Forming Curves in Balsa - Sheeting made Easier - RC Model Aeroplane Build & Repair
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- A quick and easy method to form curves/bends in balsa, so making sheeting of wings and fuselages easier, or even for custom cowls! In the video I am using am Ammonia based cleaning liquid, which contains Ammonium Hydroxide 0.185% W/W. The ammonia softens the lignin in the wood, which allows the balsa wood to be shaped/formed. The shape is then retained once the wood dries.
Thank you Mark! Great video and looks much easier than soaking in water and waiting for everything to settle back into shape. As far as people worrying about loss of strength You could coat the balsa with epoxy mixed with some denatured alcohol making it almost the viscosity of water. The wood soaks it up and presto, added strength. Cheers!
Thanks for the comment and the suggestion, greatly appreciated
Very nice - thank you for sharing this tip! I saw on another channel that spraying ammonia on wing cap strips can help them conform to rib curves as well.
Thanks for the comment, really pleased you enjoyed it
I use the older and known water, works fine.
you may want to try a metal tube that is heated up different sizes hold against it for a few seconds - you will have to brainstorm on best way to get it hot - possibly a heat gun and you will a perfect bend or curve in the wood / wear oven mits
6:54 this is exactly what I came here for, brilliant! Cheers and thank you!
Excellent, pleased you found it helpful
As you wet one side that side expands as it absorbs the moisture. So the wet side grows longer. Window cleaners like Windex contain both Alcohol and Amonia, great for the modeler’s bench for many uses. I also use it for both Silkspan and Silk when covering. Over time the fibers in the wood do relax and the stress lessens. Just make sure it glued well and there are plenty of formers under the wood. Great job
I love that technique! Thanks for demonstrating. I’ve tried doing that with plain water in the past, but noticed it leaves the wood a little weaker afterwards, whereas, the ammonia does a better job of maintaining the strength.
Thanks for the comment, really pleased you like the video and found it useful
Thanks Mark, who would have thought it, a bloke finding a use for cleaning fluid 😁
Hahahaha, couldn't possibly comment!!
Very useful. Thanks for sharing the tips and making the video. Greetings from Canada.
Glad it was helpful! 😀
I use rubber bands instead of the scotch tape; if the wood doesn't fit the precise curvature initially, it will bend a tad more as the fluid soaks in.
Good information right here, thankyou for sharing your methods.
Pleased it was helpful, appreciate your comment
very nice thanks for this tip
Thank you very much for the comment, pleased you like it
Nice idea
Thanks for the comment 😀
Nice Mark.
Glad you enjoyed it
A good video. I started with ammonia then quickly switched Windex. Now I use ordinary white vinegar which I find more pleasant to use. you can use it to form medium balsa at 90degrees to the grain I recently made a couple of Nacelles 50mm diameter 30mm long out of 2mm balsa with the grain going around the circumference and the joint butt glued. after they had dried they cut to fit the wing mounts there doesn't seem to be any loss of strength in the material, but it is a static model not subject to vibration or handling
Hi there, thanks for the information, always good to hear what others are doing
@@MarkRobinson555 Question: why are you using such heavy sheet on your leading edge? By the look of your wingspan I'd have 1.5 would have bee sufficient to save weight. Especially as the aircraft seems to have a l/e stringer
Mark I didn't point you need to saturate the wood (brush it on is good enough) and leave for a minute or 2
Essential I went for the 2.5mm sheeting because I was following the plans, but you are right it did seem heavy and slightly over the top, but having said that It was a solid build and it flew well.
@@MarkRobinson555 looks like a top job
Your videos are really great 👍
Thank you so much 😀
You can use water without problem , put water only on the outside bending part , it works great try and see .
Yes you can use water, I have in the past, but using an ammonia product makes it easier and is kinder on the wood, particularly when drying out.
