sanding sealer

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MR. CNC

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I found some Minwax water-based pre-stain wood conditioner in my basement. Is this the same as a sanding sealer?
 
NO!!! --Pre stain is made so the wood--what ever type will accept stain more readily. Don't do it--esp on balsa--Sanding sealer , drys and shrinks the pores of wood as well as acting as a solid medium or filler--I have started using DEFT--spray sanding sealer-I get it at Lowes--It's laquer based and drys quickly---water base has the potential to warp fins and swell them---note---always apply any liquid on wood on both sides if you do not want warpage--or at least minimal warpage---esp -thin stuff
 
Ok, thanks. I also have heard of painting on watered down wood filler. Is that a bad idea too?
 
It'll work but I'd be carefull---water and wood is not a great pair---just remember to do both sides of the fin---a lot--if not most of the guys here use that technique--honestly if the wood your working with is pretty close grained, a good primer filler will do the job! Grab a couple of pieces of balsa and try both techs on it --you'll learn and master the one that fits your style.
 
snip...DEFT (lacquer) spray sanding sealer-I get it at Lowes--
Good stuff. I tape my fins upright on a piece of chip-board (tape the root of the fin (on both sides) where the fillet will go so that it doesn't get painted or filled) and spray away. Two coats, then sand. And again. I do this before I attach the fins to the body. Works well—for me.

Oh, I also do straight Fill 'N Finish and sand that down before hitting it with the Deft Sanding Sealer.
 
+2 on the Deft lacquer sanding sealer; but I buy the brush-on, quart size so I have it on hand for both Blue Tube projects and LPR balsa. A little goes a long way, even when using two coats. It really seals and strengthens the surface of the balsa.
 
NO!!! --Pre stain is made so the wood--what ever type will accept stain more readily. Don't do it--esp on balsa--Sanding sealer , drys and shrinks the pores of wood as well as acting as a solid medium or filler--I have started using DEFT--spray sanding sealer-I get it at Lowes--It's laquer based and drys quickly---water base has the potential to warp fins and swell them---note---always apply any liquid on wood on both sides if you do not want warpage--or at least minimal warpage---esp -thin stuff

Do you build or finish furniture ?

I always use wood conditioner on my Cherry wood furniture projects ,really helps with blotching.


Paul T
 
How the heck do you get it inside of a 54mm Blue Tube airframe (and do you even attempt to sand it on the inside?!)?

I too use Deft brush on lacquer to seal BlueTube after sanding and filling spirals with Bondo SP and final sand with 320 .

There is no need to seal the inside of the BlueTube majordude ,just the outside to seal the fibers and help to give a smooth finish for priming and help with moisture issues, although i have never had any.

Paul T
 
Shellac cheap dries fast and everything sticks to it, paint epoxy wood glue. And you can sand in 30 min to an hour.



TA
 
Since becoming a BAR in 2006 (cheez, time flies), I have tried a few different techniques to handle balsa. I settled on a seal, fill, prime sequence using Deft lacquer sealer, Elmers wood filler thinned with water, and Rusto grey filler/primer. I found that using the Elmers on un-sealed wood always left the possiblity of warping; too much water in the mix, ambient temp and humidity, different grades of balsa are all variables that can have an impact on the process. I found that sealing first with hobby shop dope sealer or even thin CA seemed to reduce, if not eliminate the possiblity. Right now the Deft product seems to be the most economical choice but I'll still use thin CA on smaller pieces.
 
After years of playing with almost all of the systems mentioned I've settled on 2 coats of thin CA for balsa prep in nearly all cases. It sands well, is moisture proof, ding resistant, not too heavy, is dimensionally stable and adds almost zero drying time to the process. After 2 coats you are totally ready for primer. The other thing I will do sometimes for even more ding resistance is use a thin coat of West 105/205 epoxy. Traditional sanding sealer basically keeps on shrinking forever; the finish will eventually crack (I've got 30 year old models to prove it). Elmers FnF and related products, besides being water based, are really soft, take a long time to dry and don't provide any surface hardening. The big clue on doing CA coating is to go buy the larger bottles, the price per oz. improves a lot with quantity.
 
I've tried many of the processes listed here.. The thing is I keep coming back to glassing my fins even on my LPR models... I originally started glassing them to give the fins more strength. I used to launch mainly in the rough California desert. Very brutal on the fins.

There really isn't much more sanding to do and the glass adds a ton on strength to the fins. I use .75oz thin glass cloth and 20min Finishing Epoxy. The process got a lot easier when I started using wax paper over the wet epoxy and used a spatula to squeeze out the extra/uneven epoxy. I just picked up some "peel-ply". I'll let you know how it works.


Jerome
 
If you're into old timer aircraft at all, nitrate or butyrate dope works well as a sanding sealer too. I use it because I build rocket boosted free flight gliders and the larger ones need esaki tissue for strength. Nitrate dope is the lightest way to apply it. Just like sanding sealer, it'll seal the wood up nicely. It doesn't soak as deeply though, so be careful not to sand it too much.
 
Did not know about that product. Then again, is something like a 55 mile round trip to a Lowe's.
One can gets me through about two of my builds--if you've seen them they are something like--ALL WOOD--So a couple of cans should last you at least a season if not two--worth the drive. Heck, that's my round trip to work every day. Did I mention I hate my job??
 
When make next trip in to Columbia, might pick up a can. For now, will use what is on hand here at home.
 
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