Conference vmszoo::rc

        Re:< Note 242.0 by MDVAX1::SPOHR >

                        I just used Solartex for the first time and think
        it's the best  since  sliced  bread.  It goes on like the regular
        heat-shrinkable films, but looks  better  because it's fabric and
        also shrinks much neater.
        
        That's my vote/Anker

    
    The type of covering material used depends on the ship. If your
    going to go with a plastic film then I suggest "Goldberg Ultracote".
    It's new on the market and I think better than "Monocote". I myself
    don't much care for fabric coverings on sheet fuse surfaces. In
    my mind fabric belongs on open framework.  For a base on sheeted
    surfaces that are to be painted, ie. warbirds/pattern ships I use
    a combination of paper and or fiberglass cloth.
    
    For a beginners first couple of planes and or trainers I suggest
    going with plastic film.  Yellow and some dark color. Don't worry
    about making it to pretty. Big bold stripe on the top wing and fuse.
    I suggest yellow because yellow can be seen on most any day.
    
    					Tom  

    Just want to echo what Tom said - for a trainer, use what's
    easiest which is the iron-on plastic film. I've used Monokote, and 
    recently the Ultracote which I agree is slightly easier to apply: It
    shrinks better, stretches better, and out-gasses less (less bubbles
    under the coating). Get yourself a covering iron and optionally
    a hot-air blower (both can be had for about $25 from the catalogs).
    I covered my first plane with just a small travel iron and it worked
    out ok.
    
    I also underscore Tom's points on the color choice. Don't try to
    make it look pretty, go for VISIBILITY IN THE AIR. A visible difference
    between the top and bottom is useful too, because when you get it
    on its side it's easy to get confused about which side is the top,
    and a mis-correction can be fatal (or at least cause discoloration
    of your pants).

    Good luck!
    Dave

    SURVEY SAYS......
    
    Thanks for the input.  It's nice to be able start out in this hobby
    with a good chance for success.  Now if I can learn to Fly the Thing!
    
    Anyhow, I will heed all of the good advice and use a plastic film.
    The solartex does sound inviting, but I am sure you seasoned pilots
    are right, not every covering is good for every application.  Thanks
    for getting me FLYING STRAIGHT!
    
    
    Best regards,
    
    Chris Spohr

     I HAVE NOTICED THAT BESIDES THE DIFFERENT BRANDS OF PLASTIC FILM
    AND THEIR PROS AND CONS, A VERY GOOD THING TO USE IS BALSARITE.
    ITS A CLEAR COATING THAT YOU PUT ALL OVER THE PLANE AND WING LIGHTLY.
    IT WATERPROOFS THE PLANE (FOR WHATEVER THATS WORTH) BUT WHEN YOU
    APPLY THE FILM A VERY STONG BOND OCCURS AND MUCH LESS BUBBLES AND
    WRINKELS. I JUST FINISHED A PT40 WITH IT WHICH WAS MY SECOND MONOCOATED
    SHIP AND FOUND THE RESULTS MUCH BETTER THAT MY FIRST ATTEMPT.
    
    I ALSO HIGHLY RECCOMEND USING 2 VERY DISTINCT COLORS FOR THE WING
    TOP AND BOTTOM FOR VISIBILITY. IN ADDITION, I JUST LEARNED MYSELF,
    WHEN YOU START YOUR NEXT PLANE, TRY AND CUT THE MONOCOAT BEFOREHAND.
    FOR EXAMPLE PUT A FUSE SIDE ON THE FILM AND CUT OUT THE COVERING.
    MAKES IT EASIER TO COVER WHEN THE FUSE IS TOGETHER AND MORE AWARKWARD
    TO WORK WITH.
    
    BOB G.

		Solatex is magic, it sticks like the proverbial
	shit to a blanket, especially when the surface has been 
	prepared with Balsaloc or Balsarite. It shrinks very well,
	 has a good tolerance to high iron temp and the edges
	don't fray ( a problem I had when painting Polytex). 
	Unlike the plastic films you can actually iron it down 
	without it melting. Only negative thing is that some
	colours, eg white, yellow are rather translucent

		The people who make it have just released a new 
	plastic film called Solarspan. It's stronger and lighter
	than Solarfilm, but there's a much smaller colour range.
	I haven't tried it yet, although I do have a roll ready
	to go on my new plane when it's finished.

                                                        
	bob

    One of the reason I screwed up on my last flight was a poor choice
    of colours for my trainer. I put white on the fuse & transparent
    blue on the wings.. I've had difficulty telling which wing is high
    or low.. Since I have to completely recover the wing, I'm going
    for yellow with a fat green trim on top..
    
    The material I use is monokote. it's tough: Tough to put on but
    it takes beatings real good  ..
    

    There are two other aspects about this topic:
    
    1. Solartex (or fabric) has one big advantage: The surface is not
       smooth. This maybe important if used on the wings. If you have
       a rough surface on the wing then you get a little turbulence 
       (in German: Grenzschicht-Turbulenz) wich will cause an improvement
       in handling quality of the plane, it will be less dangerous to
       stall.
    
    2. The disadvantage of rough surfaces: They're getting dirty. On
       Solartex I always apply Glasskote to seal the surface.
    
