jetblast96

Thanks so much for the tips, I'll keep them in mind when I cover the elevator/stabilizer gray tips

Quikturn

My Feedback: (12)

Nice work seamusG! Thanks for sharing your tips.

SeamusG

JB - I did an Ultracote covering-only thread for my LT-40. Ifocused on the basics. Might help.

jetblast96

SeamusG, just read through that thread, wow that really helped. Beautiful job on that plane's covering. I'm going to try out your methods for control surfaces. By the way, how do you get to cut the covering to the corect size so neatly? I get a piece roughly the same shape as the surface, iron it on, then cutting the edges consistently and evenly is very hard. What method do you use for cutting to size?

Thanks again for your help

SeamusG

Once Icome up with a scheme using paints, colored pencils, software I transfer the design to the uncovered surface with a pencil as best Ican. A soft lead #1 pencil works well because it won't dent the wood when you make your marks. Just make your marks on the edges. With the saved backing sheets from ultracote (or wax paper)Icut it generally to shape and tape it to the plane. Then use a felt tip pen (fine tip Sharpies work well) to transfer the marks from the plane to the paper - it's transparent enough to easily see thru. Then you take the paper and lay it on top of the Ultracote. Transfer the marks from the paper to the Ultracote. Might tape the paper to the Ultracote - flip it up - mark - flip it down - locate the next mark - flip it up - mark - down locate - up mark - etc.

Cutting the Ultracote can be a challenge. Ihave a green cutting mat about 33" long (Tower Hobbies or LHS). It keeps the film from moving around when you cut it. I have a selection of rulers - 6", 12", 24"and 48" - they take care of straight lines. Curves? Ihave a bunch of French curves that I DONOT use. You can pretty much freehand the cuts. Imake dotted lines with the Sharpie where Iwant the cuts. Then Ijust slowly and smoothly cut along the dotted line. If you get too concerned about being right on the line - you WILLscrew it up - guaranteed! Just keep your eyes ahead of the cut and don't lift your blade. The cutting mat helps keeping the film from moving. Maybe some painters tape to hold it still might work.

Don't worry about making both sides identical. Close enough for hand granades works well. The only person that knows that they aren't identical is you. Nobody else is gonna look unless your building for a competitiion.

HTH

That LT-40 starburst covering thread? The pictures that I used as a model was developed using Microsoft's Visio. The layout in the software is full sized. It was easy to transfer the dimensions from the software to exact points of the surface of the LT-40's wing and fuse.

Ihave layouts for the SSE as jpgs. If you want them PMme with your email address and I'll send them. The attachments are of my current SSE.

SeamusG

I recovered a Hanger 9 ShowTime 50 ARF. Here I used some craft paper to use as a template for a curve. The white paper is freezer paper. You can see the green mat (with the white 1" lines).

SeamusG

Ihave a bunch more pics of the ShowTime covering if you want. Here's the final product.

jetblast96

Now I know why you said to save the backing! I should probably get a better cutting board (mine's all bent up), also I was asking how to cut it once the covering is already on the airplane, when I was, for example, doing the red on the wings, I put the roughly shaped covering on the wing then tried to trim the eges 1/4" all sides. The cuts I made were jaggedy and uneven. How do you cut it in that scenario? Or do you simply get it to the perfect size beforehand, as you said, with your transfer from paper to covering?
Also, I used google sketchup to come up with my color scheme, it's usually for 3d models but I love that with just 3 or 4 measurements you can make a perfectly accurate 2D model of the airplane, angles and everything. I really love that software, and it's free

Pettee

Good build. Every time I see a build thread I want to get back into it.

SeamusG

I'm having a hard time answering your question because I cover in such a way that the only cutting of edges (of the wing) that I do are at the tip, at the trailing edge and / or at the root. That's why I do panels - so I don't have to cut seam edges in the middle of a plane part.

Let's say that I just finished the bottom of the fuse and I want 1/8" of film to wrap up the side. I use a tool - a Harry Higley trimmer. It cuts a beautiful 1/8" lip. When I cover the side and wrap the side film over the bottom, I use the same tool to cut a beautifully straight and consistent 1/8" lip along the bottom.

I have tried to use painter's tape the create a straight line and hopefully it will guide the razor blade. Didn't have too much luck.

Sometimes I will hold a straight edge on the film and try to use the tip only of a #11 X-acto blade to cut JUST one layer of film. IF YOU CAN KEEP THE FRIGGEN STRAIGHT EDGE STILL!!!! Just let it drag slightly on the top layer of film. IT MUST BE SHARP. Do not super heat Ultracote before you try for a nice cut because Ultracote's adhesive gets a real attitude and is a "beach" to cut!!

Where you have wrapped gray over the leading edge of the wing - I would have cut a nice straight edge on the table then tape the film to the wing so that that nice straight cut ends up exactly where you want it on the bottom of the wing.

When I cut at the film that overlaps the tip I lightly pull a fresh razor blade along the wood structure in a downward motion - slicing the film. If I get it right I start the pulling slice at the leading edge (starting with the base of the blade) and finish pulling the razor to end of the tip.

