Warped Balsa Question

[six-o-one]

OK, this is probably a pretty elementary question, but the balsa which came with my new Thrustline Cherokee-D has a pretty good warp to it. Buy new balsa? Is there an easy fix?

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Wet it down and let it dry under something heavy and flat. I recently bought some balsa from Hobby Lobby that had a significant warp to it. I cut out the pieces I needed, slopped them with thinned Fill & Finish, and let them sit between two sheets of waxed paper under a couple of heavy books for a few days. They were fine when I took them out, and ready to sand.

[six-o-one]

Thanks for the input. Just checking, though. I use the SIG Sanding Sealer. Will that still work with the wax paper? If not, can I just spray it lightly with water and then place it under the heavy flat objects?

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

I've never used traditional sanding sealer, but I would guess that misting it with water and sticking it between the waxed paper would suffice. I wouldn't try the sanding sealer with the waxed paper, but I'm also not sure what the sealer is like. You'd be on your own there. Good luck. I'm guessing that you won't have any problems getting it to straighten out. Remember, sunshine is your friend in this case. :cool:

[gpoehlein]

I don't have any of the sanding sealer, but I've got a bottle of the thinner - it says it contains toluene, acetone, methyl-ethyl-ketone, and other hydrocarbons - nasty stuff. I haven't tried it, but I'm willing to bet that those solvents will eat the "wax" of the wax paper for lunch, and deposit it right on your fins.

I've given up on the nitrate/butyrate dope sealers - they give me a headache to use and the smell lingers for days. I've started using the Delta Ceramcoat All Purpose Sealer - it is a water soluble (which means water cleanup) sealer intended for use with tole painting and other woodcrafts. I paint a coat on (NO SMELL!!! :D ), let it dry and sand it smooth. A second coat and another sanding and I'm done - the fins I've used it on are glass smooth after only two coats, and it doesn't seem to warp the balsa a bit. I know, you want to de-warp them, but I think I'd use Walyums trick, and de-warp the balsa first, then sand and seal after gluing the fins to the rocket. Oh, yeah - that's another thing - it doesn't attack the white or yellow glue fin fillets like the nitrate/butyrate sealer does. Yet it works just the same - no thinning or adjusting - just slosh it on and sand it off! ;)

Greg

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Where do they sell this stuff? Sounds like something I need to at least try.

[six-o-one]

Yep, Greg, need the scoop on that stuff. Tired of wearing the mask and stinking up the joint with the "dope" style sealer. Hobby Lobby? Craft shop?

[gpoehlein]

Any craft store sells the stuff - I've seen it at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. It's usually not with the acrylic paints, but with the decopage and similar supplies. It's called All Purpose Sealer and it's made by Delta Ceramcoat. I bought an 8 oz bottle for $5.99, so it's pretty reasonably priced too. As I said, two coats of the stuff, sanded after each coat mad my fins glass smooth - I was extremely impressed.

Greg