    Franz 
     

    MONOKOTE
    
    - doesn' need almost any preping
    - quick
    - you don't wait for it to dry
    - doesn't drip
    - strong - takes a lot of abuse
    - looks great (especially from a distance)
    - easy to get fancy,add stars and stripes
    - fix little dents with hot iron
    - fix big dents with more monokote and hot iron
    - not very traditional but neither is ZAP
    
    Fern

    Well looks lot some good responses.  Went out and got a couple of
    rolls.  One of orange monokote and one of yellow black baron.  I
    think I'll try the black baron Yellow and trim the plane with red
    and orange.  If that's not visible in the air I don't know what
    is.
    
    Does anyone know what the difference is between ECONOKOTE and MONOKOTE,
    besides the price.  They look the same to me.
    
    Thanks for the input,
    Chris
    

    Chris,
    
    Be VERRRY sparing with the amount(s) of red and orange you use in
    your color scheme...keep it DOMINANTLY YELLOW!  Back when I worked
    for XEROX on their color-copiers, I had the opportunity to learn
    something about colors and their relationships within the color
    spectrum.  This knowledge explained a phenomenon I'd observed at
    the flying field, namely that colors with a high red component,
    i.e. reds, oranges, GO BLACK, or silhouette, MUCH closer in that
    do many other colors.  The reason is that RED has a wave-length
    extremely close to BLACK.  Therefore, it (red) becomes black to
    your eye at a much shorter/closer distance than does a lighter color
    with a longer (I think) wave length.
    
    My experience over the years is that a bright, almost taxi-cab,
    yellow is THE BEST all-around color in terms of visibility in nearly
    all sky conditions....stick with it 'til you get the "new" polished
    off your flying skills.
    
    Adios,	Al

    Al,
    
    Thanks, I do intend to use the red & orange only as trim on the
    top of the plane only.  I figure since it will look darker at a
    distance it should be easy to tell when I'm upside down (can a PT40
    fly upside down?).  Not bad for a beginner, eh?  In all actuality
    I must give credit for this to expert flyers like yourself.  I must
    say that the people in this sport are serious about what they do.
    Everyone is courteous towards one another and does his/her best
    to assist those with lesser knowledge.  I know that it won't always
    be perfect, but I haven't run into the childish types here that
    seem to plague other sports.
    
    Thanks again,
    
    Chris Spohr

    
    RE: .10 - Econocote is a low heat version of Monocote - can be
    used over foam for example.  I don't think it shrinks quite as
    much as Monocote.  I used it a few years ago, don't remember any major
    problems but I'd go with Monocote or one of the other high heat
    films if going over balsa - think of how much heat the plane will be
    exposed to when sitting in your car waiting for that lunchtime or
    evening flight!  It's a pain having to reshrink the covering all
    the time.
        
    Bill

    In short,  I believe Ultracote will put MonoKote out of business
    as soon as it is tried by many of the modelers.  Ultracote is about
    the same weight as Mono but provides greater strength to your airframe.
    I have never had to re-shrink ultracote and have had it on two planes
    for 6 months.  This stuff seems to have some form to it like a sheet
    of material rather than a flimsy piece of plastic.  It also is very
    easy to work with and does not require pre-treating with anything.
    
    Use Yellow for your first model, will provide good visibility at
    distance.
    
    Regards,
    NCMWVX::VOSS

    Thanks for the help!
     
    Well my PT40 is now (has been for several days) finished.  I used
    the Black Baron film and it worked just fine.  It ain't the best
    covering job I've seen but it's far from the worst.  Not bad for
    a beginner if I do say so myself.  Now all's I gotta do is try flying
    it so I can recover it...get it..recover it?  Oh well, so much for
    humor.
    
    Bye
    Chris Spohr
    
    

    
    		I am interested about fabric type coverings. Could
    	some of our knowledgable participants lay it on me, with 
    	respect to whats good to use over open frame work as well
    	as on sheeted fusalages?
    		I plan on painting my new ship and want to get away
    	from plastic films. Don't get me wrong they are great for
    	trainers and I'm glad they were there when I needed them,
    	however I want to move onward. If I didn't have open frame
    	work I probably would have tried fiberglass, even though
    	it sounds a bit scary.
    		I expect that using a fabric I should be able to
    	create a nice paint job on a plane. If anyone disagrees I
    	would be interested in thier comments also.
    
    				Mike
    

Refer to Al Alman's column in Model Builder; I think it was the
July or August issue.  It tells all about the fabric covering
world.  If you can't find it send me a message offline and I'll
copy it for you -- of course send me your snailmail mailstop.

That's good for anyone needing the info...

    Mike,
    
    Also, refer to topic 288, "LET US SPRAY." A pretty good dialogue
    on covering materials/methods/techniques is going on there.
    
    Adios,	Al

    Has any one tried sig koverall, and if so would you please relate
    your experiences, I'll be building an  EAA bi-plane this winter and
    want to find a truly paintable covering (preprimed mica film won't
    hold on to formula U, or is it the other way around?).

    
    A query about Permagloss Coverite:
    
   I have always liked the various types of Coverite, but recently I
    tried using an old roll of Permagloss for the first time. The paint
    kept coming off where I was rubbing with the iron. What a pain!
    Has anyone else had this problem? My solution is to use a cotton
    cloth between iron and Coverite, but it doesn't make for a quick
    or easy job.
  By the way, this is for a sport plane: my technique is not to paint
    just to fuel proof with clear two part polyurethane.

