Any downside to stiffening body tubes with glue?

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Hello,
Is there any downside to coating the inside of the body tubes with CA or epoxy? I like to stiffen both ends this way.

Brian
 
The only downside I can think of is that if the glue doesn't all soak in, or the cardboard swells, you will have to sand to get nosecones, etc in. I find the very thin CA works best for me. But watch the fumes, they'll bring tears to your eyes.
 
I've also heard that it does terrible things to the mucous membranes in your nose, permanently. CA should always be used in well-ventilated areas (I do all of mine outside, WITH a fan blowing).

WW
 
There's a thing called Super-Gold by Bob Smith that is odorless CA, it is my first preference for CA.
 
Gotta watch those fumes...

In CA factories pre H&S requirements, spectacle wearers had to make sure their glasses were exceptionally clean - just 1 fingerprint was enough to attract fumes and leave a permanent mark!! I believe police forces also use it for fingerprint detection too!!

My advice - do it outside!
 
Originally posted by Blue_Ninja_150
There's a thing called Super-Gold by Bob Smith that is odorless CA, it is my first preference for CA.

Does it work the same as regular CA?
 
I have seen that on the show CSI

I wonder, how damaging is it? I have had epoxy vaporize in couds on me and once oor twice have inhaled it, a very painful experience, but am I permananlty messed up?
 
"am I permananlty messed up?"

Oh, yes. Ryan, check over your posts from about that time until now to see just how messed up you are.

shrox
 
Originally posted by bswan72
Hello,
Is there any downside to coating the inside of the body tubes with CA or epoxy? I like to stiffen both ends this way.

I've been using thin CA on the inside of tubes for years and highly recommend it. I try to get the entire length of the motor tube if possible, using a dowel to spread it. I also do several inches inside each end of the airframe. The benefits are:

1. Stiffens the tube.
2. Makes it possible to sand it for a better fit of motors and couplers, without "fuzzing" the cardboard.

CA is a powerful irritant to eyes and sinuses, so I usually work with a small fan nearby, blowing the fumes away from me. From what I've heard, there are no long-term toxicity problems with CA, unlike epoxy which can cause serious problems from too much exposure. Epoxy is thicker and doesn't soak into the tubes as well as CA anyway, so it's not the best choice for this application IMHO.
 
Originally posted by shrox
"am I permananlty messed up?"

Oh, yes. Ryan, check over your posts from about that time until now to see just how messed up you are.

shrox

ROFL!!!! :D
 
I use CA nearly exclusively in my builds (I mix in some epoxy from time to time as the application dictates.) I've *noticed* the fumes from time to time, but never enough to be bothered by them. I use it indoors all the time.
 
man shrox, you are halarious, I hope you didnt hurt yourself thinking so hard.


btw moderators dont move this post!!! please dont move it!!!! I meant to put it here I swear....whine....whine....whine
 
Originally posted by bswan72
Hello,
Is there any downside to coating the inside of the body tubes with CA or epoxy? I like to stiffen both ends this way.

Brian

The only down side I ever ran across was changing the ID of the tube, making it necessary to sand down the shoulder of a nose or transition a bit. No big deal. But, I'm not having this problem anymore.

I've been experimenting with lacquer based spary sanding sealer and polyurethane spray. With the sanding sealer (I use Deft) it takes about 4 "thick" coats to fill the spiral, stiffen the tube and put on a nice satin finish. A little extra at the ends strengthens them.

Note that "thick" coats with this stuff is not very thick. It's quite thin stuff. To keep it from running, hold the tube horizontal with a roll of paper stuffed in one end and keep turning it like a lathe until it's dry enough not to run. But it dries in minutes. I can put on 4 coats in 1/2 hour or less if I dry it at a hot air register or with a hair dryer on low heat/high fan.

However, let it dry overnight before putting primer over it. The solvent soaks into the tube. You can still smell fumes hours later. These may affect other paint you put over it. You can sand it obviously, but it doesn't need it.

The urethane does a similar job but never comes out as even as the sealer. I'm sticking with the sealer for tubes, and using the urethane on wood from now on. Also, it's very hard to sand. But being so glassy shiny, there's hardly any reason to sand it. A good thick layer of this stuff, say two thick coats, can take a couple days to dry comnpletely.

I have not yet experimented with the glueability of the sealer. If it doesn't glue well, it'd be a simple matter to sand down any fin mounting lines to get through the stuff and to the paper itself.
 
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