I have had many inquiries about glues and covering materials
for building EPP models.
There are a number of products that are easy to find in the U.S. but aren't
available
in other countries. The purpose of this page is to cross reference the products
we use
with similar products in other regions of the world. If you have any useful
information
about products, please let me know, so I can ad it to the page.
Strapping tape, this is a Bi-directional, nylon fibered
strapping tape.
The uni-directional tapes are just as good and more common. This tape was found
in Belgium, so it should be available in other European countries.
Strapping tape is used to directionally strengthen and stiffen EPP models.
Here are 2 brands of liquid contact cement found in the U.S.
The cement
is normally used to glue veneers and laminates such as counter tops.
We use the liquid contact cement for gluing EPP, spars and for preparing
the foam for tape covering. I use a scrap of foam to squeegee a thin layer
of glue over the entire area to be covered. Many people have good results with
spray contact cements such as 3m #77 or #90, but we have found that they
don't hold up as well in hot climates. Contact cement is a neoprene based
glue and can be thinned with toluene.
Here are the most common spray contact cements found in the U.S.
These are a couple of spray contact cements available in
Europe.
3m #77 is also available, but not as common and probably more expensive.
This is standard packing tape, there are many brands and most
of them
are not very good. This is a very strong tape and is good for a smooth
base to cover the EPP before applying sign vinyl covering. This tape does
not hold up well to sun light. My favorite tape is 3m "Highland"
packing
tape with a bias orientation. This tape is the lightest, and the most U.V.
resistant. It is very good for micro stuff where weight really matters.
This is "light weight spackling compound", it is a
filler for dents in walls.
This stuff is amazing, it is so light that the package feels empty. It can be
thinned with water and is a perfect filler for balsa, foam, fiber glass or any
other part that needs fairing or repair. The main ingredient is "amorphous-
silicate" or "boron-silicate". I have used it to repair the thin
wings on my
mosquito class gliders and it will stay in place in the flexible EPP.
This is a water based polyurethane found in Belgium. This is
thinned
with water and applied to the balsa or Obechi covered wings of a HLG
to seal the wood without destroying the foam core underneath.