    Any suggestions will be greatfully received.
    ( sorry: "gratefully received")
    
    Tony
    

I've been modifying a glider for better performance and had to
re-cover the surfaces.  My first choice for this is micafilm,
since I've been impressed with this material's toughness, such as
when I put it into a tree at Mark's command...:-) (Just seeing if
you're awake Mark). 

Anyway, Phlyin' Phil didn't have the color that I wanted in stock
so I had him special order it.  The stuff came in a plastic bag,
just like monokote, which was different since the earlier stuff
I had bought came in a clear plastic box-thing.  There was no
hype about it being changed, and a quick look at the recent ads
makes no mention of any changes either.

When I took it out of the bag I found something new: the
new stuff has a backing that looks like silkspan, but is a very
light cloth-like substance.  This material is bonded to the dull
side of the micafilm so the shiny side is up.

Micafilm is at best a tricky material to apply. Its somewhat
stiffer than films, it doesn't have near the shrink as most
materials, and what shrink it has must be managed carefully.
With monokote, for instance, if you get the material slightly
crooked and you get a little ripple, you can generally heat it
out.  With micafilm this is a no-no; it can be loose, but never
crooked. 

Micafilm/balsarite requires very low heat to apply; I use about
1.5 to 1.75 on my monokote iron.  Any more than this will loosen
the balsarite underneath and cause the material to simply pull
against its bond instead of against itself.  This characteristic
can be put to good use when applying: if you're careful you can
"push" out a bad spot by pressing the iron toward the balsarited
surface, in addition to pulling on the excess.  But even that
won't totally fix a goof. 

When I applied the new micafilm, the backing stuck like crazy to
the surface.  It stuck so good that when I tried to pull it to
reposition it the backing tore from the surface!  This is a far
cry from the old stuff which didn't stick worth a hoot.  So,
given the characteristics of the material, you have to be very
careful in lining it up when you tack it in -- you may be lucky
and get two chances, but that's it!

Micafilm may not be for everyone -- it requires care and patience
to learn to use. Guaranteed that your first efforts will look
bad.  But once its on its second to nothing in tear resistance
and impact strength (my opinion).  Its big drawback for me was
that it was hard to stick; the new backing has solved that one. 

The worst thing I can say about it is that they put the backing
on the wrong side.  As an old rubber twister, I like the look of
silkspan, which the dull side faithfully mimics.  The new stuff
gives you only the shiny side, which looks like low-grade film,
and a bad version of that to boot!

One last thought...micafilm's lightness came mostly from the fact
that it didn't have an adhesive.  Its still doesn't, but I'm not
sure that this advantage wasn't partly given away with the new
material's backing.

    For the present, I'm trying to follow commonly accepted practices in
    selection and use of various materials.  On the other hand, I'd like to
    be able to select materials and techniques with a better understanding
    of the results.  I'm much more comfortable working with objective 
    specifications, rather than subjective adjectives.
    
    I realize that paint applications could vary widely, but the base 
    materials, and the prefinished films should have specifications that 
    could be used to our benefit.  Has anyone accumulated, or seen a list 
    of the weights and strengths for various covering materials, or even
    estimates for average applications of paint?  

    Sometime in the last year or 2 there was an article in Model
    Aviation that listed the weight, tear strength, shrink factor,
    puncture resistance, etc. for all common covering materials.  I
    can't remember which issue, but I do still have it at home.  I'll
    look it up if I can remember...

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

    I received my shipment of Obechi wood from Calif. yesterday (Dave
    Acker, Precision Foam Cores, Pleasonton, Ca.) 6 sheets @ $8.00 per
    sheets. He guarantees a minimum dimension of 12" x 72" per sheet,
    but mine measured 12.5" x 120". He says his cost is the same regardless
    of length, and shipments vary unpredictably in length so he just
    passes the extra along to his customers rather than bothering to
    trim them. This makes it a pretty good deal when compared to the
    cost of 1/16 balsa covered with a plastic film. I use two coats
    of clear furniture lacquer as a final finish. It a little tricky
    to handle until you get it glued down on the cores, but after that
    it's much more durable than balsa.
    
    Terry
    

    Has anyone heard that ultracoat is no longer available?
    every store I have been in no longer stocks it, but has
    skycoat instead. They say it is the same, but made in 
    canada.
    
    Any comments
    
    John
    

    According to ads in the latest model mags, "Ultracoat (sp?) is back"
    and, supposedly, it's new/improved, more opaque, better color
    consistency, etc.  Personally, I don't use any of the plastic films but
    these ads seem to indicate that Ultracoat has, indeed, been unavailable
    for some indeterminate period but a newer/better material is (or will
    soon be) available.  

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    It's true that the original Ultracoat is gone. I've heard it's because
    the mfg. in the U.K. stopped making it. I've also heard that Oracote,
    as sold by Hobby Lobby, is the reincarnated form of Ultracote, now
    made in Germany. The local hobby shop always has a lot of Oracote
    in stock. He claims it has the same characteristics as Ultracote.
    I haven't used either one so can't verify that. Never heard of
    Skycoat.
    
