Planking-small air pockets in the glue seams,show up as white

[bear]

Ahoy Mates

 

Have a problem that I want to avoid the next time I plank. In the glue thats between the planks in the seams when using Titebond,open up when I sand and scrape the hull to shape. They then show up as white,when the sanding and scraping particals get into them.

 

I qiute using CA because I am mildly alergic to it now,so I use Titebond. What should I do to avoid these? and how can I deal with them if I do get them ?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Keith

[mtaylor]

Keith,

 

Is there a gap?  If so, save the sawdust and make a slurry of 50/50 white (not PVA) school glue and water and the sawdust.  Pack this into the gap and when it drys, sand.  Repeat as necessary.  If the gap isn't very big, brush some of that 50/50 mix into the gap and sand while wet.  The sawdust will stick to the glue and the gap should disappear.  However, repeat as needed.

[Keith_W]

I suspect those are sprung planks? A sprung plank is plank which is not glued to the hull. When you try to sand it, it is pushed flat and then springs back out. You can never sand it flat. 

 

To deal with a sprung plank, use a sharp knife to force a larger gap, then use the same knife to apply a tiny spot of glue under the plank. Clamp it securely until the glue is dried. I find that CA works best for this, since these sprung planks are usually in inconvenient locations where clamping is almost impossible. If you don't use CA, you can use Titebond, but you'll be holding that plank for half an hour. 

 

Here are some strategies to PREVENT sprung planks: 

 

- Make sure the planks are shaped to sit on the hull "naturally". If they are not, they will want to come off. 

- Clamp the planks securely while you are waiting for the glue to dry. CHECK there are no sprung planks! If there are, you need more clamps!

- Use a liberal amount of glue, and make sure the planks are edge glued. I apply enough Titebond so that it seeps slightly through the edges. I want to see it seep through the edges, because that tells me that the plank is edge glued. Once the plank is securely clamped, I clean up the excess Titebond before it dries with a cotton tip bud dipped in water. 

- If it is not possible to clamp, try this method I invented - alternate Titebond with CA. I apply a 0.5cm patch of CA, then a line of Titebond. The CA cures almost instantly and secures the plank to the hull, whilst the Titebond assures me that there is glue all the way to the CA joint. This is MUCH EASIER than using CA over a larger area, because the CA cures way too fast to make sure the plank has been correctly placed. Applying only a tiny spot of CA means you only need to worry about correct placement of a small amount of plank, and if you place it wrongly it is easier to remove than if the entire plank had been CA'ed. 

Edited March 14, 2015 by KeithW

[allanyed]

Keith,

Another item to consider......if the edges of the planks are not properly beveled, you will either start with gaps as in A, or create gaps when sanding areas like B in the sketch. The sketch is exaggerated for illustration purposes, but at some points of the  framing where the curve is relatively severe, this problem worsens.

Allan

[qwerty2008]

If your talking about what I thing you are then the solution is simple, pencil the edges of the planks, this will cause the joints between the planks to appear black as they were caulked and will even make the larger gaps appear black, I found this out when planking my own model today. Any gaps where air can pass thought I use wood filler such as plastic wood or homemade wood filler as described above by Mark but I add talc (baby powder) which improves the consistency making it better for sanding.

 

 

 

 

Lextin.

Edited March 28, 2015 by qwerty2008