A heat gun can be used to soften contact cement enough to actually pull sheet balsa cleanly off the ship with little residue left.
I had plenty of ca on hand however more ships to sheet. I will try the contact cement on the next project. Hmmm I have to resheet Yamato and Bismarck. How much does this stuff usually cost compared to a large CA bottle?
I think last time I bought contact cement (weldwood) it cost me about 7/8$ for a quart. Dirt cheap really. Really beats the heck out of sanding and filing down superglue when it comes time to resheet. Do follow the directions though - if you don't let the cement set up a little bit before sticking the sheeting to the hull you'll have a nightmare of a time.
Do you find it harder that way on the curved ends of a hull. Would I need to soak the balsa a little to get it to shape to the hull. Would the damp balsa affect the adhesion on contact cement?
Curt; As one of the co-inventors of the contact cement method (Carl wrote me about using contact cement to put silk span on balsa and I tried it and then tried it for putting the sheeting on the boat and wrote back to him that worked well too.). I use the spray to put the silk span on the balsa and the caned liquid to apply the balsa to the ship. If you wait the 20 minutes for it to become tacky, it holds all but the worst of the curves. And... Gorilla tape can hold any point that can't hold itself until the cement has fully set. Marty
Oh and if you are having to dampen the balsa to get it to bend around the curves, you are buying the wrong balsa!!!!
Thanks Marty for the info. The balsa I buy is the standard stuff not the super flexible type I think you get from LoneStar? Is that the name of it? The balsa was laid up for a while so it's really dry. However it went on pretty good. I got the idea for making it damp for tough corners from one of the articles on one of the sites. It's an old article. Maybe one of yours? hmmm LoL.
I started beveling the edges of the balsa to blend into the hull on the port side today. I also have order from Peter's Planes a pair of Kingfishers and a pair of Arados for Tirpitz and Bismarck.
I think on my other future projects I am going to have to try this flexible balsa. It would make sheeting easier and I am for all sheeting to be easier. I checked with Strike on my order for the US armor termite sections with the doors and portholes and a SK2 radar dish. There's a flood of orders for this stuff. Good to see battler's using this stuff to protect thier superstructures. Makes them look nice too.
I completed silkspanning the balsa exterior of the hull today. Next is to paint the hull primer grey for now and sand away the fuzzies and blemishes. Then get the hull ready for a float test when the weather clears up. Once the float test is completed the hull and main deck will be painted and the wl added. From there I will start hooking up the drive switches and pump switch and get the ship ready for sea trials.
The silkspan dried nicely. I resanded the hull to smooth out any fuzzies on the surface. Gave the hull a couple of coats of Kyrlon primer grey and it turned it very well. Better than I had hoped. Just some minor blemishes to correct which I am being picky here on this. So right now the hull is ready for a first float test . I'll get the model up to full weight to mark the waterline at full load. I'll get pics and post them. Maybe the weekend. Weather permitting.
Well I did some minor work on some areas of the hull today. Then I put the batteries , co2 reg and the bottle along with 4 servos the radio box most of the valves and fittings 7 cannon barrels and mags and a couple of large receivor batteries to try and simulate the actual weight that will be on board. I weighed the model and it came in at 43 lbs so I added more items to bring it up to 45lbs. With the weight at 45lbs it was time to head to the lake and do a float test. First test in the water the model's trim was a little off with the bow a little high and the stern a little low but it would still work even like that as the triples would be aimed low to the waterline. Not surprised though the loose ballast I put in the hull shifted during transport. After adjustment the model was trimmed and riding evenly. I marked out where the water's edge met the hull. Next test was the center of gravity roll test. I tilted the hull getting the deck edge to touch the water and let it go. Counted how long it took to model to stop rocking. Almost 3 seconds but in 2 seconds it was pretty stable. I counted till the top of the control tower had stopped swaying so 3 seconds. Next to was rock it up and down but lifting the stern and then the bow up and down to see how the bow and stern responded to plunging. Very very well. The model is very stable in the water. It sits pretty deep so there is a low freeboard. I dipped the forcastle up to the hatch seems forward and saw water pooling over the hatch edges. Checked the interior and no water came in. Hull is watertight. Once I get the cannons , accumulators, pneumatics and secondary batteries in place I say I may need 2-3 lbs of ballst forward below the forward hatch behind A turret to even the triim. I am very pleased with how the hull turned out so far. I was concerned with how off the trim would be with the batteries and co2 tank so far back . I was even more concerned with stability issues with teh 4 batteries standing up but on this ship it works for it very well. The Superstructure is still very very light. I ran out of paint so next week I intend to finish painting the hull and get the wl tape on. I plan to begin getting the drive and rudder servo secured, wire up all the electrical components and begin sea trials. Cutting it close as after next week it's getting ready for the wedding.
Well this is as far as I could go till after the wedding and stuff is over. But the model is ready to have basic operations wired up for sea trials.
