More/better waterproofing techniques?

[guitchess]

Hello all. First post for me. A real noob in all aspects of rc flight. My issue is this. My flight time is usually in the morning before work which means there is lots of dew and every time i land /crash my planes get wetter. The minwax/spray paint keep them from falling apart but they get floppy/soggy which means the flight character changes every flight and slowly deteriorates to unflyable. I then adjust their shape, let them dry, then repeat.

The question is, do you have any tips to combat this?

TIA

 

[Gryf]

Hi! Same story here... I used to fly in the mornings before work, when the wind was calm and the grass, alas, was wet. I've coated two of my models with clear packing tape, which works well while adding minimal weight. But you might want to consider building with Ross board, available at Wal-Mart for 88 cents per sheet. It's apparently better able to tolerate moisture. There's a thread in here someplace that goes into the qualities of the Ross stuff pretty thoroughly. I recently built a Bloody Baron out of Ross board, and it flies great.

I usually seal all my edges with hot glue, too.

Cheers,

Gryf

 

[Spastickitten]

I heard that camp dry will do the trick, but I only heard that. I have no experience with waterproofing.

 

[razor02097]

Hello all. First post for me. A real noob in all aspects of rc flight. My issue is this. My flight time is usually in the morning before work which means there is lots of dew and every time i land /crash my planes get wetter. The minwax/spray paint keep them from falling apart but they get floppy/soggy which means the flight character changes every flight and slowly deteriorates to unflyable. I then adjust their shape, let them dry, then repeat.

The question is, do you have any tips to combat this?

TIA

minwax and spray paint are 2 different products. Minwax will help prevent water from ruining your model and spray paint provides color to your model.

When you use minwax you have to make sure you get total coverage. You can use hot glue to seal any joints and use wood glue on the exposed ends of the foam board.

If you insist on flying in wet conditions consider using coroplast which is basically plastic card board. It is heavier than foam but is absolutely a water proof material.

 

[ttprigg]

minwax and spray paint are 2 different products. Minwax will help prevent water from ruining your model and spray paint provides color to your model.

When you use minwax you have to make sure you get total coverage.

Also, don't use the water based minwax- I use Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane Semi-Gloss Polyurethane, Also, I use latex gloves and a cheep "chip-brush" to put it on a section at a time. Then I pass it over to my son who wipes it off with paper towels. You just need to soak the paper. No need for additional weight. Overtime, the edges of the paper can delaminate from "bumps and bruises" and the surface "yellows" after a while. A coat of hot-glue along the edges solves the first issue. As for the yellowing, up to now, my skills solve that...

 

[MototechRyan]

Has anyone tried Rustoleum Neverwet or other hydrophobic coatings? From what I've read most dont care for the haze it can leave. Like spastickitten mentioned, I've used camp dry with good results. But have only used it on tent seams. Always wandered but never bothered to research the good ole Internet to find out what if any difference there is between neverwet and campdry.

 

[HilldaFlyer]

Waterproof Foam Core

Hello all. First post for me. A real noob in all aspects of rc flight. My issue is this. My flight time is usually in the morning before work which means there is lots of dew and every time i land /crash my planes get wetter. The minwax/spray paint keep them from falling apart but they get floppy/soggy which means the flight character changes every flight and slowly deteriorates to unflyable. I then adjust their shape, let them dry, then repeat.

The question is, do you have any tips to combat this?

TIA

I have published a couple of articles on alternate materials.Yes, they require work and added expense, but you can't get something from nothing. With fiberglass skins... water is a non-issue. I've built FT-22, Versa Wing and a Huge FT-22 out of the materials and landed them in so much dew it was dripping. Because of the warping when wet problem of Readi-Board and the amount of moisture here in the Northeast, I'll probably never use Readi-Board alone.

Take a peek...
http://flitetest.com/articles/super-strong-waterproof-foam-core
http://flitetest.com/articles/supersized-ft-22-150-bigger
http://flitetest.com/articles/glassed-ft-22
http://flitetest.com/articles/balanced-pusher-wing

 

[HilldaFlyer]

Ross Board

Hi! Same story here... I used to fly in the mornings before work, when the wind was calm and the grass, alas, was wet. I've coated two of my models with clear packing tape, which works well while adding minimal weight. But you might want to consider building with Ross board, available at Wal-Mart for 88 cents per sheet. It's apparently better able to tolerate moisture. There's a thread in here someplace that goes into the qualities of the Ross stuff pretty thoroughly. I recently built a Bloody Baron out of Ross board, and it flies great.

I usually seal all my edges with hot glue, too.

Cheers,

Gryf

I've started using Ross a bit, and it is true it doesn't peel when it gets wet, it still gets soggy and flimsy when wet. Flying twice while wet make for some really interesting flight characteristics as the wings bounce around a bit. The nice thing is that it dries out and you can fly another day when Readi-Board just peels. Right now I'm preparing an article that compares Ross to Readi-Board when reskinned with fiberglass or paper. It should be a lot like this:
http://flitetest.com/articles/super-strong-waterproof-foam-core