malmaz Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 Just finished building an Acrowot, do any of you fellow modellers dope or sanding seal the model before applying iron on film? Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 No! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 I think film adheres best to plain balsa. One tip with the excellent HobbyKing film is that the backing film is difficult to see and often looks stripped off when it isn't. Last week I stripped the backing off and found the film wouldnt stick in one part - turned out the backing film had torn and hadn't been completely removed. Otherwise use just the same as Solarfilm and follow their instructions. Look on YouTube for the Solarfilm instruction video - about an hours very worthwhile viewing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 The best way to get good adhesion is to remove all the sanding dust from the surface before applying the film by vacuuming or brushing. Some modellers lightly seal the balsa surface with dope or similar but not enough to make the surface airtight otherwise the film will trap air bubbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 Yes, lots of sanding, then get rid of all the dust. No need to seal the wood - except in areas that'll get goo on in the case of i.c. ..... engine bay, fuel tank area, which will obviously need fuel proofing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 Just give it some light sanding, up to about 250grit, then hoover the airframe before filming. Don't dope or sanding sealer or anything... Sealed surface = bubbles. I like Rustins Plastic Coating for fuel proofing near the oily bits these days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 Don't spray Rustins Plastic Coat without full protective gear, it's safer to brush it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 I can believe that - it's a two pack thing and there's a lot of fumes. I'm not very up on paint as you can probably guess... I've only ever brushed it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 It's not the fumes but the actual aerosolised "paint" which is the problem as it contains isocyanates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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