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Old 08-28-2013, 11:01 PM
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K'Tesh K'Tesh is offline
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Question "Painting" Boost Gliders

I've read that painting a Boost Glider is "bad". That it has a very bad effect on the glider's performance.

I've now got a Semroc Nighthawk, and Hawk, and I'd like to give them a nice finish, but I'm scared as to how to get them to look and perform well.

I'm not trying to win (or even enter) any kind of competition, but I don't want to build something that won't fly just because I added some color to the thing. Nor do I want it to look like some unfinished POS that I just slapped together.

I've experimented with RIT Dye dissolved in 90+% alcohol, but the color is underwhelming to say the least... RIT's Scarlet looks more like a purplish red wine stain than anything that is "Red".

Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Jim
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Old 08-28-2013, 11:22 PM
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BEC BEC is offline
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The admonition to not paint them is all driven by weight being bad for glider performance even more so than for rockets. If you're not looking for long glides, you can certainly finish it as you see fit. Just be sure to do the final balancing and trimming afterward.....
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Old 08-28-2013, 11:37 PM
stefanj stefanj is offline
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How about simple ink markers? Lot's of colors, easy to control application.

Dope paints would be the way to go for non-competition gliders.
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Old 08-29-2013, 04:52 AM
jetlag jetlag is offline
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Sharpies come in all the colors of the rainbow.

Have at it!

Allen
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Old 08-29-2013, 05:21 AM
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K'Tesh K'Tesh is offline
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Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by jetlag
Sharpies come in all the colors of the rainbow.

Have at it!

Allen


Do you happen to have any pics of a BG "painted" by Sharpie? Do people use any sealer on them?
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Dreaming of making the rockets I dreamed of as a kid (and then some).

"The Guide says there is an art to flying", said Ford, "or rather a knack."
"The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."


Launching is Optional... Landing? That Depends on Trees.

Last edited by K'Tesh : 08-29-2013 at 09:08 AM.
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Old 08-29-2013, 06:36 AM
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I don't think spray-painting it (with just enough paint to color it) will hurt its gliding characteristics noticeably. My father sanded--but did not seal--his Estes Astron Falcon boost-glider, then sprayed on just enough orange lacquer paint to color it. The Falcon is comparable in size to the Nighthawk's glider (and is "draggier," with its empty motor tube and its pylon up front), yet his always took minutes to come down, gliding in 1/8 mile circles.
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Old 08-29-2013, 04:48 PM
Neal Miller Neal Miller is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K'Tesh
I've read that painting a Boost Glider is "bad". That it has a very bad effect on the glider's performance.

I've now got a Semroc Nighthawk, and Hawk, and I'd like to give them a nice finish, but I'm scared as to how to get them to look and perform well.

I'm not trying to win (or even enter) any kind of competition, but I don't want to build something that won't fly just because I added some color to the thing. Nor do I want it to look like some unfinished POS that I just slapped together.

I've experimented with RIT Dye dissolved in 90+% alcohol, but the color is underwhelming to say the least... RIT's Scarlet looks more like a purplish red wine stain than anything that is "Red".

Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Jim
.

Hi Jim, If you want your glider to look good I would paint it with dope. you can mix some of the colored dope with the dope type sealer and then sand it real smooth. this will fill the Balsa and add color at the same time. them use colored dope to complete the finish.
after the finish is fully dry , I would wax and buff-out to make the surface as slippery
as possible. the least amount of dope you use= better flight.
Sharpie markers look just OK at best without sealing. they are the finish of choice for competition but they do leave the model with a very spartan finish.
here is a picture of a couple of contest gliders we flew a the last BARS monthly launch.


Picture: Two fine gliders both of the Stine Design.
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  #8  
Old 08-29-2013, 07:04 PM
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I build most of my boost gliders for show. I want people at the launch to say "that was cool!" rather than "Wow, that stayed up forever". It all depends on what you want the outcome to be. I love my 2.4 X RC upscale Mach 10. Its draggy and heavy but it looks cool and unique. It glides for 20 seconds at best, but it looks good doing it. Many competition gliders benefit from the surface drag of raw balsa and it HURTS them to get a pretty finish (even a light one). When I build a model that is supposed to be super light, I will usually do 2 coats of 50/50 thinned out dope, sanding after the first coat. MY theory is that "it won't fill the grain, but it will make it kinda smooth and keep out moisture".

And there you have it... MY opinion on boost gliders .

LOVE that Fake Wulf Bob!!!
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Old 08-29-2013, 07:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neal Miller
Hi Jim, If you want your glider to look good I would paint it with dope. you can mix some of the colored dope with the dope type sealer and then sand it real smooth. this will fill the Balsa and add color at the same time. them use colored dope to complete the finish.
after the finish is fully dry , I would wax and buff-out to make the surface as slippery
as possible. the least amount of dope you use= better flight.
Sharpie markers look just OK at best without sealing. they are the finish of choice for competition but they do leave the model with a very spartan finish.
here is a picture of a couple of contest gliders we flew a the last BARS monthly launch.


Picture: Two fine gliders both of the Stine Design.



On that note, it sucks but Midwest (formerly Aerogloss) no longer makes colored dope (or to be politically correct) dope of color, anymore .
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Old 08-29-2013, 08:24 PM
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Mark II Mark II is offline
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The other day I got the idea of using soft ink stamps and stamp pad ink of various colors to decorate gliders. I was thinking of the cheap $0.35 balsa gliders that I used to get when I was a kid. They had details on them (cockpit outline, USAF insignia, etc.) that appeared to have been applied by stamping them with ink. Those simple gliders flew beautifully. The ink was bright and the printed details were big and bold, so they were quite visible at the 10'-25' altitudes that these gliders typically flew at.

It has always been my understanding that putting any paint, even a very light coat, on a glider would give it the flying characteristics and sink rate of a brick. That Fake Wulf that Bob H posted is truly a thing of beauty, though, and I am very heartened to hear that yes, if it is carefully applied using the right type, one can actually give a glider a full paint job and still see it glide. I am very interested in experimenting with it in my gliders now.
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Last edited by Mark II : 08-29-2013 at 08:40 PM.
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