Gluing tissue to various surfaces...

[CthulhuJon]

I'm designing & building my 3rd model with tissue covering.
The first two tissue models were mostly balsa, with some small areas of ply or bamboo. So all wood, and I glued the tissue down with a glue stick and elmers, which worked great.

My current model's leading edge is a 2mm carbon rod.. non porous, and only a small area to stick to.
I'm thinking that elmers is not going to work here.... what glue should be used in this situation please ?

 

[TooJung2Die]

My current model's leading edge is a 2mm carbon rod.. non porous, and only a small area to stick to.
I'm thinking that elmers is not going to work here.... what glue should be used in this situation please ?

Try Eze Dope. Thin it like you would with Elmer's. I have found it is very hard to remove after it has dried. I don't care for it as a dope substitute for tissue finishing but it is a very good tissue glue.

 

[CthulhuJon]

Try Eze Dope. Thin it like you would with Elmer's. I have found it is very hard to remove after it has dried. I don't care for it as a dope substitute for tissue finishing but it is a very good tissue glue.

Thanks much, I have some Eze dope, so I'll give that a try.

 

[CthulhuJon]

@TooJung2Die Thanks, good suggestion. That worked out great.

I have also found eze-dope hard to remove when dry..... especially from my brushes
I also find the final look of eze-dope, not very good... its very patchy looking...
but it works well enough as a dope, and I can use it indoors is the biggest feature for me.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Glad the Eze Dope worked for you. It takes a strong solvent to dissolve it after it has hardened. Maybe acetone? I don't know. That's why I haven't used it in an airbrush. I had the same results as you when using it as a final tissue finish. I had high hopes because I wanted something to use indoors. Now I go outside and use clear aerosol lacquer. It works better than dope but still can't be used around the wife. 😟

 

[danskis]

glue stick will work on the CF also CA

 

[CthulhuJon]

Yeah the finish isn’t the best. But happy with how the plane turned out
90cm wingeron.

 

[TooJung2Die]

That's a cool looking little glider. How does it fly? Looks like a slope soarer.

 

[cyclone3350]

I have used this as a substitute for a dope like finish. This was something I built from depron to fly in my backyard. It weighed in @ .75oz AUW. The tissue was applied with glue sticks to the depron and the Krylon was sprayed as a top coat. The Krylon itself won't melt foam, but the propellent will. Used in very light coats to the tissue and not directly on the foam worked out well for me.

 

[CthulhuJon]

That's a cool looking little glider. How does it fly? Looks like a slope soarer.

Thanks, yeah its supposed to be a wingeron sloper... no tail controls, crank'n'yank rotating wings only. 115g at ~95cm wingspan. As to how it flies... I sadly have not had much chance to find out. Only hand thrown it in the park a few times, it has a nice glide and turns on a dime. But I have been mostly stuck indoors due to pandemic and work. I have next week off though, so have been looking for potential slope spots locally. If I get any good flights or video I'll post.

naming it 'flappy bird' (for now) due to the way it looks rotating the wings
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jxknuqjeyk1chqh/flappy-servo-test.MOV?dl=0

 

[TooJung2Die]

Very nicely executed. I've seen several Lidl gliders converted to wingeron control. They're very maneuverable and aerobatic. To fly a balsa wood and tissue sloper; you're either brave, dumb or a very good pilot. 😆 The Lidl gliders bounce. Best of luck. Hope you get some video.

 

[CthulhuJon]

Very nicely executed. I've seen several Lidl gliders converted to wingeron control. They're very maneuverable and aerobatic. To fly a balsa wood and tissue sloper; you're either brave, dumb or a very good pilot. 😆 The Lidl gliders bounce. Best of luck. Hope you get some video.

Thanks, I probably fit into the brave and dumb categories I'm thinking beach and dunes, rather than cliffs at the moment... I crashed another balsa/tissue glider many times on beach/sand with no damage. So thats my current goal.... still learning

 

[TooJung2Die]

Thanks, I probably fit into the brave and dumb categories

I was totally joking with you of course. I'd slope soar my balsa glider in a heart beat and I'm no expert pilot. The trouble is finding a suitable slope facing the prevailing winds.

 

[CthulhuJon]

was totally joking with you of course. I'd slope soar my balsa glider in a heart beat and I'm no expert pilot. The trouble is finding a suitable slope facing the prevailing winds.

sorry for slow reply... I got out to a small beach slope twice... not enough wind maybe 5-mph, but managed to string together a few turns despite my poor flying skills when the wind picked up a bit. Felt great just managing to do that.
It is hard to find time and get out to slope though. The closest, easy access one... has crazy parking prices, a hang glider club, and worry about being close to airport.
Need to explore further afield.
Also looking for good slope simulator...