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A few FFF Questions

Discussion in 'Trouble Shooting - Support - Help Section' started by rcav8r, Feb 14, 2009.

  1. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    OK I have to admit I'm new to this FFF stuff. Been building w/ balsa for almost too many years to count. I built an 8' C123 out of 2" foam as my first foam build project, and covered it with glass, and painted it.
    Now I'm using FFF, and have a few questions that may seem rather basic for some.

    How in the heck do you get the black writing off? I tried 90% rubbing alcohol and all it does is smear it. I'm afraid to try anything more aggressive as to not dissolve the foam. When I built the C123 it was glassed and painted so that wasn't an issue.

    What glue do you guys use? I was thinking hot melt, but was afraid it would add too much weight. When I built my Formosa ( one of my all time favorite airplanes BTW) I used white glue, but really don't want to wait that long. When I built the C123, I used epoxy sparingly, but due to it's size weight really wasn't a concern, but is epoxy too heavy for the smaller FFF stuff?
    I'm not a big fan of foam safe CA for general building as I've found it to be too brittle.

    THANKS in advance.
     
    rcav8r, Feb 14, 2009
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  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous New Member

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    1) When you figure that out, tell the rest of us. The best I've ever done is dim the black a lot with denatured alcohol and a Scotch-brite pad. A good coat of opaque paint works best. ;)

    2) I like the Ultimate RC Foam Safe Glue the best, but Low-Temp hot-glue works great also. Remember, this is foam, so the construction methods are based around "flexible and light", not "strong and rigid" like balsa models.
     
    Anonymous, Feb 14, 2009
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  3. Jnida63

    Jnida63 Member

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    Yeah protection board sucks for getting lettering off of.
    As far as glue i use hot melt most of the time and Gorilla glue on occasion, with Gorilla you need to make sure you have a good clamp because it foams and can and will push the pieces apart
     
    Jnida63, Feb 14, 2009
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  4. tvcasualty

    tvcasualty New Member

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    To get the lettering off, the easiest way is to sand... next is just to give it a base coat of black to mask it! Other then that, good luck.

    Also, I use mostly low temp hot melt glue.
     
    tvcasualty, Feb 15, 2009
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  5. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    THANKS guys. So it looks like paint is the way to go for the writing on the foam.

    I think I'll try some hot melt for basic construction on the plane I'm building now ( a trainer for my son). The kids only 9 so I think this will be good for him as he can see the plane develop quickly. I use the stuff on my depron planes for quick field repairs ( I have an inverter I use to power the gluegun from my deep cycle at the field) and it works great, but doesn't exactly create the best looking glue joints.

    Dorsal;
    I'll have to try some of that Ultimate RC foam safe glue. Yep flexible and light sounds good

    I found out about the foaming properties of the Gorilla glue way back. Before I switched to electric back in 2002, my flying buddy was telling me about this Elmer's Pro-Bond glue he got that has wood fibers in it, and it dried quick, was super strong etc. So I stopped at the hardware store, and picked up a bottle. When I got home I test glued some scrap wood. Wasn't drying very quick so I let it sit overnight. Next AM I almost couldn't find the wood as the glue foamed all around it. Here Elmer's Pro-Bond was a line of glue, and I got a different kind than he was talking about. Same as Gorilla glue, but you get twice as much for the same price.
     
    rcav8r, Feb 15, 2009
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  6. cptdragn

    cptdragn Member

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    Know this is a bit dated but the question was asked and didn't seem to get a good answer.

    Thought I'd share a method of cleaning the printing off BlueCor FFF.
    It also works for PB III. I would not be surprised to find it works on other types as well but have not tested it yet. The product is called Greased Lightning and comes in a 32 oz pump type bottle. You can also get it in a 1 gal size to refill the bottle.
    Its an alkaline detergent.

    The web site for it is www.greased-lightning.com

    Usage: Spray it on until it wets the foam surface. Then let it set about 30 seconds and start wiping it off. The ink comes off with little to no effort. If it starts to dry, simply re wet it and go over it again. We have found that it seems to work best doing it twice. The first pass gets most of the ink off and leaves a small bit of smear. the 2nd pass cleans that right off.

    We haven't been rinsing any of the foam. It dries rather quickly and I've noticed no problems with painting over the clean foam. I haven't tried airbrushing anything yet after using this stuff but we have used a roller with thinned down latex and its holding up well. I'll try and post a few photos when I get the chance. in any case, it may be wise to use alcohol as a final wipe for those that are concerned about any possible residue as well as a tried and true method of making sure the mold release agent have been cleaned off as well.

    I found another product that seems to work just as well.
    its called Mean Green and can be found at most of the same places as the GL product. best of all, its even cheaper.

    One word of caution here. Like any cleaning agent, make sure you use any of these products in a well ventilated area.
     
    cptdragn, Jul 21, 2010
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  7. 3DMON

    3DMON Moderator Staff Member

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    I never thought to try greased lightning. I have some of that stuff. I'm gonna have to try it out. Thanks!
     
    3DMON, Jul 21, 2010
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  8. Anonymous

    Anonymous New Member

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    I never heard of "Greased Lightning", but if it works well, I'm gonna hunt some down! :D
     
    Anonymous, Jul 21, 2010
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  9. 3DMON

    3DMON Moderator Staff Member

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    I think I got mine when I was at the auto parts store.
     
    3DMON, Jul 21, 2010
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  10. 3DMON

    3DMON Moderator Staff Member

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    Well I tried some tests today on some PBIII with the Greased Lightning and with some Purple Power I had here.
    I found the results were a lot better with the Purple Power. I treated the foam 3 times to get the results shown in the pics. I couldn't get all the ink off but it did a pretty good job. I did try it on another piece of foam where the ink wasn't as dark and the Purple Power took all the ink off. I guess it depends how bad the ink is on there.
    One thing though, the Greased Lightning I have had sitting around for quite a while and maybe it just lost its punch but here are some pics of my tests. Attached files [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    3DMON, Jul 24, 2010
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  11. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    Great test Shaun! Thank you for taking the time to put this together
    Mark and Trish
     
    kram242, Jul 26, 2010
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