Balsa USA Smoothie RC Plane Kit Build No 9, Wing Construction Part 7, How to Fiberglass Wing Center

In this video I continue with the construction of the Balsa USA Smoothie radio control plane kit where I continue with construction of the wing. In this video I show out to fiberglass the wing center using fiberglass cloth and Z-poxy epoxy finishing resin (fiberglassing a wing). Fiberlgassing an rc plane is a simple process and with a little practice a nice finish can be achieved that can be painted or covered with a covering material like Monokote. I fiberglass the center of the wing to help strengthen the wing surface near the fuselage mounting bolts, aileron servo wire holes, and where the wing is in contact with the fuselage. This is more of a preventative measure to help protect the wing from dings and dents and "hangar rash".
The Balsa USA Smoothie kit is a 40 class (size) sport plane and has been around for a long time and is still readily available on the Balsa USA website. Balsa USA also have a larger version of the plane called the Balsa USA Smoothie XL.
For this balsa kit build I will use traditional rc plane kit build techniques. In each build series episode I will focus a different aspect of the build including the wing, fuselage, tail section rudder and elevator, engine mount, landing gear, tail gear, engine set up (OS Engines .46 AXII), fuel tank, servos and receiver (Futaba), control rods and horns, Monokote covering, carving and shaping wood, using CA glue (Zap CA glue, Starbond CA glue), epoxies (JB Weld, Bob Smith Industries, Z-poxy finishing resin), tools and everything thing else involved with building a radio control plane kit (RC Airplane kit).
I have been building, flying, crashing, modifying, and repairing radio control planes (RC Planes) for many years and enjoy sharing what I do with the radio control plane community, so I started RC Plane Tech channel for fun.

[@marcobuonavita2757]

si grazie e' una buona traccia per fare una ricerca grazie ancora

[@yodaiam1000]

I have used painter tapes on fiberglass when cutting. That stops it from racking. Just use narrow strip of tape and cut right over the tape. When going around corners, I use a lighter weight glass which is less likely to pop up and it sticks better. I also like to just use sandpaper to remove the excess glass and skip the part of cutting the excess off with an Exacto. I like to use paper towels to remove some of the excess epoxy and weight. In any case, nice job.

[@JamesRCPlaneTech]

Thanks, those are all great tips. The blotting with the paper towel is a great method, I dId that on my last build but forgot it here… I need more practice at glassing because I’m planing on a scale warbird as a future build and it will require a lot of glassing. Thanks for the comment! I hope others will learn also from what you added here.

[@1bizjets]

Anyone tried to make the wings slightly longer and add dihedral for more of a smooth trainer feel.

[@JamesRCPlaneTech]

I’m not aware. But that would be an interesting modification.

[@gtr-ik2sk]

I found spraying the edges of the fibreglass with hairspray stops the fraying somewhat. Looking forward to seeing the finished plane :)

[@JamesRCPlaneTech]

Interesting, Ill check that out. I guess making it a little sticky around the edge would do that. Very cool, thanks.

[@BrianJohnson-sr6ok]

I am loving this series! Thank you! I am a kit builder as well and a glow fan and I really enjoy watching your technique and have picked several tips that I will use going forward. I recently began using a Fiskars rotary cutter for fiberglass cutting and it has been life changing. No walks or wiggles. It also works well for cutting sheeting-especially cross grain. There is no chipping or crunching at the edge. Keep up the great work!

[@marcobuonavita2757]

Ottimo lavoro , una domanda : quale è lo spessore del fiberglass?

[@JamesRCPlaneTech]

Hello Marco. I’m sorry, I do not know the exact thickness, it is very thin, less than a mm. It is usually classified by weight, so for what I used here its about 1 once per square yard. I don’t have the package anymore so I don’t know for sure. But it is a “fine” cloth for finishing which typically would be between 0.5 to 1.5 ounces per square yard. I hope that helps.

[@marcobuonavita2757]

@@JamesRCPlaneTech grazie, sempre molto gentile , ne ho un pezzetto acquistato nel 1990 molto fine presso un negozio che oggi non c'è più aimé purtroppo nella mia città Arezzo in Toscana non ci sono più negozi , dobbiamo comprare in Internet .saluti

[@JamesRCPlaneTech]

I buy most of my rc material on the internet. Im sure you can find it. And its nothing special, you don’t need to go to a hobby shop online. Just look for the light weight fiberglass as I described, many companies make it and its used for all kinds of applications. Just look for what would be equivalent to about 1 ounce per square yard.