Recovering
 

So I have a SIG LT-40 that is pictured on my profile. I have beat this thing up in training and she has been a great plane. I will be keeping her but I decided that I want to recover her down the road. Looking for a full strip and recover to a new scheme. I have done cover repair so I get the idea and I have also read Minn's covering basic.

How do you guys secure your plane when covering so when you pull the cover tight and use the iron the plane will hold still? I know most of you do not have a third arm lol Any other tip that I should know? Also where do you all get your graphics for the planes and any specialty graphics.

Thanks

RE: Recovering
 

Legs, feet and elbows. Not kidding about this. I have a summer uniform, shorts and tee shirt, I build a lot during the summer and my legs and arms always have burn marks on them. I cut and iron my graphics and patterns.

RE: Recovering
 

I use what ever is handy. Usually heavy books. Some guys who do allot of building make cotten sacks filled with bird shot from the gun shops.

RE: Recovering
 

Bet GB doesn't wear shorts when he wraps up a wing with his legs! :D Not that I HAVE and not that I have burned the heck outa my leg ...

In addition to body parts I use multiple 1 gal zip locks full of sand and towels to hold awkward pieces on the bench - bags to hold - towels to protect.

If you are in "big time stretch mode" then body parts are preferred so that the piece doesn't slip - and your iron is at a pretty high (easy to burn ya) heat.

RE: Recovering
 

My Wife

RE: Recovering
 

I like to use shoes and/or books to hold parts when covering. Plus I am partial to ultracote. Even if you don't get it really tight it still shrinks pretty good. The hobbyking covering is also very close to ultra.

RE: Recovering
 

I have bags of shot too but for some reason if I try to set a part down on my bench and cover it I end up chasing it all over the place. I just seem to do beter work holding things. I really do end up with burn marks on my legs and hands. My thinking is, it only hurts for a few days. I have two chairs out in the shop too. When doing a big wing or fuse I have some of it on my lap and some on the chair across from me.

RE: Recovering
 

In most cases when I am covering I use an ironing board. that way I can walk around all the sides. My wife really does help and she is very good at covering. She seems to know where and how hard to pull. If I am stretching around a wing tip, I pull and she operates the heat gun. Some times she tries to shrink my fingers. but she will say "OOOPS"

RE: Recovering
 

Is that "OOOPS" or "OOOPS {snicker, snicker}"?

Getting your wife involved is a great idea.

KW_Counter

RE: Recovering
 

Thanks for the input guys, I have a feeling that my first covering job will not run very well, but hey gotta start somewhere. I plan on doing before and after pictures for it but this 'scheduled' recovering will not be till after flying season since I am sure my trainer will get beat up a little more. since I didn't build the plane I am also planning a 'restoration' and making sure everything is gone thru, convert it to a tail dragger and do new decals. I will document and add a post to display here eventually.

Does anyone have a way todo a covering scheme planon the computer? I wouldlike to see that and playwith it before deciding on the new look.

RE: Recovering
 

I use Microsoft's Visio. Pic 4 is a page from the manual. It gets scanned in then "scaled" to the exact size of the plane per the plans. Play time. Pics 1 - 3 are my interpretation of the Cub star burst scheme. You can do plenty of "what would it look like if ..." versions to see how it looks. Once ya get it the way you "think"that you want it the measurements can be transferred to the plane.

I used Ultracote yellow, black and chrome.

Pics 5-8 - the finished LT-40

Oh yea, my LT has 1 wing rib on each end eliminated (clipped wing) but still has the SIGkit specified dihedral.

Pics 9-11 - a previous iteration of my LT(yea, used to be a tail dragger) ...

RE: Recovering
 

Thanks Seamus. I have seen these picture schemes before in the Pay it Forward posting but forgot about them till you just posted these. I will play with this and see what I can come up with. Your scheme is pretty cool and I am guessing you can probably see it from Space? One question though, why did you go back to a tripod? Was the taildragger not good for this plane? Should I leave it as a tripod?

Thanks!

RE: Recovering
 

Admiral,

I remember my first recovering job - I hated it.
Two things to keep in mind:
1. Usually its just the little things that go wrong.
2. The difference between a good job and bad job is about 10 feet.

You will get better as you do more.
Don't expect perfection your first time around.

Minn, how did your first one turn out?

Good Luck,
KW_Counter

RE: Recovering
 

Admiral - during the initial build it was a tail dragger. After an unknown incident where the stab, elevator and fin were broken (nobody has fessed up to it) I did a totally sheeted approach for the stab, fin, elevator & rudder - practice for building a GP Extra 300S. With sheeting came weight - 12 oz. at the nose (I think) to offset the added tail weight. A dead stick on take off with a resulting tip stall necessitated another fix (and the tail wheel assembly was torn off). I'd like this LT to be used by others for training. Tri-cycle gear is sooooooo much more forgiving than a tail dragger AND it was sooooooo much easier to get it balanced with a minimal amount of weight.

That's my story, I'm sticking with it until (if) I remember what really happened. ;)

Oh, and I like covering - many hate it.

Oh yea - as you come up with a covering scheme just make sure to differentiate top from bottom big time. I've seen more than one experienced flier pull up when they did a lowish inverted fly by ...

RE: Recovering
 

Thanks Seamus and KW. I figure that the best way to learn and get better will be to do it and practice. I am looking at a white base with red add ons to spruce it up. I am also building a Stik so I may just make that the taildragger for practice and leave this LT as a tripod setup. Seamus I had heard about making the bottom wing different from the top which my current scheme has so I will keep with that idea. I also felt that since I bought the plane used and I see some patchwork in certain places that I could go thru it and make sure everything is good with the frame and fix anything that doesn't look right.
So next question is:

How do you strip off the old covering and what is the best way to prep the plane for new skins? Should I remove all parts from inside like the servos and rods?

I am also converting from rubber bands to a bolt down wing.

Thanks Guys</p>

RE: Recovering
 

To remove the old covering I use a heat gun to warm up the covering in front of where I am going to pull it off. In real life, my wife operates the heat gun while I do the pulling. If after the covering is removed and still some color or small pieces of covering remain, I use acetone on an old rag and remove the rest of what is left. You do not need to have the heat gun hot like you are trying to shrink the covering. Only warm enough to soften the adhesive. Just take your time and go slow. You will get the feel of how much heat it will take.

RE: Recovering
 

So messing around on my puter I came up with this scheme. The underside of the wing will be solid red. I like the NAVY trainer scheme so I figured I would apply it here. I also want to make it a tail dragger. What do you guys think, suggest?