iflircaircraft

I've built quite a few planes and always have problems when it comes to coverring. How do these ARF manufacturers get the coverring so good.
Are they using a heat tunnel and jigs for cutting the pieces?
I always get those darn iron marks.
What's your take?

Happy Flying


Tom

Jim C.

they stand over the little vietnamese kid and whip him with reeds untill he gets it right.... I dunno, i would like to see how they really do make them.

redneckteddy103

the covering is layed in a mold and everthing is built on top of it basicly the same way that they paint in fiberglass molds and then glass over top of it and then evey thing is put in to a hot room

pettit

My Feedback: (23)

Maybe the "Covering Fairy" shows up every night at midnight and everything gets covered...

Sure it does....

If you work 8 to 10 hours a day doing the same thing over and over, in a short time you get good at it.

It's like the old story about the young female violinist that was walking on the streets of New York City and asked a policeman how to get to Canagie Hall.

His answer? "Practice, practice, practice.

Checklst

All the coverings are pre cut with using metal dies. I took the covering off a Lanier edge 540 without damaging the covering. I used the old covering as a template and you would have been amazed how easy the covering went back on when the pieces are cut to PROPER SHAPE. If I ever scratch build a plane again I will use vary thin tissue paper to make a template, then cut the final shapes for covering it's the only way to go.

I also saw a picture of the inside of a plant in china on the Internet and saw stacks of coverings and the metal templates that made them, their were also lots of wooden jigs for frame up, I did not save the site (sorry) it was a interesting look inside the workings of a ARF MFG.

majortom-RCU

My Feedback: (40)

I am still working out the secrets to a good monokote/ultracote job, but find that a good jig to hold the pieces securely (especially a big wing) is crucial. This allows you to get one good hand on the edge of the film so you can pull the wrinkles out while kicking the adhesive off with a hot-air gun. Remove the gun and hold the film stretched for a couple seconds while the film cools and sets the adhesive. Works great on rounded wingtips. Get a glove to keep the heat off your stretching hand.

Covering over sheeted balsa, pull the film down tight, heat it, then drop your heat gun and wipe the film down to the balsa while it's still hot. Just a little pressure from a gloved gun hand (soft, nappy glove) will adhere the film with no bubbles and a nice smooth finish to it.

Proper temperature on your iron is also crucial--hot enough to make the adhesive stick, but not so hot you pucker the film. Also, some films (monokote seems to be the worst example) will shrink more along the length of a roll than across the width of the roll. This gets to be a major pain sometimes when I cut a piece along the wrong dimension.

redneckteddy103

here goand look at this web site and it will teach you the basics to a good cover job

http://www.monokote.com/monoinst1.html

IAMKAOS

yes,....and it starts coming off after a few flights.

iflircaircraft

Thanks Checklst and majortom:
I have tried different methods myself over the years and think that I've depended way too much on the iron and not the heat gun. I usually cut small pieces for corners where the stab meets the fuse, fillets and other areas.
Templates are an idea I've never considered but will try in the future.
Also I never realized coverring had a grain effect, however, on the last plane I did cover with monocote (Dark purple) I had one piece cut in the wrong direction and you can see an actual difference in color in the right light.


Happy Flying


Tom

redneckteddy103

hey if you do it the right way it wont come off i have a plane i did when i was 15 and its still on there and im 30 now so guess it all depends on how ya do it and who does it

IAMKAOS

i'm talking about some the arfs on the market now. they do not iron that covering on . they seal the seams and then they put them in a heating oven to shrink the covering and it does not adhere to a lot of the wood surface underneath. i have a couple of kit planes i built many years ago i covered in monokote. i used balsarite on the wood and the covering on them is still sealed and drum tight. a fella rc modeler i know is asian -american who has been to some of those manufactuers in china. he personaly watched the covering procedure in a a factory in china. he told me that they can cover one of those arfs in minutes. they do not seal the wood or draw the covering tight because it is cut from templetes. it looks great out the box until you start flying the model and the covering gets exposed to sunlight and fuel. here in florida in the high humidity and heat it wreks havoc with some these inexpensive arfs.

redneckteddy103

sorry then

but your not too far from me did you happen to go to the florida jets this week end in lake wales ?

Checklst

Russel I think you are right on the covering, but every arf I ever owned I always fire up the socked iron and the edge sealing iron and go over every sq inch so maybe thats why I have such good luck in the wrinkle/seam dept. I also use a couple of sticks(6') of triangle stock on every arf, Fire wall, bulk heads get most of the triangle and I usually glass in the landing gear bay, seal the hinges, and use thin ca with a long tip on about every joint I can reach (neatly I might add) don't like glue drips or slop.............sure an extra 3 hours on a 20 hour arf is a slight pain, buts it's worth every min not having the trouble down the road.[8D]

IAMKAOS

no. i never have been to one of those jet meets. i drove to sanford one time but they canceled due to bad weather. some of our flying gang used to go to those different meets like top gun down south of here. but when gas went to $3.00 a gallon they quit going plus all the heavy traffic in florida now . one fella in our group tries to go to some of those. 'rich uravitch'....you might have heard of him. also dave platt of dave platt models lives here in palm bay. he was inducted in the ama hall of fame some time ago.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Have you guys seen my covering videos here on RCU?

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

iflircaircraft

Yes Minn:
Thanks you did a great job. I need to use my heat gun more and the iron less.....thanks once again.
One thing I'm going to do on my next build is what the ARF manufacturers are doing. Cover then install the fillets and tail sections.
This can also be done on my wing tips because they will be the rounded shaped tips from solid balsa as opposed to built up tips.
I usually use monocote with good results and use the 'windex' method for adding stripes,trim etc. Here's a pic or two of one of my coverring jobs.

Happy Flying


Tom

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Personally, I think it would be a LOT easier to cover wingtips once they are installed - mainly due to the fact that you can get more pulling leverage when they are solidly attached to something.

I also prefer to assemble first and cover second. Using the 3/8" wide strips in the corners (Like I did in the video) makes this a breeze

redneckteddy103

need to go to one ya might like it . i just like to go and dream of what i cant afford lol