    Terry
    

    
    I thought the _original_ Ultracote manufacturer was in Germany.  Maybe
    some of our German friends can shed light on this???  Anyhow, many
    of us that used Ultracote a few years ago and decided it was the best
    film covering around were disappointed with the news that it was
    gone.
    
    Since the Ultracote ads just recently returned to the magazines, I 
    suspect that the hobby shops may not have it for a little while longer.
    But I'm glad it's coming back.  I'm sure there were a LOT of people
    screaming for its return.  I'm also glad that they seem to have
    improved on the one main thing Ultracote lacked - color consistency!
    You could get two rolls of red at different times and get noticeably
    different shades!
    
    Interesting story about Oracote.  Charlie and I were planning on
    ordering some of the stuff because it sounded (from the ads) very similar
    to Ultracote.  But we never got around to it and now it looks like
    Ultracote will be back in time for my next "plastic" plane.
    
    I'm not sure what you meant in .28 when you said "Oracote is the
    reincarnated form of Ultracote".  Do you mean that Goldberg is buying
    from the same manufacturer of Oracote (in Germany) and putting the
    Ultracote name on it?  So it makes no difference if you buy Oracote
    or Ultracote?  That would be an interesting marketing move, since there
    are a lot of Ultracote fans out there and maybe Oracote sales have
    been disappointing.
    
    Bill

    re .29
    I don't know anything about the new Ultracote as presently being
    advertized, source, composition, etc. 
    
    According to my local hobby dealer, Oracote is the same formulation
    by different mfg. as the "old" Ultracote. When the old Ultracote
    became unavailable, he started stocking Oracote to satisfy those
    customers who liked and wanted the old Ultracote. I guess everbodys
    happy for the moment.
    
    Terry

Oracote is being distributed by Hobby Lobby International; I
don't think Goldberg is in on this.  My two rolls came from
Custom Hobbies, a local shop.  They have the Hobby Lobby label
inside the bag.  The stuff was quite cheap by local standards, I
think around $7 a roll, and having been burnt on other cheap
covering materials while at the same time being unwilling to pay
the $11 something for Monokote, I had mixed feelings about buying
the stuff.  I'm glad to hear the good words on Ultracote and the
possibility that this might be the same stuff.  I'll know in
about a week and a half when I start covering the Main Plane.

    As far as I am concerned, I cannot shed too much light onto this. I
    never used Ultrakote (was probably frequently used thruogh the years I
    wasn't active). The film I know a bit of is ORACOVER (not -cote). I
    used it on my FIESTA. Opinions differ on it because the way it needs to
    be used differs from other films. But it is very strong and the colours
    are good and consistent.
    
    The great thing is that it doesn't stick to anything without heat. When
    it is delivered, it hasn't got clear film on it's bonding surface, but
    only waxed paper. When you heat it a bit, it will stick to the surface.
    If you happen to stick two parts of Oracover together (with a bit of
    heat), don't worry, heat them up and pull them apart. The colour layer
    will not get damaged through this.
    
    When you have fixed the film where you wanted, apply _LOTS_ of heat,
    and it will shrink very well.
    
    There are lots of people that would never use any other film again. But
    there are others that had problems applying the required heat or
    especially covering the wing tips. That was my problem, too, maybe I
    should have had someone to assist so I could warm the film, really pull
    and stretch and then stick it to the tips.
    
    And I had a hard time getting all the bubbles out, but maybe this would
    have been similar with any other film due to my lack of experience.
    
    Regards,
              Hartmut

I just finished covering my Prophet with Skycoat and Monocoat. I got the
rolls at Tom's hobby in Chelmsford, Mass. Tom told me an interesting story
about the Skycoat. 

He claims that it is the same stuff as Ultracoat (I'll
verify that from working with it), but sold by a Canadian company. It comes
wrapped up in a VERY LOOSE plastic, compared with the usual clear shrinkwrap.
Apparently, a distributer of Ultracoat got in a dispute with the supplier when 
an entire truckload was delivered defective: the shrinkwrap was applied so hot
that it caused the top layer of the roll to bond to the layer underneath. But
the supplier refused to refund or replace the damaged rolls, so the two parties
got into some sort of legal action. Meanwhile, the supplier must have cut a
deal with a new (Canadian) distributer. Mind you, I've verified none of this,
but there may be some truth to it.

I don't know about color consistency roll to roll, but I still think the Ultra-
coat is far superior to Monocoat, and I'm glad it's back!

Dave

I've used Oracoat on my PT40, the Main Plane.  Its absolutely the
best film I've ever used, and is very comparable to Super
Coverrite in its ease of application and quality of the final
product.

I don't like films, and I seldom use them.  But this stuff is
very easy to apply, as long as you stay with the directions to
use low heat to stick and high heat to shrink.  I applied it with
about 1.5 on my Monokote iron, and shrink it at about 2.0 (this
is the setting I use to stick Monokote).  It handles perfectly
this way, and the only problem I had was getting it to stick
around the small radius joint between the fin and stablilzer.  I
used thin CA for this.

It is at its best over solid surfaces, such as the elevator,
where it shows no tendency to bubble -- it goes on smooth with
just a little coaxing.  I also had no trouble applying a
contrasting color trim stripe.  You can lift it with the normal
application heat and reposition it as needed.

