Anyone use Hobbico Hobbylite filler ?

[Aerobee300]

I bought this stuff a while ago and used it to form up the fillets in a Big Bertha .... I then put it away and kindof fogot about it .... well I was looking for a way to make pretty large fillets on my 3-D Fat Boy ... and while it was just a bit of work and I have some sanding ahead ... this stuff seems to work great !

I'm also hoping my laminated fins work out !!! Whaddaya all think ?

 

[Aerobee300]

'nuther view

 

[eugenefl]

I use "nhp Micro-Fill" that my brother gave me a while back when he first got into R/C planes. This stuff solidifies to the consistency of balsa. It's great for filling, molding, or misc other putty-like uses. It even sands like balsa!

BTW, FANTASTIC airfoiled fins!!!

 

[Aerobee300]

Yeah ... that's what this hobbylite stuff dries like ... balsa wood

Thanks on the fins

 

[Stymye]

can it be used in place of glue?..or just to further build up a glue fillet?

 

[eugenefl]

Originally posted by stymye
can it be used in place of glue?..or just to further build up a glue fillet?

Nah, just for looks. I'm sure it adds some marginal strength, but not much. Some people use Elmer's Fill n Finish. This stuff is MUCH finer and fills gaps or imperfections much better.

 

[Stymye]

thats what I thought,I saw some nhp brand at hobbylobby
I may have to get some next time thanks

 

[Aerobee300]

I'm just using the stuff to make my fillets look heavier ... as far as structural strength ... I don't know ... it sure dries hard ... has to add something.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Aerobee300
I bought this stuff a while ago and used it to form up the fillets in a Big Bertha .... I then put it away and kindof fogot about it .... well I was looking for a way to make pretty large fillets on my 3-D Fat Boy ... and while it was just a bit of work and I have some sanding ahead ... this stuff seems to work great !

I use it to fill seams between body tubes in multi-tube birds. Anyplace that has a hard edge to fill against, it works great. I tried it on spirals and had less luck than with Deft lacquer sanding sealer. Oh, and filling dings on balsa, it's great for that. Primers and paints perfectly.

 

[Karl]

What did you use to Airfoil those fins?
-Karl

 

[Aerobee300]

I airfoiled the fins with a benchtop belt sander ... and a bunch of hand sanding after.

 

[eugenefl]

Originally posted by Aerobee300
I airfoiled the fins with a benchtop belt sander ... and a bunch of hand sanding after.

aka "Elbow grease"

Like DynaSoar mentioned, it's great for spot filling and balsa gouge repairs. Deuce #2 of the Tour de Deuce had some craters in the soft nosecone from a few hard landings. Here's a sequence of photos to illustrate usage. (Pictures are fun!)

<a href="https://fliskits.com/tour_de_deuce/photoalbums/wisconsin/p5051272.jpg">Original damage</a> Note blunt cone and crater in the side of the nosecone.

<a href="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=84928">Filling</a> - As you can see here, I applied liberally.

<a href="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=85027">Sanded and primed</a> - I even rebuilt the tip which was nothing more than a rounded nub. I imagine it'll break off once more, but hey, it was certainly fun to rebuild.

<a href="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=85329">...and painted</a>.

 

[Aerobee300]

Apply liberally .... definatly the ticket ... Fat Boy got it's first coat of primer today and .... WOW ... tons of imperfections ... nasty ones !!! Espescially in the fillet areas .... fill-sand-fill-sand ... lol ... I might get this rocket finished someday !!!

 

[Fore Check]

I prefer the Elmer's fill 'n finish to the white HobbyLite stuff if I'm going to go that route.

The hobbylite stuff (that I have anyway) is just to "grainy" for my taste, which makes it difficult to get it worked down into the grain of the wood - too much so for my taste. Thinning with water really didn't help.

It *does* sand very nicely, though.

 

[BKROSNEY]

I use the Hobbico stuff quite often. I really like it.

Fillets on the smaller birds ('cause I just use epoxy fillets for bigger fins). Don't really think it adds much strength though.

Filling spirals on BT's. Here is usually mix it up to a very thick toothpaste consistency and spread it on.

Filling balsa fins, a little thinner and paint it on with a brush.

Nice stuff to work with. I have had problems when trying to fill very small imperfections. In tiny amounts doesn't seem to grab. So I usually have to glop it on. Does sand nicely. Someone mentioned they thought it was a little "grainer" than FnF. I may tend to agree. But once primed and subsequently sanded prior to the final painting coats, I don't see any difference.

Lasts a long time in the container. If it dries out a bit in the container just a FEW drops of water brings it back.

I've interchangeably used both Elmer's FnF and the Hobbico stuff. Elmer's is definitely "heavier" and I find harder to sand.

I use them both, although my last couple builds tends to favour the Hobbico stuff.

... Bill

 

[dragonshiprider]

I used this stuff for a while.I can honestly say that it's JUNK! The older it gets the harder it'll be to disolve in water.Truth is I could never get it to disolve completely anyhow.Age just made it worse.
Forming fillets?I have to admit that's new to me.Adhesives only here. I would recommend going with Elmers Fill~N~Finish or Indoor/Outdoor filler.Much better and cheaper and easier to work with.

 

[Ozymandias]

I've used it for filling the spirals in paper and phenolic tubing for years. It's a little messy but it works very well. I tried out Elmers' wood filler on my 5.5" Nike Smoke and I like it much better on larger kits.

 

[Aerobee300]

I've decided I really don't care a lot for this stuff. All I wanted to do with it to begin with is make my fillets look "FAT" .... the actual glue fillets are long buried by Hobbylite filler. I never did get the look i was after ... but then again ... I still havn't finished my FAT BOY .... soon I hope :-/

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

I've been considering the Hobbylite too, as a lighter alternative to Fill-N-Finish for some birds.

With Fill-N-Finish, I rub it in without adding any water. I do dig down for the moister stuff though. Then I take a "stripper" type plastic putty knife thingie (kind of shovel shaped, with a nice sharp plastic edge) and scrape away the excess. Then, once it dries, it sands very nicely for a good smooth finish.

I've used Fill-N-Finish for fillets too (on a High Flyer most recently). I do the wood glue fillet for strength, then a FNF fillet over that for looks and aerodynamics. Works fine.

My thought was that the Hobbylite could be used in a similar role, adding less weight. I guess it's cheap enough to experiment with. Sounds like opinions are mixed.