Just a few comments on the above video. The process was pretty easy and straight forward. I mixed Elmer white glue with about 40% water. Added a few drops of black paint so i could see the glue mixture on the white foam.
I painted the glue on the paper first to allow it to soak in and become easier to bend. Than paint the wing surface and a put the paper down. At first it does not look very well. It is bubbly, and not flat. Slowing using my hands and tools i worked the excess glue out and got it in position. It is easy to move and doesn't dry quickly so you have time to adjust. The glue also doesn't come thru the paper so it is not sticky. I had a wet rag nearby to wipe off any glue and this worked very well. Even wiping down the plane with it worked well.
I covered the wing without the bottom part of the fuselage so that i could weigh it down and keep it straight while drying. After only 3 hours of drying the paper had tightened up enough to make it look really good. Very very nice surface. Very flat. It does cover up some imperfections but not all. It seems to cover low spots very well but high spots stand out. This makes since as it is pulling tight as it dries. After drying for a couple days it settled around 920g. Not sure on starting weight as i lost my notes. I will do better on the fuselage.
The dried craft paper is very hard and rigid. In the holes for the servos it was almost cracking off, but not quite. I had to use a razor blade to cut it clear.
After drying for a few days i put the wing in the fuselage and put the bottom piece on for fitting. I had to so some sanding to get it all flush again. I sanded extra off in fact as the paper going over it will raise it slightly. This is also why i am getting the wing completely finished before starting on the fuselage. Everything else will be based off the wing being done and in place correctly. After it is completed i will mount it in the fuselage and make sure that it is level in all directions, lock it down, and start mounting the tail section.
In the pic below i have added Spackle to the bottom piece. Now it just needs to dry, be sanded, and than paper covering to connect it to the wing. I placed the 51g servos in place to make sure everything was still flush. Still debating if im going to cover them or simply glue in place. Considered gluing in place and paper covering to make it seamless.
I have had a few comments on facebook and other places about why i am using this and not something else like fiber-glassing. I feel like this process is really sticking true to the flitetest way of using common materials. Paper, when pulled in the horizontal plane, has a ton of strength. Try and pull just a regular piece of office paper apart with your hands. And this is craft paper, like grocery bags. When glued down to a rigid surface it is crazy strong. It is also really cheap. Here is the costs so far:
8'x4'x2" insulation board from home depot: $20
Half a bottle of Gorilla glue: $6 ?
Roll of craft paper: $8
Basswood sheet: $2
Hot glue in a few spots : $2 ?
Gallon of elmers glue: $12 (half for this build maybe)
Light Weight spackle: $20 (using not even a quarter of it for this plane)
And for a huge plane. I think the cheapness of this building style outweighs the benefits of "better" process's. Assuming it flies of course