Wow impressed
Thank you, appreciate the comment
No thank you, I wanted to try skinning a foam wing with balsa and obviously heat is a issue, I know steam works well , but it's hot and wet 🤦🏼♂️ Obviously but if I can just do it wet that's half the struggle 😂👍 . Only built a few gulillows planes so I am trying to step up with the big boys
Good luck with the sheeting, do you have the top and bottom waste piece of foam from when you cut the wing, if so use them either side of the wing to hold the balsa in place, with weights on, as they will obviously have the perfect profile
Amazing cool
smart
Two things I'd like to comment on,
1) Molding the wood before gluing the piece on like your doing is absolutely the correct method. Too many times I see instructions where they ask you to glue down one edge then wet the wood and bend it into shape while gluing it down. Only to see a "starved horse" look in the balsa after it has dried. Wetting the wood also expands it. It then shrinks back up when it dries. So if you glue it down in the wet condition, it will shrink between the unsupported sections, like ribs on a wing or bulkheads on a fuse, when it dries. Like plastic covering would when you shrink it up. So kudos to you for showing the right way to do it! Mold, let dry fully, then glue it on.
2) Whoever told you Ammonia weakens the balsa is complete bullshit. Especially when using Windex or the cleaner you are using as the amount of Ammonia is negligible. It might make a bad day for germs but that's about it. I've been using this method for nigh on 30years now and I have NEVER experienced "weakened balsa". In fact, before the internet, no one batted a single eye for using this method. Post internet, and morons just have to insert their 2cent opinion. Maybe they didn't get enough attention as children. In any case, soaking in plain hot water works well too if anyone is worried about it. In full scale, we steam soak spruce lengths and it bends around forms like paper.
Thanks for taking time to comment, I really appreciate it and your support.
Thanks for that. Always good to know of the odd trick or two :-) Have you tried it on the tissue coverings. It may act like a starch.
Thank you very much for taking the time to comment, its really appreciated, pleased you enjoyed the video. No I have not tried on tissue, sorry
I cant tell if he's Australian or British. Love the video
Hahahah, definitely a Brit! Really pleased you like the videos, and really appreciate you comment.
Mmmmmm, Spare ribs, yum
use water on wood works also but takes more time to dry out
Damp it with water and use heat gun
NNNooooo any type of cleaner will restrict any adhesive/glue that you will be using to attach the sheet to the model's framework! Just use a small amount of clean hot water or steam will do the job for you along with a preassembled jig to keep it to the shape till it dries! Keep it simple stupid is the best rule of thumb when it come to craft modeling!
Great video, would this work with 2mm plywood? Is that just Mr Muscle Window Cleaner?
Thanks for the comment, pleased you lked it. I would think it would work on ply, but I am not sure how thw amonia in the Mr Muscle would affect the glue holding the ply together.
It would possibly work with2mm ply depending on which glue has been used in the ply
Does this technique work on 2mm balsa?
Yes, that will work fine 😀
@@MarkRobinson555 thnks a lot
Could you spray the stuff on after you’ve done the planking? (To take out the tension)
Sry for my bad english
You could, but you would need to be carful not to get it on the rest of the wing structure
Mark Robinson, thanks
does the ammonia cleaner dry 100% or does it leave the wood damp (adding water/liquid weight to the wood)
it dries 100%
How do I go about adding filling in the open area on my wing. I have a ARF with open area top and bottom. Seagull models wing.
Hi there, do you need to fill in the wing? It will add weight and could affect how it flies. Can it not be covered leaving the open areas. If you did want to sill it in you could CG balsa into the gaps easy enough, just as you would do normal sheeting
Nothing worse than a warped wing. I've had a few
Sir can u make a tutorial on how to make seagull Cessna 188 aGwagon airplane
How many mm is the balsa you are using?
It was 2.4mm, hope that helps
So its windex you used?
Yes, but it has to be the one which contains Ammonia
wht's the thickness of balsa, I must know immediately
the balsa is 2.5mm
Just use water
Mhhhhh, Spareribs....