Westfoam paper removal easily

grahamt

Member
Hi
As you know, here in the UK we can't get dollar tree foam, we have to use the heavier Westfoam which comes with it's own problems.
One of which is removing the paper, I.E. forming the nose of the FT 22. Quite by accident I have found out if you play a heat gun on the paper gently it will peel away easily, dont over do it or the foam will shrink!
A great heat gun I found :-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Range-D...qid=1424446053&sr=8-8&keywords=embossing+heat
I originally bought this for heat shrink tube, which it does a treat, and was trying to soften the square leading egde of foamboard when I found the paper peeled away with ease. Back to the sandpaper for the leading edge though!
Just thought I'd share, though I feel I'm not the first to discover this.

Graham

The link should read:_ "Dovecraft pink heat tool" It's a TWO speed heat gun used in embossing cards. Look up "embossing heat tool" on Amazon and you'll find various ones.
 

grahamt

Member
Hi Scottie
First off, thanks for the reply, 2nd if making a plane that looks like your f4 means being a "geek" then long live geeks, 3 rd-ly? and this is just a suggestion, if you take the paper off both sides you're left with a pliable depron type of foam that may be ideal for the "skin" of the f4 and saving weight. On not very good scales i make it about a 20%+ saving per 1 side of paper at the cost of some stiffness. Let me know your thoughts on this. I'm very early on in my building career, 2 versa wings and 1 f22 all from flitetest plans.
If I may ask, where abouts in Scotland are you.

Cheers
Graham
 

Scottie

Member
Hi Scottie
First off, thanks for the reply, 2nd if making a plane that looks like your f4 means being a "geek" then long live geeks, 3 rd-ly? and this is just a suggestion, if you take the paper off both sides you're left with a pliable depron type of foam that may be ideal for the "skin" of the f4 and saving weight. On not very good scales i make it about a 20%+ saving per 1 side of paper at the cost of some stiffness. Let me know your thoughts on this. I'm very early on in my building career, 2 versa wings and 1 f22 all from flitetest plans.
If I may ask, where abouts in Scotland are you.

Cheers
Graham

Hi Grahamt...
lol,thanks...I think :p.Yes I am a geek mate,well so my missus and daughter tell's me :)
I've tried building with Depron,it's incredibly cheap here in the UK but the glue is unbelievably expensive,that plus the amount of reinforcing required isn't worth the effort for the size of models I want to make.
Hot glue is out the question as it melts both Depron and if you were too remove the paper Foamboard too !
I found after a few FT builds that the trade of for a bit more weight using WestFoam is worth it,some of my builds are lasting almost a year before I'm having to retire them,an FT Spitfire I built was hammered to the point of destruction and it was still flying after almost 9 months.
My attitude is this,if its heavier...use a bigger motor ,bigger ESC and a bigger battery :) I really dont care if my builds are heavy,they fly better in the wind and lets face it,UK weather....its always windy...or raining :p.

Im on the east coast mate,'City of Discovery,Dundee' :)
 

grahamt

Member
Hi Scottie
Do you cover your models, if so what with. The first versa I covered with solartrim, looks great but expensive @ about £15.00, the second was coloured packing tape, didnt look as nice but cheap @ about £2.00. For the FT22 I got in touch with Ritrama in Manchester they put me in touch with a local dealer Where I bought covering from their L100 range (95grams/ Sq m while solartrim is 65/70 grams Sq m) it's a little heavier but @ £1.00 for 1000mm x 610mm as compared to £4.50 for 900mm x 330mm for soolartrim, it's cheap. It looks good adds about 15 grams over solartrim but only costs £2.00 for a versa. Only down side? is no day glow colours that costs £3.00 1000mm x 600mm. The upside for you is they do an aircraft grey for scale models, used it on the FT22. For the most part I applied it before assembly.

Graham
 

Scottie

Member
Hi Scottie
Do you cover your models, if so what with.

Hi Graham,
Yeah I cover them,usually after a maiden.Were kinda lucky mate cos our Foamboard can be literally saturated in varnish and the paper wont de-laminate like (as I've read,DTFB will).
I use 'Ronseal Varnsih' interior or exterior. Readily available at the likes of B&Q or Homebase,water based is best and I literally batter it on,no need to wipe it off,just keep adding it and aim for an even coat.
Goes without saying test it 1st on a scrap of Foamboard just to be safe :p.
After that it's paint,again B&Q supply 'valspar' rattle cans,they're expensive about £9 a can upwards but I feel the finish is worth the cost.
eg my modified FT Spitfire...
20140302_093654.jpg 20140302_093711.jpg 20140302_093735.jpg

my P51-b mustang....
primered...
20140602_184554.jpg

painted
20140614_184358.jpg

hope this helps mate ;)

cheers
 

grahamt

Member
Hi Scottie
Nowhere near your standard of building yet, but here are 3 of the 4 I've built so far. Note the work bench/Dinning room table FT planes 001.JPG FT planes 002.JPG
This is the grey FT22 with newly added KF2 (not yet covered, just grey foamboard) FT planes 003.JPG
This one is the first plane I built, with the solartrim covering. FT planes 004.JPG FT planes 005.JPG And lastly the "just finished" pink wing.
I hope I loaded this O.K. First time I've posted pictures on a forum.

