it to make a sanding sealer. After filling and sanding a few times you get a really nice smooth surface.

Sig still makes a sanding sealer. LINK

Joe

 

[earthsciteach]

Like turbojoe said, a sanding sealer applied to the balsa before paint will really help you get a better finish. Apply the sealer, then sand lightly, then paint.

The baby powder is a good trick! I use that (thanks for the tip wilsonmann!) to get a really nice surface finish when glassing with Minwax Polycrylic.

 

[WeeVikes]

How much baby powder for a given amount of Minwax are we talking about?

Thank you.

 

[earthsciteach]

Equal parts by volume.