Papering fins

[STRMan]

So, I'm doing some sanding on a scratch build upscale Centuri Stiletto. I slip and break off a corner of one of the fins on the sustainer. The break is such that it has a wide surface area and I can key it back together well. I brush on a tad of Elmer's Yellow Carpenters Glue, wrap it is some wax paper, put a couple of scrap pieces of balsa on each side to spread the stress, and clamp the whole thing together with 8 clothes pins.

Now, how am I ever going to trust this corner? I've been reading in another thread about papering fins. I figure "What the heck". I run up to Staples and pick up a pack of Avery White Full Sheet Labels. I put the labels on the edge of my work bench. I make a rough trace of the outline of each fin. I apply the paper, then sand the edge with 220 to get the paper perfectly even.

Once completed, i get some of this instant Crazy Glue. This one is thin. It goes on purple, and once it hardens it turns clear. I seal all of the edges as well as the root of the fin.

After that hardens, I sand the joint at the root and apply one more Elmer's White Glue fillet. The booster and sustainer are drying on my bench right now.

I can't believe how much easier this was than applying multiple coats of sanding sealer. It is also much neater than sanding off Elmer's Carpenters' Wood Filler. I can still see using either of these two methods on a nose cone, but from now on I plan on sealing all of my balsa fins by papering them.

I know this can add a bit of weight, but I don't plan on entering any competitions in the foreseeable future. I also like getting my rockets back, so keeping them a bit closer to the ground isn't such a bad idea.

[CPMcGraw]

So, I'm doing some sanding on a scratch build upscale Centuri Stiletto. I slip and break off a corner of one of the fins on the sustainer. The break is such that it has a wide surface area and I can key it back together well. I brush on a tad of Elmer's Yellow Carpenters Glue...

...I've been reading in another thread about papering fins. I figure "What the heck". I run up to Staples and pick up a pack of Avery White Full Sheet Labels...

Once completed, i get some of this instant Crazy Glue. This one is thin. It goes on purple, and once it hardens it turns clear. I seal all of the edges as well as the root of the fin...

I can't believe how much easier this was than applying multiple coats of sanding sealer...from now on I plan on sealing all of my balsa fins by papering them...

Next time you need to pick up those label sheets, go grab a pack of the "house brand" sheets. They're just as good, and a little less expensive per pack.

For a break like you've described, you could have also used thin CA to put the pieces back together. It would have worked well, since you had a balsa-balsa joint.

[STRMan]

Next time you need to pick up those label sheets, go grab a pack of the "house brand" sheets. They're just as good, and a little less expensive per pack.

For a break like you've described, you could have also used thin CA to put the pieces back together. It would have worked well, since you had a balsa-balsa joint.


I considered that, but even though the break keyed together well, without pressure, the two pieces rested slightly crooked with each other. I was afraid to use CA because I didn't know if it would bond through the wax paper and make a mess of the whole deal. With the yellow glue, I knew the wax paper would keep me safe.