- The 4 leading types of adhesives to assemble or repair Rc planes made of foam
- Dimitrios Katsoulis
- February 8, 2017
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The electric RC planes in recent years have come a long way and their construction of foam (which began as a building material), has attracted many modelers because they can assemble a model airplane with such a popular material. But apart from the positives this material has, such as the light weight, there is a major drawback.
The structures are very fragile and break with the slightest of pressure. The solution is given by the special foam adhesives because the common glues burn and destroy it immediately. Below are the four of the best special adhesives for foam which are suitable for construction or repairs, of aircraft models made of this material.
1. GORILLA GLUE
Regarding strength and weight, the Gorilla gets the honors. It dries in about 30 minutes. It bubbles a little but fills the gaps, something which many modelers dislike because if overflows they have to wipe the excessive amount and clean the surfaces. An easy solution is to cover the surface with clear tape immediately after gluing. This not only helps keep the foam adhesive on the surfaces, but keeps them tight together until it dries.
2. FOAM-SAFE CA
Cyanoacrylate (CA): Well known and widely used in Rc modeling. Its fast setting and creates a strong bond between the surfaces. CA adhesives have appeared in recent years in various viscosities, such as free-flowing and viscous. The most commonly used has little liquidity, slow curing CA.
This helps handling porous surfaces and satisfies the need to fill the gaps in it. When both surfaces are joined, the adhesive needs only about 3 seconds to solidify. The CA is the best choice for models to withstand the load at high speeds. This is most suitable for quick solutions. It is sold in hobby shops.
3. HEATED GLUE
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This hot melt adhesive comes in a solid form stick in various lengths and diameters and melts by electric heating pistol which fluidizes the sticks of glue that comes out of the pistol’s nozzle. Maintains a strong bond between the surfaces and offers easy workability.
4. EPOXY RESINS
The epoxy resin is a very popular material. Is strong and inexpensive adhesive, but adds a relatively significant weight to models. There are many types of epoxy resins, depending on the desired setting time.
Most users prefer glue of 5 minutes clotting. It comes in two packages (A & B) in the form of gel. Mix with a wooden stick or plastic, or even with a small spoon. Then the mixture is applied to the bonding surfaces which are secured properly with each other to achieve better results.