Sanding sealer before covering

[Ianb]

Hi,

 

New member here to this site

 

Can someone please tell me whether it is best to seal the balsa fuselage and wing structure with sanding sealer before putting on iron on covering?

 

On a previous model i put balsaloc on the contact surfaces before covering but being a water based adhesive it tends to raise the grain and shows through the covering.Any suggestions would be very grateful.

Thanks Ian

Edited By David Ashby - RCME Administrator on 30/08/2011 09:08:23

[ken anderson.]

hello ian...... i dont bother and never have for the past 20 year's........iron on the film straight on to wood and open frame stuff....that will be fine...... i sometimes use B/loc to seal down an edge...... but that is all....

 

ken anderson ne...1 .... covering dept.

[Bob Cotsford]

I use Clearcoat around the engine bay, wing seat and any other places where the film will end. One coat, sand, second coat and cover. I only use Balsaloc on ply, plastic or glass, and never use sanding sealer with film or tex.

[andy watson]

Just to confuse matters- I seal before applying balsa loc!

[Alan Cantwell]

you should never seal the wood prior to film covering, the air that is displaced has to go somewhere, that somewhere is through the pores of the wood, if you seal the surface, the film will bubble, and not adhere to the structure, if you seal, and then balsa lock, as Andy says, then the film will not stick as well, balsa lock will melt slightly with the iron heat, bonding the covering i balsa lock the corners, and edges of a structure (or i did!!) works a treat, you should also use an iron with a sock on it, this saves marking the structure