Hi Ross,
No worries. My wife says that my head is on backwards most of the time, and I'm afraid that she is right.LOL
When I used to fly planes I used to use Stablit Express (Pattex) but you can now buy UHU Plus acrylit express which is identical but about half the price. You do need to wear your PPE and use in a well ventilated area.
The fuselages of the planes were all plastic of some form mainly from Robbe and you had to really abrade the surface and remove (with IPA) any trace of oil from your skin etc. You do need to clamp the joint together. It dries fairly quickly and can be sanded and drilled in about 1hour or less, but full strength will be achieved after 24 hours. There are many suppliers in the UK and a quick search of the internet will reveal suppliers.
It is not cheap but does result in a very strong and secure joint.
dave976
When I used to fly planes I used to use Stablit Express (Pattex) but you can now buy UHU Plus acrylit express which is identical but about half the price. You do need to wear your PPE and use in a well ventilated area.
The fuselages of the planes were all plastic of some form mainly from Robbe and you had to really abrade the surface and remove (with IPA) any trace of oil from your skin etc. You do need to clamp the joint together. It dries fairly quickly and can be sanded and drilled in about 1hour or less, but full strength will be achieved after 24 hours. There are many suppliers in the UK and a quick search of the internet will reveal suppliers.
It is not cheap but does result in a very strong and secure joint.
dave976
West Epoxy with some filler. You can buy at mini kit for less than £20 which is a good starting point. There are extensive instructions on the internet that can be downloaded and explain how it can be used in a variety of situations.
Takes several hours to cure hard but that does allow repositioning. Another approach is to use a spot of superglue to hold pieces in place and once you’re happy then this joint can reinforced with epoxy.
West Epoxy with some filler. You can buy at mini kit for less than £20 which is a good starting point. There are extensive instructions on the internet that can be downloaded and explain how it can be used in a variety of situations.
Takes several hours to cure hard but that does allow repositioning. Another approach is to use a spot of superglue to hold pieces in place and once you’re happy then this joint can reinforced with epoxy.
Hi Tora Dog,
You are quite right I was mistaken, it is the other way round, I used to build body panels for lotus seven replicas. My apologies to David for misleading him.
Cheers,
Ross☹️
Hi Tora Dog,
You are quite right I was mistaken, it is the other way round, I used to build body panels for lotus seven replicas. My apologies to David for misleading him.
Cheers,
Ross☹️
The best way I have found, to adhear wood to polyester hulls, is to use thickened resin. I use epoxy now, my wife won;t let me mix polyester indoors, but one can use polyester as well. As I just posted, you can apply epoxy to polyester, but not the other way around. I thicken it to an almost paste like consistancy when making reinforcing fillets which I usually put underneath the piece being bonded, so it does not show. I think that expoxy, straight, bonds better than polyester resin which tenders to be brittle and not like flexing. Either way, the real key is to roughen up the hull and clean it well with actetone of lacquer thinner to remove any wax or mold release. Otherwise, nothing will bond really well. One last point. When bonding wood to a glass underlayment, roughen up the wood surface bit as well. It will give the resin or glue a better bite onto the wood.😎
The best way I have found, to adhear wood to polyester hulls, is to use thickened resin. I use epoxy now, my wife won;t let me mix polyester indoors, but one can use polyester as well. As I just posted, you can apply epoxy to polyester, but not the other way around. I thicken it to an almost paste like consistancy when making reinforcing fillets which I usually put underneath the piece being bonded, so it does not show. I think that expoxy, straight, bonds better than polyester resin which tenders to be brittle and not like flexing. Either way, the real key is to roughen up the hull and clean it well with actetone of lacquer thinner to remove any wax or mold release. Otherwise, nothing will bond really well. One last point. When bonding wood to a glass underlayment, roughen up the wood surface bit as well. It will give the resin or glue a better bite onto the wood.😎
Ross,
I believe that you are mistaken. Epoxy will bond to polyester but polyester will not bond to epoxy. I build most of my models using polyester hulls and bond the decks and reinforcements with West System epoxy. Never had a failure.
Ross,
I believe that you are mistaken. Epoxy will bond to polyester but polyester will not bond to epoxy. I build most of my models using polyester hulls and bond the decks and reinforcements with West System epoxy. Never had a failure.
Hi David,
If it's that cold then wait for the weather to warm up a bit or put it in a warm room at least 20 C . Neither polyester or epoxy like cold weather. I live in South Africa and even here sometimes in the winter I wouldn't attempt to use resin if it's below 20.
Hi David,
If it's that cold then wait for the weather to warm up a bit or put it in a warm room at least 20 C . Neither polyester or epoxy like cold weather. I live in South Africa and even here sometimes in the winter I wouldn't attempt to use resin if it's below 20.
If the hull is made from a polyester resin layup, then you can't bond to it with epoxy resin, it will just come off. If the layup is epoxy resin then you can use either polyester or epoxy. But best to use epoxy. If you're not sure then look at the glass in the layup, if it's chopped strand mat then the resin will be polyester, if the glass is woven, like some sort of fabric, then it's almost certainly epoxy. if you decide on polyester then, thicken it a bit using cotton flock or something similar. Hope this helps and good luck with the mission.
Cheers,
Ross
If the hull is made from a polyester resin layup, then you can't bond to it with epoxy resin, it will just come off. If the layup is epoxy resin then you can use either polyester or epoxy. But best to use epoxy. If you're not sure then look at the glass in the layup, if it's chopped strand mat then the resin will be polyester, if the glass is woven, like some sort of fabric, then it's almost certainly epoxy. if you decide on polyester then, thicken it a bit using cotton flock or something similar. Hope this helps and good luck with the mission.
Cheers,
Ross
Colin.
Stablit 2part adhesive. Quite pricey but will stick anything and you will never get it apart. Should be available from good model shops for around £19.00. Will last for years.
Cheers John.
Colin.
Stablit 2part adhesive. Quite pricey but will stick anything and you will never get it apart. Should be available from good model shops for around £19.00. Will last for years.
Cheers John.
