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Best adhesive for gluing XPS foam to Balsa Wood


GARY BLANDFORD-HULL
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One type of glue would be amazing Gary

On balsa foam composites, I use 3 or 4 different glues, including epoxy

Based on strip joining, sheet laminating, stressed areas, and unstressed panels

Joints can help too to key in dissimilar materials, and slow curing glue is often twice as strong as quick fix glue.

Super glue will suit your requirements, but be sure it is foam safe, and wear a mask in a ventilated area, preferably outdoors.

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For glueing a balsa LE to a foam wing I use 30min Epoxy. I just wrap masking tape around the LE to hold it in place until cured. I then razor plane/sand the balsa to the final LE profile. I have also used gorilla glue for glueing in ply dihedral braces into foam, just don't use too much Gorilla glue as it foams up and is difficult to sand when cured. Cyno works OK with foam too depending on the foam but foam safe should be OK. I sometimes use it for glueing carbon rods into foam for reinforcement. I usually use a kicker too but fingers sometimes seem to get stuck to the foam! 

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What Piers says. In the past have used 30min epoxy. But recently have started using Lumberjack 5 and 30min liquid PU. I find it easier to spread and cut than GG. And I find PU easier to sand/cut through than epoxy. I think either will do fine. Stick masking tape on the surfaces you don't want glue on(!) prior to applying glue ?

IMG_20210430_212241.jpg

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