Install sheeting on Warships Easily

About three years ago, Carl Camurati mentioned to me that he used contact cement to mount the aircraft tissue to his balsa and said that it did very well. So… I decided to try it the next time that I recovered my VU. After trying that and finding that I liked the way it worked, I took it one step further and used contact cement to mount the balsa sheeting to the Hull. This worked great, and I called Carl and told him it worked well.

Now I have used the technique for three years battling and I love it. I have mentioned the technique to others and they have reported back with success also. Sometimes the balsa edge at deck level does start to come off but that is easily fixed. The clean up for the next resheeting seems easier, and putting the balsa sheets on is so very much easier.

So how do I do it? Well I prepare the Hull by scraping off the old skin with a large chisel and then using a detail sander (one of those spade pad shaped things). The 1/32” balsa wood is prepared by first coating with lacquer, then spraying with Number 77 contact cement, and putting the tissue paper on before it dries. Yes, I know that you are supposed to coat both surfaces and let both sit for a time before putting together. However for just the paper the wet technique seems to work better and create fewer wrinkles.

Now you have the balsa prepared with one side coated with tissue paper. You can put another coat of lacquer on if you wish at this point (I did for one side of the ship and not on the other this year, and I can’t tell which is which.)

You now hold the balsa up to the hull and cut the section that you want to cover out. On the short VU, I cover the hull in four sections. Now here is where the fun really comes in! Most of you have been using CA for this process in the past and often are gluing fingers or rubber gloves to the boat while trying to hold the balsa in place until the kicker kicks in. That is all different now! Coat the rib sections and wherever the balsa is to be glued with Weldwood Contact Cement. There are different methods at this point! I put enough on that I can place the balsa against it and transfer cement to the balsa then remove the balsa, fill in the blank spots which only got partially coated from the hold and transfer technique and let dry for awhile (check the instructions for the Contact Cement you are using 15-20 minutes for mine). This builds up a sizable “tack” property in the contact cement and when you next place it in position, it stays put! If it wraps around the bulge at the bottom of the boat, it stays put! No more leaking glue, kicker and stuck fingers! I now go over the edges of the balsa with a screwdriver handle to make sure they are down. That’s it, on to the next sheet of balsa. I finish the hull with tissue and lacquer rather than contact cement (but I think that Carl used the contact cement for the outside coat too.)

So how does it work? Does the sheeting fall off after water hits it? No! The first time I did this was the first time I sheeted and put a boat in the water that did not leak! Usually, there is some part in the stern, where the hull makes complex turns, that leaks and I have to pour CA from the inside to stop it. My boat this year has seen 13 days of battle and I had only the top of the right rear deck sheeting come loose a little that I fixed with glue at lakeside.