I think I especially like Oracoat because it handles like
Micafilm -- but easier, and I use pretty much the same
techniques (only lower temp with Micafilm).

The color is brilliant, comparable to Monokote, and it is much
cheaper -- about $7 a roll from our local Fair Trade junkie.

Try it, I think you'll like it.

    Has anyone ever covered a plane in *aluminum*? I would like to try
    this, using beverage can guage. I have been unable to find information
    in libraries, etc. on tooling, compound curves, etc. My idea is to
    cover over a thin plywood framework via bonding.
    
    I would like this plane to be able to fly.
    
    Am I after perpetual motion?
    
    Regards,
    Geoff

    Geoff,
    
    The only person I know personally who's covered a model with aluminum
    successfull is Charlie Chambers who's done 3 successive Platt P-51D
    Mustangs in this manner to date.  According to Charlie, by far the
    biggest problem he's encountered is in finding the ideal adhesive to
    bond the aluminum (printers plate) to the balsa structure.  I can add
    that he hasn't solved the problem as yet since his latest "Contrary
    Mary" Mustang had the aluminum panelling lifting/delaminating badly in
    the hot sun at the Top Gun competition here last April.  As to forming/
    shaping the material, Charlie uses a variety of household objects (like
    spoons, butter knives, etc.) and other hand made tools to accomplish
    the task.  His results are quite impressive but he readily admits it's
    an enormous pain and _way_ too much work to be worthwhile.
    
    Another consideration on a flying model should be the radio.  Charlie's
    lost at least one of his magnificent Mustangs due to radio interference/
    degradation caused by the aluminum and admits to having to "get used
    to" occasional glitches and partial control loss.  All things
    considered, covering with aluminum is _not_ for me nor could I, in good
    conscience, recommend it to anyone else.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

I've been reading my copy of the old buzzard's soaring book and they comment 
about NOT using an internally strung antenna wire with metallic Monocoat. And 
that's just flakes in the material...

    re:  .36 & .37 - 
    
    Thanks for the response. I had heard of the radio interference from the
    aluminum, etc. 
    
    I will give it a try after much practice with shaping the metal. I'll
    report my results.
    
    Regards,
    Geoff

    Tom,
    
    I used it on my Panic. Real nice stuff. To answer your questions. 1. It
    is NOT fuel proof and must be painted. Clear will do the job and leave
    a silk-n-dope type transparent finish. If you want it solidly opaque
    you'll have to paint it. Balsaright isn't necessary as the SOLARTEX
    has an adhesive already on it. I'd recommend the Balsaright anyway
    though.
    
    Randy

    I did a quick scan of my catalogs, and couldn't find Solartex.  If it
    was a snake it probably would have bit me...
    
    Would somebody please enter a source and approximate cost?

re:-.2 Thanks for the info. I think I'll try it!

re:-.1 You can get it from 

		Balsa USA	Hobby Shack
			
2 meter rolls	$6.80		$7.88  or 3 for $21.99
5 meter rolls	$16.75		not listed in ad but in their flyer

prices from july '90 RCM

I'll probably get it from Balsa USA (its cheaper) I need to order more wood
anyway. They were also nice enough to send me color sample swatches of both
SOLARTEX and AERO SPAN when I requested them with my last order.

    re  Solartex
    
    See also note 217.11 (now pointed to an appropriate keyword) for
    comments and a caution.

On the Oracover, check the film coverings topic.  I used the
stuff on my PT40 and think its the greatest.  I disagree with the
comment that it needs lots of heat though; my experience with it
was that it needed less heat than Monocote, about as much as
Econocote.  I do have the habit though of putting it on
relatively tight, so I use minimum shrink -- this might be the
reason I could get away with the lower heat.

The PT requires that you crank in the downwash after you cover
the wing, and I remember that I cranked it well above the
Monocote range to get that done.  It seems to stand the high heat
better than Monocote, etc.

Since doing the PT, the local shop (Jack's Custom Hobbies) that
stocked Oracover discontinued it because the local yokels would
rather pay $12 for Monocote than take a chance on $8 Oracover.
He even offered to sell me the remaining stock at $5/roll but I
don't use that much film.  It was good while it lasted!

	re: .39-.43

	Well my SOLARTEX order came in last week and I got a chance to
	try using some it to cover the beast. Neat stuff! Sticks right 
	on there with a minimal amount of trouble (or heat). Seems to 
	me to be much easier to handle than most plastic films (I know... 
	SOLARTEX is a plastic cloth). Stretches and strinks with the 
	best of 'em. Very easy to form around compound curves. Easiest 
	wingtip ever. Guess time will tell on how well it holds up. 
	Sure looks pretty though. Guess one of these days I'll have
	to take some picture of my planes and send them in to be
	stuck on video tape or whatever. Maybe even a video - heaven
	forbid!

	re: .40

	I will end up putting a clear coat over the whole plane. The
	instructions that come with SOLARTEX and the ad that I saw
	by SOLARFILM in "RC Model World" (interesting magazine), both
	say that the all of their coverings are fuel proof. But, I think
	a clear coat will help strengthen and enhance the finish.

	-TomR-

    What's the low down on Balsarite? Is it a must? Seems to make sense to
    prepare the surface to accept the iron-on covering, just as primer is
    used for painting.
    
