Model Boat Mayhem

Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Wood Care: => Topic started by: dodgy geezer on August 29, 2012, 10:50:47 am

Title: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: dodgy geezer on August 29, 2012, 10:50:47 am
I have an old Sea Rover hull that I picked up cheap which I'd like to see sailing again.

The old ply superstructure is de-laminating, but the thin 1/16" ply on the hull is still sound. It is, however, coming away from the stringers (which was always a problem when building them from new!). I will need to re-glue a lot of the joints, ideally without disassembling them. So what I need is a srtong glue which is very thin, and flows easily into small openings.

I have dribbled waterproof PVA into the edges of the superstructure and then clamped them - this produced a good firm joint which I am happy with. But I'm not so sure which glue to use for re-attaching the hull skin to the stringers. This is much more likely to be damp than the superstructure, and I'm not sure that PVA will prove to be waterproof enough. I would think about epoxy, but that's not as liquid as PVA, and would be harder to get to flow into the thin cracks which I will need to fill completely. It might be good for the hull/prop-shaft joint, though.

Has anyone any other glue proposals? Or any experience of dong this sort of thing?
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: essex2visuvesi on August 29, 2012, 10:54:25 am
try these guys
http://www.shop4glue.com/aliphatic-resin-waterproof-wood-glue-adhesive-20-c.asp

I have been using this stuff on my hunstman and its most excellent, its quite thin so it seeps into the joints quite well
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: Artistmike on August 29, 2012, 11:10:01 am
I agree, Aliphatic glue is far superior to PVA for boats as it's waterproof, which PVA isn't and it's sandable... Like most I've used PVA for years and it wasn't till I moved over to Aliphatic that I realised how much better it is for the job. It's also pretty good for getting into gaps as a filler but it sounds as though you may need to also use some of the super-glue types, which come in a variety of thicknesses, the thin ones will run into small gaps well but the thicker ones will also fill gaps to a certain extent. ... They will also stick your fingers to the boat a lot .. %%
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: Colin Bishop on August 29, 2012, 11:46:57 am
No need to use superglue - you can use Super Phatic which is a very thin Aliphatic with water cleanup. It's the woodworking equivalent of a superglue and grabs and dries very quickly. I think there are probably several varieties about but I use the one from Deluxe materials: http://www.deluxematerials.com/products_emulsion.html

It's ideal for reinforcing existing joints that are coming apart.

Colin
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: Artistmike on August 29, 2012, 12:01:11 pm
No need to use superglue - you can use Super Phatic which is a very thin Aliphatic with water cleanup. It's the woodworking equivalent of a superglue and grabs and dries very quickly. I think there are probably several varieties about but I use the one from Deluxe materials: http://www.deluxematerials.com/products_emulsion.html
It's ideal for reinforcing existing joints that are coming apart.
Colin

That's a new one on me, looks brilliant !
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: boatmadman on August 29, 2012, 12:31:31 pm
I agree on super phatic, its great stuff, use it on planes as well as boats, light and strong.

It prefers close fitting joints to wick into, but clamping up gets you that as well.

Wash out the applicator with water after each use or else you will spend ages cleaning it next time you want it!

Ian
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: dodgy geezer on August 29, 2012, 05:34:50 pm
Thanks, guys - I've never tried aliphatic, but this seems like the time to give it a go...
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: Colin Bishop on August 29, 2012, 05:45:05 pm
You amaze me DG - it's been around for yonks and is generally considered to be the glue of choice for precise woodworking among modellers. Much superior characteristics to the standard PVA types. The Super Phatic version is more recent

Colin
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: ACTion on August 29, 2012, 05:56:24 pm
Imagine............. I always used to use Aerolite 306 when I were but a lad and I wondered if it was still available. I Googled it and found a supplier near Swindon - with the contact name of the bloke who used to run Flair model aircraft kits about a thousand years ago! Nice to see Dudley Pattison is still around; he's even older than me.

Sorry for the slight diversion from topic but Aerolite was good stuff. I've not tried the Super Phatic yet (it wouldn't do to glue resistors into PCBs).
DM
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: dodgy geezer on August 29, 2012, 06:10:17 pm
You amaze me DG - it's been around for yonks and is generally considered to be the glue of choice for precise woodworking among modellers.

Ah, well... I found that urea-formaldehyde worked fine for me, and never felt the need to switch. I note that Action remembers Aerolite with affection - I used to use Cascamite (which was then called Extramite and now, I believe, Polymite...)
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: Colin Bishop on August 29, 2012, 06:25:39 pm
I remember Aerolite well enough but it was two part, had a horrid smell and, if I recall correctly, a limited shelf life. I tended to use Cascamite which was excellent and particularly useful for sticking gumstrip to balsa hulls to give a tough, smooth finish. PVA white glue is OK but a bit too rubbery for some modelmaking applications while Aliphatic has a better grab and is easily sandable when dry. Super Phatic is a great substitute for superglue for many applications while the latest all purpose liquid is EzeCote (again from Deluxe) which is a one part waterbased resin and an excellent replacement for epoxy for toughening up wood surfaces and a lot of other things as well such as substitutng for dope or sanding sealer. Dries quickly too.

Colin
Title: Re: Restoring Aerokits....
Post by: Artistmike on August 29, 2012, 08:07:14 pm
the latest all purpose liquid is EzeCote (again from Deluxe) which is a one part waterbased resin and an excellent replacement for epoxy for toughening up wood surfaces and a lot of other things as well such as substitutng for dope or sanding sealer. Dries quickly too.
Colin

Eze-Kote has become my all purpose treatment for new wood now, as you say, everything from a sanding sealer to a great surface preparation for paint finishes or even varnish. It also waterproofs wood nicely too, so my boat interiors all get treated as it flows everywhere dries quickly and does the job well, without adding weight, which is often a great asset. I'm amazed that in a very short time it's become an absolutely indispensable tool for surface preparation, that's always close to hand no matter what I'm working on....