Bending Balsa - It worked for me

[Plummet]

I'm building the Dawn Flyer (slowly) and I had reached the wing tips. These have a shaped flat sheet tip plate, and this is strengthened by gluing 1/16 square strips of balsa around its outer edge.

I know all about using steam, or just soaking balsa in water, with or without ammonia in order to make the strip flexible and prevent breakage, but I thought I would try a quick experiment.

I cut the strips to length, wrapped them in a few layers of kitchen paper, and then ran them under the tap to get the paper nice and sodden.

I wrapped them in cling film, and gave them a minute in the microwave.

In the time it took to take the package from the kitchen to the workshop it had cooled enough to allow me to unwrap and handle the balsa - I cook a lot and have fairly asbestos hands.

I was able to bend them and glue them down with cyano without much difficulty.

I know that this is tiny strip, but it might be worth trying with other sizes that will fit into your microwave.

Plummet