How do you hold balsa pieces in place while glue dries?
Pins, wax paper on a plan, clothes pegs, small weights and quick-setting glue: simple ways to hold joints without clamps or adding weight.
Updated · 1 min read
Short answer: pin the sticks to your plan on a board, press small joints with fingers or tweezers until they grip, and use light weights or pegs for larger ones. Never clamp so hard that you crush the balsa.
Techniques
- Pin to the plan. Cover the plan with wax paper, and put pins on either side of each stick, never through it.
- Use pins as stops to lock an angled stick against the others.
- Clothes pegs or small clips hold a lap joint. Use a scrap of balsa under the jaws so they don't dent the stick.
- A small weight on a flat truss keeps it from lifting.
- Quick-setting glue (CA) on a tight joint grips in seconds, so only brief holding is needed. See gluing joints.
- Tape across a joint briefly, if the rules and the glue allow, and remove it before it sticks.
Mind the weight
Anything left on the bridge counts toward its mass. Remove pins, tape and pegs before weighing.
Tips
- Check that the truss is flat and square while it sets.
- Don't move it until the glue has held. See drying times.
- Wipe squeeze-out before it sets. See removing excess glue.