hey there…decided to be a gb for halloween…decided to do it right and make a PP to spec…I’ve found that Balsa wood makes for easy cutting and forming for most of the pack (excluding the cyclotron), only problem is that I fear that it will be too fragile for a night of partying…will the standard resin coating be sufficient? Do any of you guys recommend any type of coating that would be stonger?
You could coat your Balsa in fiberglass poly resin, i’ve done that on MDF wood before, it should soak in and make it more durable.
Welcome man…
If you’re just worried about the tools required you should seriously see if anyone in your area sells styrene plastic. It’s these large sheets of white plastic that you can cut with a standard box cutter blade! It takes a little bit but you basically score the plastic with the knife then bend it… it will snap in half for you leaving a nice clean line… and it is MUCH sturdier than balsawood! There’s another guy here making his out of the same stuff… you should check out his thread!
Good luck to you!
Get Basswood instead. Much harder than balsa, but just as cheap. It can be found in the hobby aisle at craft stores–like Michaels. Don’t even bother with balsa, unless you reenforce it heavly from the inside. And coat the surface with a Bondo-like hardener. I would go with styrene instead, if you can get it in time.
Brock
phantom50
Well, I have already finished the power cell and gearbox with the balsa, so I’m gonna see how it goes…
I plan on filling the inside with foam spray, coating the outside with two coats of resin, three coats of primer, and the the semi-gloss black paint…hopefully that should be sufficient…I’ll post some pics up soon…
Good luck with it madman…
A few more tips for you - 1) be carefull filling balsawood with expanding foam!!! That stuff really does have the power to split the balsawood open so only use little amounts until you’re sure of how it will go.
- Coating balsa with resin may give you a bit of an uneven finish… go to an autoparts store and look for something called high-build primer - it will help fill in some of the small gaps.
Good luck with it man - avoid the drunk people.