Assuming these cones blow off at ejection, (not attached to the top of anything like an escape tower or something) they should be fine... because they are SO SMALL and LIGHT, there should be very little to 'drive' them into the ground (unless they are the top of an LES or something) and damage them...

Good luck! OL JR

PS... nothing wrong with water-based finishes, if you have the skills for it. Nothing wrong with the smelly stuff if that's what you want to use... you can get great results with EITHER method if you have the skills...

I don't see the point in using toluene just to PO some tree hugging bureaucrats any more than I see the point in not using it to please some tree hugging bureaucrats... LOL

Use what works for you! OL JR

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Have you tried that with the new formula Elmer's?


Bill

Yep, it works just fine.

But I do miss the sour milk smell.

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...But it doesn't suck nearly as badly as *lungs* do, if the fumes from the finishing material trigger a pulmonary allergic reaction, as some solvents (amazingly, not MEK) do to mine--gasping for breath while finishing a rocket's balsa parts isn't my idea of fun...I have a jar of the Aero Gloss sanding sealer, but having never used it before, I didn't think of it as a possible balsa hardener---hmmm...

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NAR #54895 SR

I use Aeropoxy, a high grade epoxy, which does not contain any MDA and lacks any strong odor. Aeropoxy Lightweight Filler, which is epoxy-based, is actually formulated for the types of finishing tasks that we are talking about.

I do agree with you about dope, though. It does a very good job of sealing and toughening the outside of balsa components, and in the right situations it is an excellent choice. It does not, however, make them bullet-proof, and the hardening that it does provide is just a fortuitous secondary benefit to its primary purpose, which is to fill and seal the grain. The two water-based sealers that I discussed also provide some hardening as a secondary benefit, although as I mentioned, they don't penetrate as far into the wood as dope. But if it's any indication, I primarily use dope now for surface prep in all of my smaller projects. You are 100% correct about it. Sometimes the old school has the best tools.

I did try dipping/painting a few nose cones with Future Floor Finish (aka Pledge With Future Shine) a couple of years ago. I had to give them many, many treatments over many, many weeks before I got any noticeable effect from it, and even then I still needed to use other products to achieve a durable surface. I think that it can be used to augment some of the other techniques that have been mentioned. Judging from my limited trials with it I don't think that it is very effective when it is used by itself, though. It sure seems like it ought to be, but that's not what I found. I think the problem stems from the fact that the acrylic component of the product is just so diluted.

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SAM # 0011

Polyester resin (the same stuff used to make "glass" paperweights, often with flowers or bugs trapped inside as if in amber) might yield balsa nose cones with a stone-hard finish, but the odor of it...well, let's just say that it would be a plus to live alone if you fancy using it! :-)

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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

Nope, not even then... That stuff is just vile. And it takes weeks to finish outgassing, too. I would put up with the foul stench of Minwax Wood Hardener for a week before I would endure five minutes of that evil stink.

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SAM # 0011

I agree--it would take a *very* dedicated model rocketeer indeed, to go to such lengths! *BUT*...if just dipping balsa nose cones in polyester resin would give them smooth surfaces that need little or no sanding, maybe enterprising firms (Carl? Bill?) could produce them in quantity (maybe one day per month, outside on a sunny day with a nice breeze) and offer them as special "Resi-Cote" nose cones "with the lightness of balsa and the surface hardness & smoothness of plastic?"

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

I see no advantage to using Polyester resin over Epoxy for finishing ANYTHING other than it is cheaper.
It stinks to high heaven with an irritating unpleasant "burning plastic" odor, takes forever to out-gas, and is far weaker in strength than epoxy.

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I must be the only person who likes that smell

I agree that epoxy is harder. My experience with polyester is solely with body filler (eg, "Bondo"). I've never use the thin, polyester laminating resin. But, if it's like the filler, it's got its own potential denting issues.

Doug

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