jasonc1354

My Feedback: (7)

What is the best way to stick monokote onto monokote. I'm trying to stick some large stripes on the bottom of my wing. If I try to heat the stripes I get bubbles. If I turn down my iron the monokote wont stick. Ive heard of the trim solvent but have know idea if it is easy to use and forgiving when I'm trying stick them on.

hattend

My Feedback: (20)

Poke a bunch of pin holes under the area you want to cover.

BigBird1

My Feedback: (4)

Spray wing with Windex...place on stripe, sqeegie out the Windex, iron with fairly warm iron...the go to a hotter setting to finish..

Or....use the Trim Solv, no ironing..

klhoard

My Feedback: (10)

Read the post in this forum titled "Making an American Flag on your airplane" (or close). You will find the best explanation with pictures about how to do this.

Stew99

The Windex method works very well. I have covered large areas with multiple layers of monokote with no lifting of the edges after several seasons of flying. You need to make sure the Windex is completely dry before you go over it with the warm iron otherwise you still will get little bubbles. The monokote trim solvent works ok but it is difficult to get the right amount. Too much will dissolve the color layer and cause a blotchy appearance. It is also hard to keep air bubbles from being trapped under large pieces.

pinball-RCU

Stew99 is right on about the trim solvent. The bleeding thing only happens with certain colors I think, but can be a huge pain in the butt. I had one plane I thought I'd never get cleaned up, because the more you clean the more it bleeds.

The air bubbles are a problem as well, and one thing about trim solvent: you only get one chance.

Still, it is very fast compared to the other methods, and a few little bubbles don't bother me.

If you go with trim solvent, get a huge fan to blow fresh air your way!

Charlie P.

I am currently putting black Monokote stripes over orange using the trim solvent and I have black ooze that's a pain in the arse. Squeeging out the bubbles also forces black ooze out and onto everything. I have to dip a q-tip in the solvent after the stripes have set overnight and wet the smudges and then wipe the area with a tissue. Another problem with the solvent is that once set in place it is not possible to slide the stripes as it is with decals set using Windex. And, if you squeege too much you can force all of the color out, leaving a clear spot where the under color shows through.

It took me a while to get a feel for using it but now I am getting good adhesion. I'm going back to Windex for the larger areas.

Commander_Drake

My Feedback: (2)

I use solvent alcohol on a Q-tip to clean the smudges from the trim solvent. It takes a little more rubbing but it dosen't make any new smudges.

pinball-RCU

One thing to note about trim solvent is that they are not all the same! The "No Heat" brand is a very volatile solvent, and after it evaporates, it's gone gone (won't stick anything to anything). As a result, you have to work really fast, which is not always a good thing. The Monokote trim solvent has stuff in it that doesn't evaporate as fast, and as a result, you can use it very sparingly, and pretty much take your time. It will still stick after it appears to have evaporated.

BrianMorris

I just finished the wings on my newest project.I sprayed Windex on the pieces I wanted to apply over existing covering.I laid the pieces where I wanted them.I used a credit card to squeegee out the excess.I left them there over night.I did not have to use an iron. I did use gun to tighten everything up with no negative results.Actually looks very nice.

birdnest

Brian is right, you do not have to iron over the trim piece when using the "windex method". Once the windex has evaporated overnight, I take a q tip dampened in monokote trim solvent and just run the tip around the edges of the trim to seal it down. If you dont put too much solvent on, you won't get pigment runs, but if you do, it cleans up with acetone. Next year, if you have to reshrink the covering, you can go over the trim area with an iron, and interestingly, I have found that it doesnt gas and form bubbles at that point.

Peter