I recently shot this "Table Talk" video discussing the tapes and glues I like to use and that have worked best for me for the last few years building my park jets. I purposely dated this post as who knows what glues I might be using in a year or two?😉
I think like many things, it boils down to what you can get, what you can afford and most importantly what you find works best for you. I do like to keep an open mind though and I am always on the lookout for equal or better products for building, especially if they are readily available and inexpensive. Fortunately for me, other than the BSI Foam Cure I will discuss later, I can get all the tape and glue I use locally from hardware, dollar or craft stores.
Tapes
Fiberglass strapping tape, I purchase mine at a local office supply chain in Canada called Staples, I have also found a similar product available at Amazon.com. I use this on the inside of score lines on fuselages, nacelles, etc to act as the hinge and reinforcement to these areas on my plane. It has long strands of fiberglass running the length of the tape as you can see in this picture.
3M Scotch Tough transparent duct tape that I use for my hinges. I can get it at Home Depot locally, here is a link to a similar product available on Amazon. I have also experimented with the Duck brand transparent duct tape that I can get locally at Walmart and although cheaper than the Scotch Tough tape, the adhesive does not hold up as well. Here is what the Scotch Tough tape looks like, you can see thicker strands of fiber running width wise and thinner strands running length wise.
Fiberglass drywall tape. As I mention in the video, using this tape in combination with a glue that dries hard like epoxy or Foam Cure type glue makes for a "poor man's fiberglass and can really help reinforce an area on your plane such as below the battery bay.
Masking tapes. As mentioned in the video, I like to use a decent masking tape to hold pieces together while the glue dries such as noses, fuselages. I have found it a bit of a balance between finding tape with glue strong enough to hold curved pieces together that are under tension while the glue dries, but not too strong that it leaves glue residue all over the foam. The green tape below seems to fit that bill for me and is cheap from the Dollar Store. I like the more expensive higher quality blue tape if I need to actually mask an area while painting as it prevents the paint bleeding under the tape. Unfortunately, the green tape no matter how much I press it down always allows paint to bleed underneath the edge.
Glues
One important note I forgot to mention in the video, always test a new glue on scrap pieces of every foam you might use to build your plane to ensure it doesn't eat or soften the foam before you build your plane with it.
Elmer's Craft Bond spray adhesive. I use this to secure my plans on the foam so that I can cut out the pieces. As mentioned, I like to use a fine mist and keep the nozzle clean so that it doesn't "glob" glue onto the paper/foam and make it more difficult to remove the plans from the foam.
Hot glue. As I mention in the video, I think hot glue after being the main glue folks used for a long time has been a bit "demonized" 👿 when other lighter glues started to become popular in the last few years. I think it still has a lot of great uses, primarily I use it to "spot weld" in small areas to hold parts together when pinning or taping would be very difficult so that I can use a lighter and stronger glue to fill seams. I also use it for installing my servos, it hold strong and is much easier to remove from the servos when I recycle them out of a plane. I like the low temp as it does not melt the foam as easily. As well, since I am using it to "spot weld", the lower temperature glue cures more quickly than the high temp. Each mini stick does weigh 4 gr, so it is always prudent to use hot glue sparingly and scrape off any excess with scrap foam before it hardens to keep the weight of the plane down.
BSI Foam Cure and it's equivalent I get from the Dollar Tree store. This is the primary glue I use to build my planes. It dries light, strong and clear and it can be sanded without pilling or pulling away from the foam. Works best for foam to foam applications, but I don't use it for installing reinforcements in the foam, control horns or motor mounts as it can take forever to cure without good exposure to a certain amount of air since it needs air to cure.
5 minute epoxy. This is my go to glue for installing reinforcement in the foam, control horns and motor mounts as it dries strong, cures quickly doesn't need exposure to air to cure. I also carry one of these plungers in my flight box for quick field repairs where I want to use epoxy and keep flying😎
3M Super 77 spray adhesive. This has worked best for me to install my KF4 airfoils as I can apply a fairly thin mist over a large surface without adding weight, it starts to tack fairly quickly and dries strong. As mentioned, before shaping or sanding, I do like to let it setup over night for best finishing of the leading edge of my wings and KF airfoils.
Expanding Gorilla glue. This is great stuff for filling any gaps around motor mounts or strengthening this area if using more flexible foams like Adams readiboard (Dollar tree foam) or MPF (model plane foam). Apply very little, always easier to go back and apply more as it expands about 10 times what you apply in my experience😲
Here is a close up showing the area around the motor mount and wing plate where I used Gorilla glue to strengthen this area as I described in the video.
So these are the tapes and glues that have worked well for me for a very long time. I have experimented with a lot of different glues over time and these are what work for me, I can easily get them locally and they are relatively inexpensive. As I mention in the video, I think each glue certainly has it's strengths and weaknesses, so I use several to maximize their strengths to make my builds easier without adding excess weight.
Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎
Cheers,
Scott
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