PaperAircrafts-FAQ

Frequent Asked Questions

What glue should I use to assemble these paper airplanes?

What paper should I use to print these models?

I placed my order some time ago and I haven't received my models yet.

What glue should I use to assemble these paper airplanes?

Using a correct glue is very important, otherwise the assembly could result more difficult and the airplane could look ugly and wizened. Suitable glue should have these qualities:-Accurate application. So that you can easily apply a bead of glue over a narrow paper tab.
-Transparent. The airplane will look better if too much glue is applied and it overflows tabs' boundaries.
-It should dry fast enough. It should be strong enough to stick two pieces together after holding for two minutes.
-It should dry slow enough. The glue must allow enough time to manoeuvre the pieces before setting.
-And most importantly: The glue must not deform or wrinkle the paper.

Testing different types of glue determined that transparent, liquid, contact glues fit these requirements. They can be found at the "Glues" section in big shopping centres and hardware stores. Examples:
Aleene's Original Tacky Glue
Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive
BeaconAdhesives Zip Dry Paper Glue
BeaconAdhesives 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue
Supergen Transparent Contact Glue
Pattex Transparent Contact Glue

In order to test a glue, spread a little over a sheet of paper, then stick a piece of paper over the glue, wait for two minutes and try to detach the piece or paper. If you unstick it easily, the glue is not suitable to assemble paper airplanes. Let the glue dry completely 30 min-1 hour. If the paper gets bended or wrinkled, that glue is definitely wrong for this purpose

Testing some different types of glues produced these results:
-Stick Glue is not accurate and bend the paper. It dries well though.
-Poly Glue for plastic models simply doesn't stick paper.
-Cyanoaclylate glue neither seems to paste paper.
-Wood glue dries too slow and bend the paper.
-Expanded Polystyrene glue dries too slow.
-Yellow contact glue is suitable but dirty.
-Balsa cement is clean, dries and stick well but it quite bends the paper.
-Finally, Transparent contact glue accomplish all requirements.

What paper should I use to print these paper airplanes?

Typical office paper for general use, format Letter // DIN A4, with basis weight of 20lb // 80gr/m2, may be the best. It is light enough in order to assemble flying models, and it is easy to fold. Using thicker paper will produce better looking models but heavier, and it will be more difficult to fold them.
Printing quality should be normal or draft. Too much ink on common paper could wrinkle it.

I placed my order some time ago and I haven't received my models yet

The product that you are purchasing is an e-book. It is a PDF document with airplane parts to print on paper with your printer. It also contains detailed step by step assembly instructions and flying guide. Just after the payment is done you will see in your screen a link to download the e-book to your computer. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with the same link. So don't expect to receive your order by postal mail. You must download it to your computer yourself after the payment was done.

What is the best airplane?

Depending on the preferences you are looking for on the airplane, you will find some planes better than others. The following table compares four qualities among all airplanes of the PaperAircrafs collection. Of course these comparisons have nothing to do with the real airplanes nor with the same models in other collections.