stuka

My Feedback: (62)

I have a Hanger 9 60cc Corsair and the covering is giving me a lot of trouble. I have shrunk it with a heat gun and went over the entire model with an iron and it continues to wrinkle in the sun. I have done this at least 3 times and have also turned my iron all the way up with a cotton sock on it and went over the entire model to help seal it. What else can I do to help correct this. It is getting very fustrating to say the least. Thanks

H5606

Just through personal experience, I keep dark colored aircraft shaded and/or out of the sun as much as practical to keep skin temps down or relegate them to overcast days. Another more drastic alternative is to re-cover in post war Navy gray scheme although still have black anti-glare panel to deal with...

gratter

Had the same problem with my hanger 9 covering on my sailplane. Ended up ripping it off and recovering with monocots. But still have problems here in Florida with black.

TFF

If you use too much heat it changes the makeup of the film. It will get loose in the sun. More than 350 and it changes.

jester_s1

It doesn't change the properties, but it does use up all of the available shrinkage. Polyester only shrinks once. So on a new covering job, you should use the minimum heat to get it tight so that there is some shrinkage left for later. The goal is to get the covering set with a little bit of stretch so that when it expands in the heat it won't wrinkle. Chances are you won't be able to get that covering job to stay wrinkle free since you've put the high heat to it and used up all of the shrinkage.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Unfortunately at this point you will find keeping it tight is a lost cause. The two most important steps to a good covering job have already been bypassed on most ARF models. First step is to get the wood as dust free as possible prior to covering. Any dust will impede adhesion. I will usually dust off a structure a minimum of 6 times just prior to covering. I use a few black T shirts so I can easily see what is coming off the wood. Give it a try, you will be amazed how much sanding dust comes off.

Second is is during application the material must be applied in a manner that requires minimal shrinking. A couple of examples.

jester_s1

I'll give my method too. I don't bother with wiping off the dust because that just spread it around and may even push it into the pores of the wood. I vacuum the plane really well and then give it 2 coats of hair spray, allowing it to dry thoroughly between. The vacuuming takes off a lot of the dust, then the hairspray glues the remaining dust down along with any fuzzies left on the surface of the wood. It also raises the grain a little which gives the covering a rougher surface to stick to. I have very few wrinkling problems with planes when I prep the wood that way.

raptureboy

Blow off the dust with an air compressor then tack rag it. But like others have said you used too much heat. Covering needs to be stretched as much as possible before applying heat, something they don't do in a factory when your working piece time.