    Notes 242.5, 318.6 and 409.37 refer to Balsarite.
    
    ajai

    Balsarite is a must only if you're using Micafilm, which has no
    adhesive of its own. That type of Balsarite comes in a solid green
    can and has the consistancy of clear dope.
    Balsarite used under self-adhesive coverings, Monokote, Ultracote,
    Solarfilm, etc. is useful when covering larger sheeted areas as
    it reduces bubbling. It also helps hold down seam edges especially
    at trailing edge seams. That type of Balsarite comes in a green
    can with white stripes and is much thinner, more like the consistancy
    of water.
    Using the wrong type for your application will not result in a happy
    camper.
    
    Terry
    

I've entered my comments elsewhere on Balsarite and Micafilm; let
me just say that its a very underrated combiation.  Micafilm
takes a little getting used to, but it sure looks nice.

I've increased the heat I use lately. In entered earlier notes I
have said I use about 2.2 on the iron scale; now I use closer to
2.5 to stick and up to 2.6 for tightening.  About like Econocote
or Oracover.

Excellent stuff, I'll be experimenting with the pre-primed
Micafilm in an upcoming project.

    Coverite can also help make covering 'stick' over fillers
    and especially when an area has got a bit of fuel damage.
    But when it comes to stipping the covering it don't help
    at all - so I use it for ordinary film only when I have to.
    As regards Mica film - 'ye gota use it here.
    
    Regards,
    Eric.

    Re: .-1, Eric,
    
    I'm not trying to be funny but the term "stipping" is unfamiliar to me
    which causes me to completely lose the meaning of yer' last comment
    regarding "stipping the covering."  Can you clarify for me and anyone
    else unfamiliar with the term?  Gar-cee-ass!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>                       <<< Note 242.46 by HPSRAD::AJAI >>>
>                      -< Anyone shed light on Balsarite? >-
>
>    What's the low down on Balsarite? Is it a must? Seems to make sense to
>    prepare the surface to accept the iron-on covering, just as primer is
>    used for painting.

I believe is also has some value for float planes.  You can paint every piece
with Balsarite and water proof it.  However I'm not a float plane flyer
so perhaps some wet expert may comment on the lightest way to water proof
balsa wood.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Yo Al, you confusing "stipping" with stippling, perhaps? (as in
    stippling with dots...)
    
    ajai
    

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    I don't think so..."stippling the covering" doesn't make any sense
    either.  I'm thinking Eric might've meant "striping the covering" but
    am not sure of that either.  Hopefully, Eric will clear up the mystery
    for us when next he checks into notes.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    RE .49
    Ooooopps, that shold have been 'stripping' !
    
    For Ajai,	stripping,  synonyms -  exposing
                                        uncovering
                                        baring
                                        denuding
                                        disrobing
                                        divesting
    
    Yea...
    I can't see myself using any of these but 'ye never know ! 8-)
    Sorry for the confusion.
    
    Eric.

    OK, so Balsarite waterproofs, and is great to make covering stick to
    even oil soaked wood. Does it, therefore, fuelproof?
    
    ajai
    

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    I donno' fer' sure but I've read in their ads where they recommend it
    for firewalls so I assume from that that it must be fuelproof.  Not
    sure I'd trust it though when it's so easy to use epoxy or polyester
    resin which is essentially bullet proof in this application.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Wouldn't you know it.  There is a full page add in the latest issue
of Model Aviation that is devoted to the use and capabilities of 
Balsarite.  Check it out- look for Coverite in the index of advertisers.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Have you ever lain awake at night wondering what in h*ll Rohacell
    really is ? I know I have, so when I sent off my most recent order
    to Aerospace Composite Supply, I included an order for a 12" X 48"
    piece of 2 mm thick, med. density Rohacell, figuring I could probably
    find a use for it.
    
    True to form, the order arrives 3 1/2 weeks later after an ardous
    900 mile journey, in a larger than usual box. Opening it, I discovered
    
    all the fiddly little carbon fiber bits I had ordered hiding in
    the bottom amongst the foam packing popcorn, but why such a large
    box, and where was my Rohacell ? Wait, what are these thin foam
    shards mixed in with the foam popcorn ? 
    
    Half an hour later I had the jigsaw puzzle pieced together on my
    workbench, revealing a ~ 12 X 48 mosaic stenciled "Rohacell Lot#
    nnnnnnn.
    
    Okay, so now I know that Rohacell is a thin, hard, very brittle
    foam material, yellowish/white in color that I can put to no good
    purpose especially when reduced to myriad small pieces.
    
    Who ever had packed the box for shipment had apparently decided
    the Rohacell would make good extra protection for the delicate CF
    bits, and had wrapped it around inside the box, where external
    UPS blows quickly reduced it to scrap.
    
    Luckily I had two empty pizza boxes (Godfathers, medium) in the
    trash, so I cut off the top, less odiferous, lids and taped them
    together to make one flat box, stacked the Rohacell fragments
    neatly inside with an explanatory note asking for a refund, and
    shipped it back to ACP.
    
    God, I love this hobby.
    
    Terry
    

        When did ACS start selling Rohacell? I got mine from Composite
        Structures Technology. They are supposed to be the sole
        distributor of Rohacell in the US to modellers (it is actually
        imported from Germany).
        
