A while ago someone posted a method of finishing paper parts. Of course I have lost where I saved the directions. I believe it was something like a first coat of diluted Elmers Fill-N-Finish, then light sanding, followed by a coat of thin CA cement? The result was something that resembled plastic - it could be sanded.
Is this the correct procedure or have I left something out?
Thanks!
Ted,
Might have been me, I've been doing that for quite a few years.
Since F-N-F isn't available any more, go to the hardware store/HomeDepot/Lowes/Walmart, and check the paint department for Acrylic Latex Spackling. Compare the weights of different brands. The one you want will be much lighter than the regular spackling.
When you use it, mix it with water to thin and help it soak into the paper.
I use very thin, like thick milk/cream consistency on ply and thick balsa fins to fill. I don't use CA on these, except sometimes to harden the fin edges.
I use thicker, like white glue on thin balsa, but always do both sides of thin balsa fins at the same time to cut down on warps. I also use this thickness to fill spirals, you can paint it into the spiral, then sand it back off after it dries. I usually use CA on thin fin edges to harden them, but not on spirals, unless you really like sanding..
I use very thick, like toothpaste to fill large gaps or build up fairings and transitions, then sand back to the final shape. Build up slowly, over .25 inch takes quite a while to dry.
Get everything sanded into shape and relatively smooth, but don't spend a lot of time getting a perfect finish, the CA will lift the surface and leave it very rough.
Use the thinnest CA you can find, it will soak in and change the soft Acrylic spackling into a Cyano-Acrylic block, almost like Lexan plastic. On fairings and transitions it will soak thru the spackling into the paper / balsa transition making the whole piece much harder and stronger. Keep your face away and make sure you have good ventilation, this will create CA smoke and possibly some spatter.
Sand it back down and paint, use a sanding primer to prep the surface, some paints don't like the CA surface.
Bob Ellis
Hi, BOb,
You can still get it. Home Depot doesn't have it anymore, but Lowes & others still do. It's in a different package now.
See here for the new look.
HTH.
Doug
Yeppers. I just got a tub at Wal Mart. Dunno how old it was, but it still appears to be on the shelves... at least in NE Ohio...
tah
Yep..summmore,
My current tub is Elmers Acrylic Latex Spackling Redi-Spack Lite.
As far as I can tell, they're all the same, just different names and directions to claim more shelf space at WallyWorld. My local ACE Hardware just carries one (this one). Just make sure it's the light tub, at least 1/4 the weight of the other spacklings.
Bob Ellis
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