On the SSE wing's root I would have stretched the top covering over the root's edge about 1/4". Then I would hold the razor or X-acto in a way that you could cut a consistent 1/4" line down from the sheeting. Maybe rest your thumb on the wing's sheeting and then run your thumb down the whole root rib keeping the cut a consistent distance from your thumb. Same thing works for cutting film wrapped over the firewall or inside the wing saddles of other plane designs.

Some times I will plan a seam between two colors so that it exactly hits on top of a rib cap strip. Then I just start covering from the outside in. Where the outside color ends on a cap strip - run you blade down the edge of the cap strip. Then precut a straight edge on you next piece and align it to overlap the 1st piece on top of the cap strip (the gray). Then stretch the gray stripe over the next seam cap strip and iron it to that cap strip - cutting it off on the inside of the cap strip. Do the same with the red - overlapping the gray on top of the cap strip.

You'll find that you will start designing covering schemes based on YOUR ability to cut film and apply trim. You'll tell your self that "you'll never do THAT again!". Next design you'll come up with something different. Guess what a fully sheeted plane would be fun to cover because all seams will be over wood structure!

HTH

SeamusG

Hey Peetee - ya ain't getting any younger! Build another kit before they quit makin' em!.

jetblast96

Alright, my question is answered. Thanks so much again, you clearly put a lot of effort into helping me out here people like you are the exact reason I go on the forums in the first place! My plane won't look gorgeous, but as you said, I'll be the only one who knows about the messups. And besides, the covering seems to hold on the plane well, my priority here is a durable covering job that won't peel off so quickly after flying. I now have a lot of tricks to try out, we'll see how much I can maul them too when the new roll of covering arrives

Mike

SeamusG

JB - how many cuts do you make with a razor blade or #11 blade before it gets dull and starts dragging and creating a ragged line? I'll bet 3 or 4.

Gray Beard has covered 3 planes using one razor blade and one #11 blade! I have only gotten 1 plane covered. What's the key? We both have made razor strops. After a couple of cuts we straighten the edge by using a piece of leather - old time barbers used em on their straight razors. Mine is a piece of leather attached to the top of a balsa block. Picked up some leather scraps at a local leather hobby shop and some jeweler's ruge (spelling??). Used contact cement to glue the nice smooth leather to the balsa block and trimmed the edges. I leave it on the bench. After a couple of cuts - back hand the blade 3 times in one direction, 3 times in the other direction then 1 time in each direction. Sharp (or sharper) than new.

jetblast96

That's interesting... I may look into that. My razors always drag after a few cuts, I go through those blades really quickly... I don't move to a new one once that happens, but they do get noticeably duller very quickly

SeamusG

McChiken

Whats your weight on that now JetBlast ? Nice job on the build . If you ever have any questions on the Saito theres a lot of good people on this link . On the first page there are links for help , parts and answers many questions too .


http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1075443

JohnB96041

Would like to subscribe. I have had a Somethin' Extra for about 5 years now. Started with an O.S. 30, progressed to O.S. 52 and now have a Saito 82a in mine. I always use it as the first flight of the season. I know, this is January, but in Okla we had a beautiful Sunday and I could not resist. This plane was also flown on January 1st as a tradition of mine. One short flight and came home out of the cold. The only mods I have done to mine was beef up the landing gear block and made my own landing gear. It sits a little higher in the nose so a 14 x 8 prop will clear the ground. I had to put about 2 oz of weight under the tail for balance. Hope you kit came with the aileron checker. It is a simple way to make sure they are aligned properly. Only regret that I have is that the fuel tank size is a bit small for the Saito 82a as I have to fly really conservative to get 10 minutes of flight. Actually have the TX set for 8 minutes.

andygump11

My Feedback: (6)

hi in case you need wings for something extra i have set. andy

crazy nick

My Feedback: (29)

Looks great Mike! I gave up on my build thread bc the wife broke our camera. Whats the point of a build thread w/ no pics.

SeamusG

Now that's gotta put a smile on your face.

charlie1960

DAM that smiley scared me when i scrolled down to it........LMAO

and some great work on the build[8D]

jetblast96

Another package came!
More red covering, my servos, receivers, 4-40 pushrods and their hardware, hinges, and finally a decent cutting board.
Midterms have been taking up an insane amount of my time lately, I hope to continue covering shortly once they finally end! Looking forward to covering the fuselage, not so much looking forward to the rest of the control surfaces.
I tried the tip for covering the tips of the elevators, they look okay but I need to practice a bit more still can do the tips of the horizontal stabilizer for more practice.
Hopefully this plane will be done by March or April

Stay tuned, guys, don't give up on the thread just yet! I'll get to work again soon. For now, here's a picture of my radio system as I was testing it below.
Mike

SeamusG

Holy crapoly 4-40 rods. Nobody can accuse you of under building.

jetblast96

Hey again guys,
Looks like this thread was experiencing technical difficulties, it seems to be back up (I can finally access it again) and hopefully it won't happen again. Hope you all can still access it as well.
Oh and SeamusG, there was a lot of flex with 2-56 rods in the ultra-wide pushrod housings, needed something a little stronger

Mike

SeamusG

Yea - I don't use what SIG puts in the package either. Just jerking your chain at bit ...