        One of the 3 shipments I got from them was damaged by UPS. Turns
        out the sheet was only about $3, so rather than hastle with UPS,
        they just sent me a replacement. That left me with several small
        scraps as a bonus. I'm always amazed at how UPS can break things
        in spite of how well they are packaged.

    re .60
    
    I'm not sure what/who ACS is but I got my Rohacell from ACP, Irvine,
    CA. It's listed in their latest product brochure, which they'll
    send free.
    I'm also using the vinyl coated kevlar cord that they sell, for
    rudder linkage. This is really neat stuff.
    The Safe-T-Poxy that they have been selling for a few years is
    excellent for sheeting applications, but now they are selling
    a replacement called Ez-Lam. It comes with all sorts of dire warnings
    for use; rubber gloves, mask, etc. I have some but haven't tried
    it yet.
             
    I haven't dealt with CST, but intend to shortly as they seem to
    have some worthwhile stuff.
    
    Terry

        Safe-T-Poxy and many other supplies like kevlar cloth and carbon
        fiber tow can be had for better prices, although sometimes only in
        larger quantities from Aircraft Spruce in California.
        
        ACS is a typo, I did mean ACP.

You will find better prices than Aircraft Spruce from a Company out of Georgia
called Alexander Aeroplane, 800-831-2949, they are also one of the company's 
that cater to Homebuilt/Experimentals, I just bought 1.5 gals of Safe-T-Poxy
for I believe $56.00 I think you will find Aircraft Spruce and Specialties in 
the $70 range.  They also have a catelog that they will send you for free.

I ordered 1.5 gals of epoxy, 2 yds of 3.7 oz 50" wide E-glass, 4 foot of
4.7 oz uni-direction Carbon Fiber and some 8oz 1" wide uni-direction fiberglass
tape.

I am going to build a 3 piece 2 m wing for traveling with and as a park plane
it will be pink Fomular foam, 8oz 1" wide uni tape on the leading edge, bottom
layer of glass will the the 3.7 oz cloth, in the middle will be a 1" wide strip
of CF the entire length and then the top layer will be some 1.5 oz standard 
weave glass, I want to keep this light as I would like to have it be a 
small compact 2m park plane that will go up a UPSTART well enough to fly.

There are some people using the EZ-lam here but it is only available from
Aircraft Spruce I believe and is also in the $70/1.5gal range, gee Safe-T-Poxy
has been around for quite some time and I dont see where EZ-lam is all that
better.

    I am now at the stage where I'm ready to begin covering the Anniversary
    Cub. Actually I already started with the fuse using Colortex. Because 
    of the large amount of wood surfaces, and because I wasn't all that 
    impressed with colortex adhesive, I decided to use Balsarite. So far,
    so good. My question is, how long in advance can Balsarite be applied.
    In other words, If I want to prep the whole plane, knowing it might be
    two or three days before some area's get covered, will the Balsarite
    still work????? Or, does it have to be covered over as soon as it
    dries. Also, any knowledge on how balsarite works over non-wood
    materials. For example filler. One more question, does anyone know if
    Colortex is "supposed" to be fuel proof, or will that need to be done?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Steve

You shouldn't have too much trouble waiting a couple of days.  I
know that Balsarite says you can wait indefinitely, but I've had
troubles waiting over a week or so.

The sooner you activate Balsarite the better, and especially when
I was learning to use Micafilm, I've used it immediately like one
would dope down tissue.

This works pretty nicely, btw, since the Balsarite has a long
tack period during which you can reposition the material --
Micafilm can be tricky at first.

But anyway, a couple of days shouln't hurt.  And be careful of
the heat, Balsarite needs less heat than Econocote or Oracover.
Much less than Monocote.

    This isn't exactly the right place to ask this question, but
    here goes.
    
    I'm about ready to cover the wing on the anniversary cub. I have it
    set up with an aileron servo in each wing. This means that the push
    rod will have to go through the covering to reach the horn.
    
    The question is this.....if I make a hole/slit in the covering for the
    push rod to exit through, is that leaving me open to the covering
    ripping off in flight??????? Is there another method that should be
    used. Will CA around the hole/slit keep it from tearing under
    pressure??
    
    Steve

    Steve,
    
    What material are you using?  Whatever material, even films, you should
    be able to apply a reinforcement arount the pushrod exit area to
    discourage tearing/running.  Another thought is to glue on some plastic
    pushrod exit guides...glue them right onto the covering with thick CA. 
    By itself, I don't think CA will do much to reinforce the slits,
    particularly if using a plastic film.
    
    The REAL solution is to make a balsa reinforcing plate, attached to a
    rib or convenient adjacent structure, sanded flush with the outer wing
    surface, and make the pushrod exit slot in this plate.  Then, just cover 
    over the whole shebang, trim the covering out of the slot and, Bingo! 
    Yer' home free.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al's suggestion is the best way to go. A quicker method that I've
    used sucessfully is to put a piece of clear vinyl tape over the
    point where the pushrod exits. I've never had any ripping problems
    with this. Most films will eventually rip at right/acute angle cuts
    if not reinforced some way.
    
    Terry
    

    I'm using the Super Coverite fabric texture covering on the cub.
    
    Talked with Dan Snow off line and he suggested the same reinforcment
    idea as Al, seconded by Terry. Guess that's good enough for me.
    
