Here's an "Idea Box" post from the June 1965 issue.
I don't know if I'd use thinned white glue on balsa or the body tube edges. Humidity might make a nose cone stick in the body tube. This tip was from 1965, long before CA glue was used in rocketry.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Old MRN Idea Box Entry, June 1965
Here's an "Idea Box" post from the June 1965 issue.
I don't know if I'd use thinned white glue on balsa or the body tube edges. Humidity might make a nose cone stick in the body tube. This tip was from 1965, long before CA glue was used in rocketry.
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First of all: love the new masthead image.
ReplyDeleteI was gonna jump in to say that CA didn't even exist back then, but I quick read of the Wikipedia CA page saved me from making a fool of myself (this time). My impression was that general consumer awareness of CA was largely driven by the marketing for Krazy Glue in the '70s.
Which is all to say that I do wonder exactly when the use of CA for hardening paper and balsa actually became a thing (I wonder the same about filling body tube spirals...)
Hi Neil,
DeleteThe new masthead is a tribute to the 1971 Estes catalog: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/catalogs/estes711/711estcat.html
I'm waiting to see if anybody picks up on that. The banner masthead is much wider than the catalog so I went with a different perspective. I learned a LOT about photo editing putting this latest masthead.
I first started using CA glue in the 1970s on model airplanes. I tried it on a few rockets but noticed things popping off after a year or so.
Back then, nobody bothered with tube spiral filling unless you were building a scale model. I remember filling spirals with sanding sealer.
Most kit balsa is very hard now, I've never felt the need to harden it up. I'd probably paper a fin before hardening with CA.
I think CA glue is like laser tools. I understand CA glue was first made for temporary wound closures on the battlefield. They keep finding more and more uses for lasers. Laser cut parts have changed all hobbies that use thin wood. I saw a video where a wide laser is used to remove rust! Very impressive.
I have also been reading those old tips and there is a lot of them. They had an article on finishing rockets that was interesting. One thing I did not know was waiting 24 hours between coats on balsa sealer before sanding and reapplying. I always waited an hour or so then sanded and repeated. Maybe I'll try the 24 hours and see if it makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't have CA on hand, I'd be apt to rub in cement like Duco ( https://www.amazon.com/Devcon-62435-6PK-Duco-Cement-Pack/dp/B00C3Z9Y2K ) to harden paper and balsawood. It's a technique commonly used in construction of balsawood model aeroplanes. Duco also came in handy in construction of paper aereoplanes (such as the ones from the WhiteWings series -- http://www.whitewings.com/ ). The 50% thinned white glue was also sometimes specified to be used on balsawood model aeroplanes -- sometimes suggested as an alternative to using model aeroplane dope (a lacquer). Good to know -- since it's been harder to find model aeroplane dope nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI should point out that nowadays I'm more apt to use thinned white glue than stuff like Duco cement -- mostly to avoid noxious fumes. Partly for myself, as well as a consideration that I currently reside in an apartment complex.
ReplyDelete