An hour? Well, it MIGHT have been an hour here..I painted some on and went and did a couple things around the house and came back and sanded it..Just one coat it felt really smooth(it wasn't too bad to start with I will give that) and so 1 more coat and about 30 minutes later I sanded it, then shot the primer :)

I think Aero Gloss sanding sealer and balsa fillercoat provide the quickest (fast dry between coats) and smoothest base for color top coating wood rocket parts.
I have always used Aero Gloss since I started in model rocketry back in 1977 and will never switch to any of that water-based no-volatile-organic-solvents JUNK.

I've always been confused about which to use when, the sanding sealer and balsa fillercoal. Can someone explain the defference and when one should use each one?

Balsa fillercoat is basically Clear dope with talcum powder as the "pigment"; this is best used for the first 3 coats with sanding in between as this product fills the balsa grain better than Sanding Sealer.
Sanding Sealer should be used for the last 2 coats for a "glass smooth" surface to be topcoated. Sanding Sealer is a special dope that contains a huge % of plasticizers.

Either product can be used solely to finish balsa fins/nose cones, but if I had to choose only one between the two I would take the Balsa Fillercoat; it will give a smooth filled-in surface with the minimum amount of coats. One can get a filled-in paintable surface with 3 coats of Balsa Fillercoat whereas it would take about 6 coats if using only sanding sealer.

If used on basswood fins, I would and do use only sanding sealer; for basswood the grain is so tight one only needs the Sanding Sealer to smooth the surface without the need for filling grain.

I tried the Balsa filler coat, and for me did not work as well as the sanding sealer. I was able to apply 4 to 5 coats of balsa filler to fill the grain, but then added two more of sanding sealer for the smooth look. For me it is easier to apply 6 coats of sanding sealer. I also notice the sanding sealer is easier to sand and dried faster. Once again there are many ways to finish balsa surfaces or basswood. Paper fins, Aerogloss, FNF, Hardware store sealers, primers, CA, Kilz and of course no filler. Just have to find what you like and keep practicing. :rolleyes:

Can you tell me more about the current dopes? I have exclusively used Aerogloss products up to now, but my local dealer is very limited in products now (no AG sealer) but they have Sig sanding sealer. The Sig can mentions butyrate...is it acceptable for our use? I don't want any water-based product either. Does it have the talcum powder mixed in with it? Thanks.

BTW, I am pretty sure the so-called sanding sealer I've bought before was just regular butyrate dope with talcum powder mixed in, perhaps some dope thinner too. Sure looks/smells like it. Perhaps different companies name things differently?? OTOH, the AG stuff I have does not say sanding sealer on the labels, I just bought it by its look, so maybe *I'm* calling it the wrong name...

Well, let's see. You have Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy... Oh wait, you're talking about Aerogloss type dopes! :D

My bad.

I have built model airplanes for many years, and to this day still use Aerogloss dope, used to be made my pactra. There are a few different types of dope, nitrate vs butyrate. Sig does sell a sanding sealer, but it is thick and hard to sand. You can try thinning it out with thinner. I used it for a model airplane and was not happy. I have never had any problems buying Aerogloss dopes, I buy them when ever I see them at the hobby store. I have a stock pile of sanding sealer. People say it is expensive, but I normally get 4 rockets sealed out of one jar. If I am spending a few bucks on vintage rockets, then what is a couple of more dollars for quality sealer and Krylon paint?

The problem is finding somebody who will sell me the Aerogloss. I would keep buying it if I could find it around here. Or else ship it without a huge hassle, some call it dangerous goods... :( I'll see what I can do, at least one local dealer still carries the AG line but not much of it.

Edit: BTW Scott, your joke didn't go over my head. :D I do realise many Americans make fun of their political leaders and aspirants, but I really don't know enough about their foibles to appreciate the jokes properly. Well, except maybe for Georgie... However, I do listen to Phil Hendrie every day and do pick up on a few funny bits about them. I like it that Phil calls Hilary "Clintonstein" in his bits.

Dittos. I was tempted to try the papering technique, but dope sanding sealer works so well (and worked so well when I was a kid). I went back to using carpenters glue, too, since I grew up using Elmers on rockets.

Color me nostalgic...