    See Al, ya did it again.
    
    Thanks guys,
    
    Steve

I guess this is the right place to ask this.....

I bought a "Low Boy" at my club auction, it had been half built by a guy who 
unfortunately hadn't lived to finish it! 

The plane seems very nicely built, a bit heavy maybe, but nice. My major problem 
in finishing it is that he'd installed pinned hinges into the tail surfaces, 
glued in VERY firmly. Now, I always cover my flying surfaces BEFORE fitting the 
hinges, because I always use iron-on films/fabrics. 

How can I cover these surfaces? Iron-ons are going to be VERY fiddly working 
round the hinges, and the pins won't come out so I can't remove the surfaces for 
covering. Am I about to learn how to use "traditional" techniques? 8^)

All suggestions gratefully received......

Nigel.

    Nigel,
    	You could cut the hinges and install new ones next to them.  It's a
    bit of work, so you'll have to weigh that against covering with the
    hinges in place.  The covering would cover the cut hinges so the major
    work would be installing new hinges next to the old ones.
    
    Charlie
    

    I have done this a few times with a wing that is almost five years old
    and has been covered 4 times now!  Its a bit of a pain but not
    impossible.  What I do is measure the hinge pin centers, cut about a
    3/16" slot and cover the entire aileron in one piece.  If you warp
    around you can cover the cutout slot from the other side.  For the wing
    side I cut a piece about 2 inces wide the length of the wing, put the
    slots in it and then iron it down.  Then cover over this piece with the
    monokote you cover the wing with.  It looks tougher than it is.
    
    A piece looks like this:                hinge pin centers
                                           /
    _________________ _________ __________ ____________
    |               | |       | |        | |          |
    |               |_|       |_|        |_|          |
    |                                                 | 
    |                                                 |
    |_________________________________________________|              
    
    
    
    
    

I HATE fitting hinges! This has decided me to have a crack at covering in situ, 
as per .-1.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll post a note when I've found out how well I 
manage!

Cheers

Nigel (learning, learning, learning ! 8^)

hi all,

the article "neue verfahrenstechnik f�r klebefolie" in modell 4/94 
describes how to produce a top class, wrinkle free finish that won't warp 
in the sun. The key factors to success are the priming of the wood and the 
covering meterial, an adhesive film like ORASTICK.

1) sand the wing panels with still attached ailerons/flaps using grit 240.
   remove dust carefully with vac cleaner and cloth.

2) get a lacquer that is used to seal wooden floors. this lacquer fills, 
   seals and hardens the surface of the wood in one single step. let dry 
   for 2-3 days! this long period establishes the hard surface! as you will 
   apply only one coat, use enough of the stuff to fill the wood, but
   don't drown it. to much lacquer might work its way into the foam 
   underneath, melting it away. also you would have to do a better sanding
   job in the next step.

3) Now sand with a 420 grit. you can use a rotary sander attached to your 
   electric drill, but you must have a flexible meterial between the 
   sanding paper and the hub. use the flexible foam you wrap your rx in.
   this prevents from sanding dents into the curvature of your airfoil. you
   must sand until the surface is smooth and "shiney".

4) cut out aileron/flaps and seal the foam with balsa strips. apply lacquer
   to the strips only if you like to (or tv program is boring once again).

5) remove all dust with a moistened cloth. get the self adhesive cover 
   material and cut it a little oversized. at this point you can't switch 
   back to normal iron film, because the heat would react with the lacquer 
   and you would get zillions of bubbles, and because the wood is sealed,
   they do not have any chance of escaping!

6) start with the lower surface, and pin down the covering at the middle of 
   the panel with 2/3 pins. better to get someone elses hands to hold it 
   down.

7) pull off the backing paper on one half. although the author does not
   describe it, i think the backing paper must be cut near the pins. during 
   the removal hold the film into the air, now give it a little tension and
   start to attach it in the center of the panel, along the spar working 
   toward root or tip. pull the pins, remove the remaining backing paper 
   and work to the opposite end of the wing, again only attaching it along 
   the spar. now work towards LE and TE, starting from the center of the 
   panel. use a soft cloth to press the covering on.

8) as said before, beware of heat! to "weld" the overlapping gaps on LE, TE,
   and wing tips,  the heat must be applied very short!


the author promises a finish, that is hard to distinguis from the finish of 
fulll composite wings, and that it would stay this way even in the sun.
(i think, you need 3-5 wings of practice, until you really get that good...)
in case of repairs, a heat gun can be used to "delaminate" the covering. 
you must sand the remainings of the covering glue away.

wear sunglasses when woking on this top finish!
joe t.

    Thanks JOE T. for this translation.  I originally saw this article
    in the April '94 FMT an Joe has graciously done an excellent job of
    summarizing in English.
    
    The pictures in the article concur with what Joe has described.  The
    finished wing certainly did look beautiful!
    
    Ed Slegers desribes a similar method in the latest RCSD.
    
    Goldberg Ultracoat Plus would be a viable substitute for ORASTICK
    and is readily available in the USA(TOWER has it for $12.99).
    
    I am going to try this method on my obechi towplane wing.
    
    Will report the results.
    
    Thanks again Joe T. - our last remaining German translator. :-(