Tutorial program appllying Ultracote

Well, you're screwed... There is nothing like that out on the market.

Make friends with an old-timer that knows how to do it, and get him to SHOW you how it's done live and in person.

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section =

"Covering Materials & Instructions (see also Colours & Visibility above)"

Chemical Compatibility of Common Model Finishing Materials Cover Foam Wings With Brown Paper - Ezone Covering - Lee Van Tassle Cover small models with tissue - M.A.N. tips. Covering & Painting Techniques*** Coverite Home Page Fibreglass Cloth Covering by Jim Ryan Klass Kote (epoxy paint) Lite Films,Covering & colouring & weights - Roy Bourke Light plastic film - types & techniques for micro flyers - M.A.N article Monokote - How to. MonoKote & LustreKote Surface Preparation & Painting Oracover = Ultracote = Profilm . Hobby Lobby's tips

- Holland Painting Canopies (Heli) - email Alan for file. Painting RC models with Latex Paint Pennyplane - lightweight building & covering for indoor duration Poly-Fibre Polyester Fabrics Polyurethane (Water based) - adhere and finish fibreglass and Koverall cloth etc. RhinoCover Base White Scale Rib Stitch Silk (Thai silks) Silkspan Covering - How to and Why Solite - How to apply this ultra lite film Solite - Advanced Covering Techniques SPAD (Simple Plastic Model Design) - use of plastics Tinting Clear Canopies - David Tatosian. (site down - email Alan direct for copy.) Two Color Covering - RCFU Ultracote® ( = ProFilm =OraCover) Tips & Tricks = Horizon Hobby : Laminate: Use 3mm thick film

at Alan's Hobby, Model & RC Web Links

Actually there is a video for monokote, but it's really not much use.

Most every club has at least one person who does beautiful covering work. Like Matthew said, that is the resource you need to find

A. T., thanks you, thank you! I clicked onto the Hobby Lobby site you sent. The Low -Temp Polycover may be what my friend should try. According to the characteristics described for this covering material, it may just do the trick.

Wan

How about a DVD?

Here's one:

Double Ace,

I think you just hit the nail on the head. If the DVD lives up to the description by Tower Hobbies, this is probably what my friend needs. It will have sound and motion, demonstrating how to do difficult compound curves on wing tips and fillets, as well as intricate designs for decor.

I made a print out of the ad you sent for my friend.

Thanks, Wan

that's the same one as the VHS tape I have Ain't worth the cost of postage much less $15 for the DVD

It only has REAL BASIC stuff, and no one here who has seen it was impressed with it

Hmm...Maybe I was overly enthused. From the Tower Hobbies' description, the DVD appeared to be for the beginner as well as the modeling expert. I would like to hear more about the quality of instructions before I take the print out to my friend. Certainly don't want to disappoint him.

Thanks, Bob.

Wan

As others have said, get to a local club meeting and ask around for someone who does really good covering jobs - then find out what kind of beer they like and get some! I know you said words won't help, and I'm not sure video, audio or just live observation will help either. In my experience, there is no substitute for patience and practice in getting a good covering job. That being said, here are some techniques I use that with a little practice should help quite a bit.

Patience, don't get in a hurry or work on it when you are tired or not really in the mood.

Spend some time on surface preparation before covering. Once your friend starts getting good at covering, one of the first things they are likely to notice is nothing they can do with covering will hide a poor sanding job.

Make all your cuts as clean and even/smooth as possible. That means using a sharp, fresh blade, a straight edge whenever possible and cutting on a smooth, hard surface. I use an 8" x 30" x 1/4" piece of glass to cut on and usually buy #11 blades in packages of 100.

Experiment with your covering and iron to find out what temperatures to use. Above a certain temperature, over a non-porous surface the adhesive on most films will cause the film to bubble. You need to find where that temperature is for the material and iron you are using. For my current iron with Monokote over balsa, I set the temperature knob at the 2 O'clock position for good adhesion in a single pass. If I am putting down Monokote over Monokote though that temperature is too high and will cause bubbling, so there I set the knob at 12 O'clock.

When overlapping seams, try to minimize the overlap (I shoot for 1/8" -

1/4"), keep the overlap distance as consistent as you can on the seam, and if possible, plan the layers so the upper layer of the seam is towards the front of the aircraft. This makes the seam less vulnerable to lifting with fuel/oil/air pressure.

When overlaying large areas, patience, windex, and a squeege will go a LONG way. Mist the area being covered with windex, lay the top piece on and gently squeege the windex out from under it working from the center out towards the edges. THEN LEAVE IT ALONE overnight to give the last traces of windex a chance to evaporate from under the top layer. The next day, come back with your iron on a low setting and seal the edges. If the upper piece has sharp corners, you might want to apply just the slightest amount of thin CA to the points to help keep them stuck. I use a squeege with a very soft rubber blade that's about 6" wide.

On really complex designs, the best covering guy I know will lay up the whole design on a large piece of glass using the windex/squeege method and then peel the whole sheebang up and apply it to the airplane. The nice thing about doing it that way is if he makes a mistake on the 3rd or 4th color/layer he can just lift that layer off any try again without having to start over at layer 1. He is literally doing murals in Monokote though.

Balsa and covering are cheap. Make up a dozen or so practice pieces with compound curves out of some scrap, get the aforementioned beer and invite the club covering ace over for some hands on. But make sure your friend is using their own iron so they get the temperatures down and they are actually doing most of the covering practice.

Good luck

Thanks for taking the time to write down all these "words of wisdom" I will make a print of them so my friend could pick up on your hints.

He is not exactly a beginner, but is easily frustrated and beats up on himself for not getting the covering on right.

There is a local expert that may be willing to alllow him to watch. As for the beer, my friend doesn't dringk any : )

Wan

Let's say you're covering a wing. In one hand is the iron; the other is used to pull the coating over the edges. What do you use to hold the wing to keep it from slipping?

Tnx - LeeH Running out of hands...

here are the rest of the pics /vids that didnt make it to the other acct

here is the cesna (so far 3 channel)

Those photos and videos of your electric plane are great. Appears you guys are having lots of fun. Looks as if you used lots of glue to fix the one you crashed into the curb.

I'm going to check ou your other site with the Cesna to see what else you have. Keep them coming.

Wan

In about any model shop you'll find a book on covering written by Harry Higley, the world's foremost authority (next to me) on about every aspect of the hobby. I have quickly leafed through it, and I believe it would meet your friend's needs. However, your friend should be realistic about the extent of the covering task he takes on. This is truly one aspect of modeling that requires many hours of experience.

Ciao,

Mr Akimoto

You use your...ahhh....ummmm.....

Maybe not here in this news group....

Sorry....

Dave

a book on covering written by Harry Higley,

A book by Harry Higley, I will relay your information to my friend.

Thanks, Wan