oletimer53

Has anyone tried dying Sig Koverall?? I contacted Sig but they stated no. But I was just wondering. Since either side can be applied I was thinking what other reasons why you could not dye the material. I have read where some people have had some success adding dye to the dope but it seems easier to dye the material. Like Silk or Wet Tissue.

Thanks

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

I suppose you could dye the Koverall itself, but why?
by dying it, you'd obviously need to dye the entire thing, (meaning the entire piece of covering would all be the same one color)

the covering needs to have several coats of dope just to fill the weave, so for me it doesn't make sense to try and dye the koverall...
just my humble opinion

oletimer53

Wanting to keep more transparency. If I was wanting a light blue overall. Maybe trimmed in dark blue but both with the transparent appearance. Can you dye the dope and keep the transparent feature? I'm new to this but I enjoy the older planes. Like the Ben Buckle kits etc. (stock pictures of Radio Queen or Super Scorpion). I have a Buzzard Bombshell I am getting ready to build. I know those old Quakers and such used Silk span or heavy tissue. Love the way those planes looked. Transparent and showing off their structure.

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

ooo my,,, my Dad (like 20 years before I was born) had 2 airplanes: a buzzard bombshell and a monocoupe...
(both used escapement systems) he crashed both, but was left with the wing from the monocoup and the fuse from the buzzard...
so was born the 'Buzzardcoupe'
I'm not a newcomer to fabric and dope covering, (and happen to be working with Koverall at this very moment. )
I THINK that's where you may run into issues, the Koverall itself isn't extremely transparent..
proper white SILK may be the better bet... although it is NOT as easy to work with as Koverall... (silk does not shrink with heat, Koverite does.)


IF the koverall has the translucent quality you're looking for, I would simply use clear nitrate to apply the koverall and to seal the weave, and then only one or two coats of lightly colored butyrate dope for the color.
you can certainly give it a go though, perhaps dye the koverall the lighter color, then add one or two coats of the trim color...
(IF you're not aware, Butyrate can go over Nitrate, but Nitrate can NOT go over butyrate)

oletimer53

Thanks,
I might try dying a small piece just to see how it goes. I have several wings in bare bones that I can play with . I just got the Koverall in and have not even opened it . You may be right. It might be too opaque to begin with. I'll just do some experimenting.

TomCrump

Solartex has translucent covering that will yield the look that you are after.

If your experiments are not successful, you may want to look into it. http://shop.balsausa.com/product_p/539.htm

oletimer53

Koverall is Polyester based . After further research I found that you can not dye(or easily dye) Polyester.It will not absorb since the fibers are basically a form plastic Solartex would give me the look I am seeking. Member mortyspals also has some nice pics of his planes with Solartex. ( found that in the forum while searching for Koverall under covering a buzzard bombshell)

Thanks
Lee