Help! Fibers sticking up on thin balsa

1. Try very fine sandpaper. May need to use some type of filler or primer coat of paint then sanding.

1. It really won't make any difference so don't worry about it.

John VB

Fibers sticking up WILL show up when the area is re-covered. To eliminate them, get a small bottle of clear "dope" from the hobby shop and a cheap brush. Give the new balsa and the surrounding area a couple of coats lightly sanding between coats. Use 220 grit sandpaper. This will get rid of all the stick ups. Your iron on covering will adhere to the dope coated balsa just fine.

Phil

Try some 600 grit wet and dry sandpaper used dry. It cuts the fibers without taking much wood. Use a tack cloth to remove the balsa dust before covering or finishing.

JR

Fine fibers are harmless. However, if you wish to remove them, try a little hair spray. After the hair spray dries, use very fine sand paper on a block or T-bar to remove the whiskers. Always sand with the grain, and always diligently remove dust before covering.

Bob

Very few sandpapers will cut the fine fibers. What you need to do is 'fix' the fibers so they cannot flex, and re-sand.

Use whatever you have . . . a light (and I mean LIGHT) coat of paint, BalsaRite, Stick-It, dope, or thinned epoxy.

Shoot the lightest coat you can manage.

Once the fibers are fixed and inflexible, the sandpaper will cut them. The finer the grit the better. Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com

Put one coat of eithor clear dope or Balsarite on and then with extremely fine sand paper, wipe the fibers off. I like Balsarite because it 'helps' the covering job.

Wipe over with balsarite and then sand. Covering will stick better as well.

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Thanx to all who responded. Gotta get to work!

-- JDSteig

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