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JoJo

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im going to home depot today and i need to know everyting i will need to finish my DW. the directions say to use sanding sealer on the fins, so i want to know how to do that. oh yeah the hobby store is right across the street from home depot, so tell me if you think the home depot might not tock this stuff.
 
JoJo,
There must be ten ways to finish balsa, from covering the fins with paper, to rubbing in Fill n Finish to the old fashioned three coats of sanding sealer. Some coat with CA glue or white glue. I have used epoxy and aircraft tissue. I can't say that one is better than the other, as there are many opinions on this.

Since you are going to Home Depot anyway, may I suggest getting a tub of Elmers Fill n Finish. To fill fins, get a pea sized bit out it and rub it into the grain of the fins with your fingertip. Rub until it is dry and powdery under your fingertips and the grain will be filled. This is not my technique, it was suggested by another member, but I have used it and it works well.

A water soluble sanding sealer can be founds at WalMart in the craft section in large plastic bottles, and is relatively cheap. Three coats is usually best. Use a cheap brush or foam brush and rinse it well between coats.
 
so if i use the elmers fill n finish i can just paint it righ away? theres nothing else i need to do? oh yeah and what is the best kind of paint?
 
JoJo,

You just love them cans o' worms, don't ya? Kinds of paints is even more debated than types of sealers/fillers! The only more discussed/debated subject is adhesives/glues, so you might want to be careful before you complete the hat trick.

I personally use Krylon, but others swear by Rustoleum paints, Testors or Tamiya model paints. Some use the local hardware store brands. Some use acrylics, some use enamels, some use spray epoxy paints.

The most important things to remember are to take your time, use light coats, and test your paints on a scrap of wood before combining them!

Also, you can find a paint interaction matrix on EMRR that will give you a pretty good guide for what paints mix with others.

WW
 
If you decide to dry rub the Fill n Finish, make certain youi remove ALL the dust before painting. After that, use a high build primer like Kilz or even Krylon and wet sand it with 400 grit wet/dry sand paper. That should give a great base for painting. I like Krylon paints, except that I have a difficult time with them in high humidity, often getting a haze instead of a high gloss.
 
JoJo,

I like to use fill n' finish on my fins applied using the "dry rub" technique. Somewhere on this forum is an illustrated guide to dry rubbing, but I can't remember where i saw it. Works very well, though. After construction, I then use sandable automotive primer from Pep Boys (Manny, Moe, and Jack!). 2-3 coats, sanding between coats and wet sanding the last coat with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper (Lowe's in Chantilly carries this...haven't seen it at any local Home Depot). Finally, Krylon paint that you can pick up at any Michael's (there's one near Springfield Mall and another in Fair Lakes).

What hobby shop do you go to that is across from a Home Depot?

You'll love the Deuce's Wild...flew mine again yesterday. Draws attention every time it flies.
 
i went to the lows instead. but i got some fill n finish and some primer.

i dont know the name of the hobby shop but it's in woodbridge and it's next to the michales. it's right across the street from potomac mills mall. do you know where im talking about?
 
its rust-oleum. and what kind of sandpaper should i use between coats?
 
the quickest balsa filler I know of is KILZ primer. Just spray it on, and sand it smooth...slick as snot! also fills spirals real easy too.
 
Jojo, Walmart on the other side of the mall has Krylon, it's what I use too. I usually like to wait a day after priming before sanding to make sure it's really good and dry. If you have trouble finding the finer sandpapers check at Pitkins on Dale Blvd behind the CVS, you can buy it by the pack or by the sheet. They may also carry Krylon but I am not sure.

I also wait a day after using the fill n finish (tub) or the elmers wood filler (tube). Personally I usually use the wood filler.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to paint my Deuce before the next launch and we can launch deuce Deuces.
 
Originally posted by Maelstrom
Hopefully I'll get a chance to paint my Deuce before the next launch and we can launch deuce Deuces.

Look for my orange & blue Deuce. We can launch tres deuce's. I might even have my Tres done. Then we can launch tres deuces and a Tres!
 
Originally posted by illini868891
Look for my orange & blue Deuce. We can launch tres deuce's. I might even have my Tres done. Then we can launch tres deuces and a Tres!

Sounds great. BTW, my Nike Smoke may be flying at the 4th of July Rocket Demonstration at the Great Meadow 4th of July event.

https://www.greatmeadow.org/index.cfm?section=7&page=38

They say there may be 15,000 people attending :D
 
thanks for all your help guy's. i've got the bottom painted red and the top is is drying (blue), so now all i have to do is wait for it to dry so i can paint one fin white. (you gotta have something red white and blue for the fourth of july:D ).
 
Originally posted by JoJo
thanks for all your help guy's. i've got the bottom painted red and the top is is drying (blue), so now all i have to do is wait for it to dry so i can paint one fin white. (you gotta have something red white and blue for the fourth of july:D ).

Sounds spiffy. I have a red, white and blue 2-engine cluster of my own design (Red, White, & Bubba...or Bubba for short). You can see the paint job here. BT-70 with Flis 2-engine cluster kit and Deuce's Wild nose cone.
 
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