I started on Baby Bertha and got two fins mounted. I didn't think they looked perfect. So I decided to buy the Estes Fin Alignment kit. Went on ebay and got a good deal.
Kit arrives and sure enough my two fins were way off. I carefully removed them, sanded and using the kit mounted all 4 fins. Way easy with the kit. Just the thing for a tyro like me.
Question, when glueing balsa wood fin to paper tube which is better to use Wlmers White glue or Tritebond Wood Glue? Or, something else?
For fins, Titebond II will give a stronger joint than the Elmer's will. Use a double-glue joint and the fins go on fast and strong. Apply a thin layer of Titebond to the fin roots. Using an old egg carton from the refrigerator that you've inverted and slit the egg cups perpendicular to the long axis of the carton with your hobby knife, stick the fin tips into the slits and they'll hold the fins level while the glue on the root edges dries... a thin layer is all you need, and it only takes about 10-15 minutes or so to dry... doesn't have to be "hard dry". At the same time, apply a thin bead of glue to the fin lines on the tube, and smear it thinly and evenly down the fin line with your finger so it's spread out a little... for even greater strength, you can sand the fin lines lightly with a little 220 grit sandpaper to rough up the glassine and give the glue more "tooth" to grab onto. You only need to sand up and down the fin line a few passes, not sand the line completely off. Set the tube aside to dry while the fins are drying. After 15 minutes or so, the fins are ready to go on the tube... Apply a SECOND fairly thin bead of glue to the fin root edges, and spread it evenly with your finger over the width of the fin root. Take the fin in one hand and the tube in the other, carefully align the fin to the marks and lines on the tube, (or the rear tube edge, whatever you're using for a fore-and-aft aligment) and then put the back edge of the fin to the tube, and align the fin with the fin line at the front, and gently tilt the fin foward til the front end of the root edge is against the tube. Hold it about ten seconds, and PRESTO the yellow glue will "lock" the fin in place just like you used super-glue, but with about double the strength. Repeat for the rest of your fins. Spread any yellow glue squeezed out from under the fin root with your finger along the joint on either side of the fin... sometimes I add a little glue and make first-pass "mini-fillets" at this time to make sure everything is spread evenly and smoothly, as usually not enough glue is squeezed out to make a continuous mini-fillet. Since you have the fin alignment guide, you can now install the rocket over the guide and gently clip the fins in place... there will still be enough play in them (the glue is still soft enough) to allow the fins to be gently pulled into position by the guide before the glue sets up hard... This style of joint is AMAZINGLY strong... the balsa will break or the outer layer of the tube will rip off before the glue turns loose... I've seen it myself. Works like a champ.
For the strongest fins, paper them. Simply smear a THIN layer of white glue (the thinner the better so long as they are completely and evenly coated) on one side of the fin, lay it on a sheet of printer paper with the LEADING EDGE of the fin toward the center of the paper, apply another THIN layer of glue evenly and completely to the side of the fin facing up, and, keeping the paper taut, fold the fin and paper over at the leading edge of the fin. Works even better if you've sanded whatever airfoil you want (rounded leading edge, tapered trailing edge, whatever) into the balsa beforehand. Use a sharpie marker or other round smooth object to "burnish" the paper down TIGHT to the fin and squeeze out any excess glue (yes there's always excess) starting in the center of the leading edge and working back and out to the root and tip edges of the fin toward the trailing edge, sorta like a rolling pin making pie crust... flip the fin and repeat. For this type of application, white glue works MUCH better than yellow wood glue like Titebond. Also, don't use SCHOOL GLUE, get the ELmer's "GLUE ALL" white glue as it's much stronger.
Yellow wood glues like Titebond are better for wood/paper joints in most cases, but for papering fins white glue works better due to its properties. Wood glue is also more resistant to heat softening than white glue, so I prefer to use it to glue the rings to the motor tube in a kit... BUT, when gluing the motor mount centering rings into the rocket body tube, DO NOT use yellow wood glue... it will shrink and "suck in" the tube around the centering rings, leaving an ugly 'depression' on the outer surface of the tube where the ring is inside the body tube. White glue does not shrink as severely and doesn't create this unsightly "pinch" in the tube wall. Besides, out by the body tube, the rings aren't subjected to much heat at all (due to the excellent heat insulating properties of the rings themselves and limited time for heat to travel from the motor tubes outwards) plus this joint has a LOT more surface area being between the outer edge of the ring and the larger body tube, so white glue is sufficiently strong in this instance. Also, DO NOT use yellow wood glue to glue in tube couplers or other tight fitting parts (like centering rings inside tubes). When spread thin between wicking materials (like tube couplers) it dries ALMOST INSTANTLY and can "lock" the parts in place BEFORE you get them slid into position... this is usually a DISASTER in the construction of your rocket.
White glue (Glue-ALL, Aileenes, etc) is superior for paper/paper joints, in most cases. For most wood/paper joints, yellow glue is superior, except in the case of paper skinning fins. Also, since white glue doesn't shrink as much, it's superior for gluing in motor mounts inside the tube as mentioned. Also, white glue doesn't "grab" as fast or hard when inserting tube couplers or other tight fitting components into tubes, so it's a better glue to use in these applications, as mentioned.
Good luck! OL JR