Bruce-w

After several years of monocote finishes I'm wanting to use the fabric covering do they offer an unpainted version that can be sealed and then paited or will the color version accept paint thinking of going with a PPG auto paint finish and looking for any comments from anyone who has gone this route.

Thx, BW

LouW

I use Sig Koverall for almost all my models. I now use Fab-Tac to adhere it to the structure although I have used Balsa Loc and ironed it on in the past. It is heat shrinkable. I fill the weave with two or three coats of clear dope then spray the color on. The finish looks like full scale fabric finish and it is tough. It is much more puncture resistant than plastic film. I’ve had crashes where the underlying structure failed but not the fabric. It is as least as light as monocote. It works well around compound curves and is doesn’t sag in hot humid weather. Of course for years I used silk and nylon neither of which were heat shrinkable, so this seems like a major improvement.

Rodney

If you want a good unpainted fabric, check out Ceconite from Aircraft Spruce and Specialties. Somewhat less expensive, goes on easily, has a very high shrink factor and can be bought in just about any length. You can use any of the paint on heat sensitive glues to apply it. Comes in several weight, use the lightest for models, 1.5 oz/ sq. Yd if I remember correctly. their web site is quite good and service is fast.

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

Painting fabric comes down to the one most important factor. You MUST fill the weave with some sort of primer. If you use the antique color for an old timer scale project you can put clear butyrate on it for fuel proofing and it will retain its color. If you want it you can get most fabrics in color although the choice of color is much more limited than film coverings. I have used both uncolored and antique finish and then painted. The first try resulted in a complete recover job because the read the directions first gear slipped and I didn't fill before painting. The only possible objection to fabric is that it is slightly heavier than film making it unsuitable for small airplanes. Other than that it is much easier to use and a lot more fun when you do it right.

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

P.S. Just noticed you live in FL. I'm so old I remember when Piper first used Ceconite. It's just great fabric. If you have a sailmaker nearby you could probably get it from him. Ceconite is just heat stabilized sailcloth. The problem will be finding some that is light enough for your use. When I worked for Piper (West coast) we bought our fabric from a sailmaker because it was cheaper.

LouW

I have not used the iron on fabrics, but I use Sig Koverall on just about everything I build. The finished weight is certainly comparable to the iron on films, and it’s considerably stronger. I have a .10 powered “miss America” that served as my R/C trainer and after well over a hundred flights the Koverall covered wing is still in good shape. It has survived a flight through a tree, a dive into a fire ant hill and a straight in due to a tip stall close to the ground, with only several small patches. An Easy Sport covered with Koverall lost an argument with a fence and though the leading edge back to the spar was crunched, the covering only had two small tears. It was when repairing this that I was first impressed with the toughness of Koverall. The lightest Ceconite is still quite a bit heavier than Koverall, but it is a similar material. It would probably be a good choice for giant models.

LouW

Since my last post I did some research on weight. On a typical R/C airplane the weight of the covering is not particularly significant. For instance a Sig “Something Special” has just over a square yard of covering area. Monocote weighs 1.8 oz./sq. yd. The nominal weight of a S.E. is 4.5 lbs (72 oz.), so the covering is 2.5% of the total weight. Ultracote weighs 2.3 oz./sq.yd. which is an increase of only 0.7%. Coverite fabric weighs 2.7 oz./sq.yd. (or an increase of 1.2% over monocote). Thus using the heaviest iron-on fabric only adds about an ounce (or 1.2%) to the weight. As over powered as most R/C models are, such a small weight difference will never be noticed.

Sig Koverall weighs 1.25 oz./sq./ft. and with a dope finish applied will easily end up comparable to monocote and a little lighter than ultracote. If you are limited to kitchen table type building facilities the iron-on plastics are the only good choice, but if you have a shop where the dope smell can be accommodated, Koverall will result in a much stronger, more durable covering with no weight penalty. It can be used on any airplane, that can be covered with monocote.

For ˝ A and smaller craft, Polyspan is a good choice. It is similar in weight and texture to the old silkspan, applies like Koverall, and is heat shrinkable and very tough. I’ve used it on airplanes down to .020 power.

(The lightest Ceconite is an uncertified fabric for use on ultra-light aircraft, and home builts, and weighs 1.8 oz./sq/yd. The weave is not as fine as Koverall and the finished weight would be more on the order of Coverite(2.4-6 oz./sq.yd.)