Sheeting turtle decks

Often one is told to wet the outer surface of the sheet and then ease it round the curved surface. I find it much easier to put two layers of ordinary brown parcel tape on the outside. This stops the sheet from splitting when being folded round the surface, and the curve is obtained by compressing the balsa on the inside of the curve. This allows the required curve to be obtained before gluing to the fuselage formers. You may get a few ridges but these are easily sanded away when the glue has dried

Hi David, the advantage to curving the balsa before attaching it is you are relieveing the stresses in the material and it makes gluing it down evenly all over (without ridges) easier.

I use a quick brushfull of watered amonia, then rubber band the wood around a tin or other curved object while it dries.

 

Hi Danny

 

I think you have mis-understood what I was describing. With this method you can curve the sheet to the correct curvature before gluing it to the fuselage so there are no stresses left  in the sheet as it is attached.