Meesh

My Feedback: (135)

Does any one have an easy way of putting clear colored panels in wings or stabs?? I like what SIG does with the Rascal ARFs' and would like to try it on something else.

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

I only put clear covering on an open space when there is an adjacent edge to put solid color on for contrast. Example a sheeted leading edge and a fairly wide trailing edge. or built up stabilizers, vertical and horizontal, with the contrasting color on the movable surfaces. If you take a closer look at the Sig models You will note that they always have the transparent areas surrounded with a solid color. You can get Monokote with matching transparent and solid colors.

Meesh

My Feedback: (135)

I noticed that. I'm trying to find out an easy way to do it. The SiG Rascal has almost eliptical shaped clear panels on the wings. How do you accomplish this? Do you cut the eliptical shape and put that on the wing?? Most of it is not supported by anything at the edge. It would be difficult at best to get it to stick to the solid color that goes over it. The only thing I can figure is they cut the clear piece then make the opening in the solid piece a little smaller then iron the clear part on to the solid part before assembling it to the wing. Does anyone know for sure???

iflyrc24

My Feedback: (5)

I do the whole wing covering scheme on a piece of glass. Overlap your edges by a 1/4". Then all you have to do is peel up the sheet of covering (all 7 colors ) place it on the wing, iron the edges and shrink.

Piece of cake

DEG

Al Stein

I do like Ifly. for something like the eliptical cutout, I iron the edges of the top color (that would be the opaque color) using about a 1/4" overlap and a temperature that's hot enough to seal the joint well but cool enough not to shrink the material.

For seams that go the whole way across an open framework (like the joint between the colored main color parts and the white insignia background on my Stik wings) I do the same, but then I put a 1/4" or 3/8" strip of clear covering across the joint on the underside... sealed together adhesive to adhesive they never seem to come loose.

BTW, working with transparent coverings and with overlapped edges is where the irons with the good temperature controls become worth their cost... and a whole lot more!

Meesh

My Feedback: (135)

Iflyrc24

Do you actually stick the whold thing to the glass or just where the overlaps are??

Very ingenious by the way!

Al Stein, Thank you also. I think I have it. Now to try it out!

iflyrc24

My Feedback: (5)

Meesh
Not my original idea, I stole it a long time ago
I smooth out the monokote on the glass with as few bubbles as possible with the backing off, then iron only where it overlaps. The covering will stick together but won't shrink much on the glass. When shrinking on the plane I keep the intense heat off the seams. If you try to shrink a wrinkle across a seam it will pull apart. Don't ask

DEG

Meesh

My Feedback: (135)

DEG,

Thanks! I'm going to have to try this out!

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

I've done a camo job on glass like that. I used just the heal of the iron on the overlap. You don't run along the seam you just press the heal down one section at a time. It also helps if you keep the covering runing the same way. It seems to shrink more up the roll than across the roll.
If you dont have a piece of glass (and your wife isn't home) a picture off the wall works well.
A dry erase marker is also handy. You can write on the glass and the covering then just wipe it away. Just dont heat it. Another good thing to have is Trim Solvent. After your done some of the colors might bleed onto each other. When the job is done take a cotton ball with a little trim solvent to clean up.

Sorry I sometimes ramble on......david

Meesh

My Feedback: (135)

Thanks Dave. That's excellent!

Bob

iflyrc24

My Feedback: (5)

I stole the glass door off the stereo cabinet.

Honest Honey the amp was overheating in there all closed up

I also use the trim solvent to clean up the seams.

DEG