kitman09

hi need some tips on covering wing tips on elder 40, like a compound curve tip, the middle is taller than the rest, goes from narrow to wide to narrow again, i think i explaned this right. please help, this is all i like on this model and went through a half a roll of ultracote allready trying to get them to look presentable.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Have a look at this video:

http://videoserver.rcuniverse.com/rc...s/352/cov3.wmv

kitman09

cant get site to work?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Go to this review:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=352

Scroll down to the section on COVERING.

There are 3 videos - #3 deals with the wingtip

Jester241

Sounds to me like its just needs a heat gun shrinking if I'm understanding it right. Are you handy with a heat gun? Some newer guys are tought to cover with just an iron......(not good). Perhaps some pics or something would help. Also,are you using monokote or ultracote or something else?

kitman09

using ultracote

jester_s1

It's not difficult at all to cover wingtips with a heat gun. It's nearly impossible with an iron. The key is to pull hard on the material while heating it so that it stretches where it needs to while it shrinks where it needs to. Only stick it down a little at a time, taking several passes to get it all the way around. Ultracote is easier to do this with than monocote, so at least you're working with the right material.

kitman09

thanks jester, did what you said and it worked out great, thanks for the help.

jester_s1

Glad I could help. I'm indebted to the videos that Minnflyer made a while back to learn how.

SeamusG

I've had very good success covering wing tips with Ultracote and a trim iron. There are two different trim iron tips, one is flat and the other resembles a boat bottom - the top is flat and the bottom is very rounded. The bow is fairly pointed and the transom about 1/2" wide and 1/4' deep.

I set this iron to high temp. The low temp is just enough to activate the glue. The high is hot enough to shrink / stretch Ultracote. I hover the iron about 1/8" off the surface where I want to stretch it. The iron tip provides very accurate application of heat and allows me to stretch / shrink the covering around items like wing tips, hatch edges, engine compartment "cheeks", built up wood cowls, etc. A heat gun transfers a lot of heat to a very broad area. This tool locates the heat very accurately.

With that said, and having just viewed MinnFlyer's covering videos (P-38 build), I'm going to revisit the heat gun especially using the balsa tipped needle nose pliers for gripping the covering.

Pic - wing tip of my Hog Bipe
and ...
the iron tip

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I did a whole series of videos on covering a while back.

Check these out:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=726

SeamusG

I've watched them several times. I like your use of the needle nose pliers with balsa tips (low pain threshold in the finger tips [:@]). Thanks so much! Great stuff.

Maybe I'm just stubborn - I try to get the old Ultracote to stretch completely around a tip, an end, or a corner without slicing any covering so that I end up with a seamless, uncut 1/4" sealed edge.

Btw Mike - RCKen in the LT-40 pay it forward build thread hinged everything before covering resulting in "built in" hinge line seals. Can you comment on pros and cons? Just askin ... I have some opinions but I'm not sure whether they are skewed by my relative inexperience.

TIA,

edited followup ?: Ultracote is an absolute B*****to cut after it has heated to stretching / shrinking temp - even with a brand new razor blade. How well does MonoKote cut after being really heated up?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I prefer to cover first, then hinge. It makes for a cleaner look IMHO, plus, it's MUCH easier to do. True, it leaves a gap, but a small gap is NOT a bad thing. A LARGE gap is bad because it will cause a loss of the control surface's efficiency - and it has nothing to do with "Flutter".

If you have a plane with large gaps and you want more control, seal them, otherwise, don't worry about them. In fact, one of the latest trends in 3D flying is to leave them open because the guys like the whistling noise that the open gaps produce.

MK and UC can both be tough to cut after heating, but you'll find that if you let them cool down a bit, it gets a little easier.

SeamusG

Thanks Mike,

I totally agree with your assessment on quality of resulting job. I feel that the smaller surfaces like elevator, rudder and ailerons suffer big time. Now that I have a roll of Ultracote Lite transparent I will try it on the hinges after doing a cover-then-hinge sequence.

Maybe those noise lovers should put a deer whistle on their plane instead.