Graham
 

grahamt

Member
Just those 3 and one tape covered versa wing. FT plans and build video's help alot. Built the first one in november, that's the green and black one. Wasn't proud of the second one because of the tape covering, a friend has that, still flies great though just doesn't look as good. A mini guinea is next, there is a limbo then egg drop comp at my club soon, should fit the bill. Also still working on my "A" cert, weathers not helping. I started with an "E-flight apprentice" with safe technology(great trainer for the first time flyer), have now moved on to a "Max thrust" Riot, a bixler 2, and a ROC V tailed glider plus my FT builds. Loving it, both gliding and loops and rolls. nearly come unstuck last week trying to knife edge before I'm ready. I can throw them about the sky and recover OK, take off and landing hold no fear for me but struggle to keep level in a figure of 8. I still keep practising though, so it's just a matter of time.

Graham
 

Scottie

Member
Your builds are coming along nicely mate seeing as you've not been building in foam for long.I try not to think of it as foam,I just treat it the same as I would balsa.I've been building models in 1 form or another since I was a kid.....so about 30ish years...!!! God that makes me sound old ! :(.
Keep building Graham,ideas start coming to you the more you build,I've taken over the dinning room as well but instead of the table,I cleared out the room and 'added' a full size office desk lol.My missus is incredibly patient and forgiving :).
I'm not a club member,me and my mate fly together and my 8 yr old daughter wants to come along too,we found a very accommodating farmer who lets us fly on his land,we just need to let him know we're there :).

cheers
 
one way i have found for removing the paper, is to drip white spirit on the paper.

a few drips on selected areas, then spread it with your finger until the paper goes a kind opaque look, it will peel right off.
it takes a few seconds to do it, but with west foam, you need to be careful if your removing it for weigth reasons, as it loses alot of strength, and becomes bendy.
 
OK, for us brits.

i am currently building the FT-Versa.

i have removed the paper from the inside only so far, and bare airframe, (all 4 wing panels, and both spars) are currently weighing in @


198g

yes thats right, 198g. .. . ..

the bag of paper weights 108g so by my calculations, i will be slightly lighter than the FT version (as per plans @ 300g)
but, this will allow me to hot glue the curve,

i am leaving it all as it is for the night, to allow any residule white spirit to vape off. so i will be back on it tomorrow :)



Tony.
 

grahamt

Member
Hi insomaniac45
My green and black versa (see page 1 photo) weigh's in at 600 grams plus the battery. 120 grams of that is lead in the nose for balance. If I was going to stip paper off the inside I would only remove it from behind the C of G. I would think it's a waste of effort and loss of strengh removing from forward of the C of G only to find you have to add weight for balance. This of course only applies to "the pusher" versa.
Please ignore the above if you are building the "power pod" or "puller" version. Either way please post the weight of your final build (- battery)
Mine is a bit slow on launch but zips about the sky a treat when you get going.
Motor is :- EMAX CF2805 2840KV Brushless Motor With Propeller Saver turning a 6 x 4 prop
ESP is :- Emax Simonk Series 30A (it's all I had at the time)
Servo :- EMAX ES09MD x 2
Battery :- Zippy 3s 1800mah 20c

Graham
 
I am indeed building the swappable version, as i would like to build a few planes, but i am doing this hobby on a VERy tight budget.

I will indeed post the final weights minus battery.


Tony.
 

ianlh

Member
Hi Guys,

I have created a thread in the UK section for all of us to put the weights of the UK planes, it would be great if you could add to this. I think we are all trying to find a way of making our planes lighter, rather than having to up the motor size.
 

UKPete

New member
Hi.
I was looking at this as I was having issues with the Foamboard here in the UK purchased from Hobbycraft I think it's Westfoam.
But I found that a little steam works perfectly!
Hope that helps anyone else!.
 

Flyingpanman

New member
Just visited this old thread so my method of paper stripping UK Hobbycraft foam board is to just cut out the part you want and very, VERY carefully float it on water in a bath. Leave for ten minutes and the paper on the side under the water will sink to the bottom.

If you place the part gently on the surface and don't wet the upper surface, you can de-paper just the one side.

If you want to remove both sides, then just turn the piece over until the paper drops off that side..
 

Matt Gregg

New member
My method is use a clothes iron set at medium heat and no water or steam. Then gently run in over the section you wan to remove paper for a short time and the paper will just pull off.