So last night I started woeking on my next project, a Sverige class PDN. Due to the weight limitations and ease of aquiring materials (I already had some), I decided to go with balsa. My question is what is the best way to make balsa more impact resistant without adding on too much weight? Option one: Just epoxy it and take the damage. Option two: add two layers of 0.75oz fiberglass cloth Option three: ??? Any input would be welcome as I want to finish it in the next week or so....
RE: protecting balse superstructures part of the first layer of my Derf's superstructure has a single layer of lightweight cloth on it, either half or 3/4 oz I think. The wood behind it is poplar, not balsa, but it has held up to a few seasons now with the worst damage being some paint flaking, while the unprotected areas around it have suffered much more. The Derf sits low, and that area gets hammered pretty regularly, if I were to do it again, I would armor the entire super this way. So, I would think that even with balsa backing, you can probably get away with a single layer of 3/4oz, but you might want to slap some on a piece of balsa and impact test it first.
Look up: Floating Row Cover. That stuff is super tough, and a roll would last you a lifetime; I glued a piece of it to some balsa, and a regular BB gun couldn't pierce it. Tite-Bond III works well to glue it on, plus, that glue is waterproof. A couple layers would probably not even dent when hit. The one layer that I glued on hardly dented when I shot it. Beaver
Best stuff to use is Battler's Connection's "Termite Armor". It's black molded rubber-like material that has details like doors and portholes on it. Glue it to the various superstructure levels, and laugh as enemy bb's deflect off! http://battlersconnection.com/html/TermiteArmor.htm
It depends on what you really want, do you want a really detailed model, or a not so detailed model that is cheap? The floating row cover stuff is super tough. It takes a good pair of scissors to cut it, even then it's hard to cut. Dustin said that he needs to keep the weight low. I don't know how heavy the Termite Armour is, but I know that the FRC would barely add any weight. Beaver
Well, I ended up adding one layer of 0.75oz cloth. The curves to level one convinced me not to add a second. Levels two and three (the conning tower and bridge) just got three coats of epoxy as did the secondaries.
