Preshrunk Tissue Covering...
Without the Wrinkles |
Tail surfaces on small models are usually pretty flimsy, and need
special care when covering to avoid those “potato chip”
warps. Preshrinking the tissue before covering is an effective approach,
but then how do you get the wrinkles out? Here’s an easy compromise.
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Select a thick, stiff piece of cardboard (or foam-core board) at least
a few inches larger than the balsa structure you’ll be covering.
Cut an opening in the cardboard that’s a minimum of ½”
larger all around than the framed structure. Then cut a piece of tissue
large enough to overlap the hole, and tape it down all along the edges.
Pull wrinkles out as you tape. When this is done, spray the tissue
with water and let it dry. |
Now you should have a taut drum-skin of tissue over the hole, with
no wrinkles. Apply your preferred adhesive to one side of the balsa
structure and press it against the taut tissue. Be certain there’s
some gap between the frame and edge of the cardboard hole all around.
When the adhesive is dry you can cut your structure out, leaving enough
tissue to wrap around all the edges.
Repeat the process for the other side of your structure.
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Note that the tissue is not fully preshrunk because the cardboard
frame still holds tension in it. This method compromises some shrinking
in order to make a wrinkle-free finish easy to do. If you’re
looking for a way to eliminate more shrinkage from the tissue, try
shrinking on a frame as described above but don’t attach the
framework. Remove the tissue when dry and let it sit undisturbed for
a few days. Then cover your structure in the standard way, without
moistening the tissue at all.
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