Sheeting Foam Wings with Gorilla Glue Polyurethane

Jim Ryan

For years I’ve used 3M Super 77 to bond the wing skins on my foam wings.  But at long last, I’ve found what I believe is a better way. 

Gorilla Glue polyurethane is an adhesive that foams slightly and cures in the presence of moisture. This makes it great for sheeting foam wings, since it makes a strong bond and also fills any gaps that might exist between the core and the skins.

The glue looks like honey, and it's applied to the prepped and cleaned wing skins much like laminating epoxy; dribble on a little and spread it with a squeegee. You want the surface of the wing skin to have a uniform sheen of glue on it.

Once the glue is applied to the wing skins, the wing core is wiped with a wet sponge to make it slightly damp.  The water is the catalyst that will cause the glue to foam and cure, so don’t forget this step. 

Next the whole works is laid up in the wing beds - bed/skin/core/skin/bed - and stacked up with weights.  Be careful of the alignment, as this will determine how straight the wing will be.  It’s almost impossible to use too much weight.   

Allow the stack to dry at least 24 hours.  The moisture on the cores will cause the glue to foam just slightly and then cure. I've been impressed with how aggressively the skins adhere to the cores.  Once the panels cure, you can proceed with assembly. 

This method is well-suited to vacuum bagging, but it also works fine if you don't have the equipment to bag wings.  Good luck!

Back to Ryan Aircraft Index Page