Cub Flyer Fresno

Really! Someone recommend to me to stay with Solartex for my next build. Hmmm.........

acdii

Koverall and Stix-it goes on just as easy as Iron on film, and looks 100 times better. For me the hardest part was learning how to paint it. The problem I had, I started off with Butyrate and not Nitrate for the first few coats. Nitrate seals much faster and then butyrate finishes up nicely. Good example is the Cub, I did the entire plane with Butyrate, then did the door with Nitrate and it only took 2 coats of Butyrate to color up nice and glossy.

bigbird3

[QUOTE=Corsair2013;11866498]I thought Big Bird was giving me the recipe for either a new form of crack or a new "male enhancement" formula...............LOL

The dryer sheets confused me so I thought he meant roll em up and smoke em..........!!!

Anyway - I have the Solaretex - OH it is so easy to use compared to the "other brands". It goes around the corners and seals really nice.

Yeah right! Corsair, Like George Karlin said about a kilo of ground round, eat one, roll one, smoke one!
Solartex is really easy to use and will stay for a long time!
Acerc, raw fabric needs to be painted! One more step and not necessary with solartex.

Yall look in my gallery and look at the AMR cub I did in it. That is cub yellow solartex!
If you guys have any dark wood or marks that will show thru the covering, get some flesh or light tan colored acrylic paint from the art store or from Joanne's Fabrics and paint the area before covering. It will look like wood under the covering. Really! It will disappear! Especially on lazer cut wood. You should sand that burnt part off anyway because lazer cutting will crystalize the resin, what ever is left, and might inhibit the glue saturation leaving a poor glue joint. It only takes a little while to sand the parts and will help eliminate dark spots and glue problems. Craftsmanship is quality not quantity and the difference between you and the other guys.
I'm just sayin'!
bird.

John_M_

It does look better Ace... and by the time you fiddle with an iron tacking down iron-on covering, you could be using a brush and doping koverall in place... its just breaking old habits that's hard.

When I was into free-flight, I use to do the tissue and dope, and then paint with the colored dope... then they came out with the colored tissue, which made things a lot simpler... all the rage back in my beginning days in RC was silk and dope, but I wasn't into the hobby at the level where silk and dope interested me, so I jumped right into monokote... that made me even more lazy... but I'm one step closer to using koverall and dope; natural solartex and paint is a big step for me... when I do my 1/3 scale cub, I'll do koverall and dope.



Just saw this part bird, that's a lot paint!, but a 1/3 scale Pawnee is a fair sized plane.





Bird I just discover this using desert tan camo paint made by Krylon... during my fustration with the transparency of the cub yellow solartex, one of the things that really bothered me, was that you could see the glue joints and different wood tones/types through the covering... my inlaw suggest basically what you just stated... it does work well to even it all out, but you still have the transparency issue with in the open bay areas... it would be great if you could paint the back side of the cub yellow solartex first before ironing it on, but that ain't going to happen, lol

John M,

acerc

Most of the new paint systems available today are far simpler than the old dope a rope. I hated that stuff, but have a new found love in the Stits system albeit there are others just as good. Even the real polyester is so much nicer than even the Koverall, a much tighter weave thus easier and quicker to fill. I'm not knocking anyone or their way, just offering up my opinion on a fantastic system.

John_M_

I've seen their web site Ace... it is a nice system, as it was initially developed for real aircraft; then they came out with the lite stits fabric and supported RC models ... I would consider using it on a larger scale detailed build, like your Pitts; the covering came out nice on that btw... there's another aircraft paint supplier Stewart Systems that has a nice paint system as well, but I don't think they're as popular with the RC hobby as stits is.



John M,

acerc

I have used it on as small as my 1/5 Waco. Most people do not understand just how much weight is not added, this ain't the ole dope stuff.

bigbird3

Very nice Acerc. I wasn't aware of an r/c stitts! I have experince with full size covering on a Stearman I helped cover several years ago. I'm sure the shrinkage is different too. On the Stearman, or any other full size plane, you don't stretch it tight before ironing. You HAVE TO lay it out quite loosely or it will really tighten up and warp any week structures like aluminum T.E. or wooden bow structures. I have heard of guys putting it on models and crushing the structure because of applying it like monocote.
Thanks for the picture.
bird.

bigbird3

John, the pawnee is only 27% but still a ten foot W/S. Still a formidable paint project!
As far as the transparency of the Solartex, as was suggested earlier, The best remedy is to use natural and paint it silver and then cub yellow. This will also insure a paint match on the cowl and other parts too. Lots of work but much more pleasant results. Live and learn! aye?
bird.

John_M_

Damn, nice looking Waco; I like the color combo... well you certainly know how to apply it Ace... once I get proficient painting solartex, I'll have to get into doing it more like the RW.

lol, 27% pawnee is a fair sized project indeed.

I'm just realizing this Bird... all the BS I went through to get that paint to match the 21st century cub yellow back then, and it still wasn't a perfect match due to the varying shades and types of material underneath the paint, and you're right, paint everything with the same color paint and be done with it... what I need to do is clear a space in my garage so I can spray paint.



John M,

bigbird3

[QUOTE=John_M_;11866941]Damn, nice looking Waco; I like the color combo... well you certainly know how to apply it Ace... once I get proficient painting solartex, I'll have to get into doing it more like the RW.



lol, 27% pawnee is a fair sized project indeed.

I'm just realizing this Bird... all the BS I went through to get that paint to match the 21st century cub yellow back then, and it still wasn't a perfect match due to the varying shades and types of material underneath the paint, and you're right, paint everything with the same color paint and be done with it... what I need to do is clear a space in my garage so I can spray paint.

Actually John, I don't have a booth. I spray outside. The best time is in the early morning when things have settled down and there is a bit of dew that keeps any dust trapped till it dries and lets go. Of course you take a chance of bugs any time of day that see that nice shiny wet paint and decide to land on it! Why is that I wonder? Anyway, I seem to do pretty well that way. Of course in the winter you have to do it inside and it is a mess for sure. My next major paint job is my Hostetler Stinson Reliant SR-10 Quarter scale with 125" W/S. The fuse has a 12" round firewall and the fuse is at least three inches wider! I'm doing it in Jimmy Doolittle's yellow and red scheme when he flew for Shell Oil Co. in 1937. You might be able to look it up on line. The current owner found it behind an A&E school shop stripped and cannibalized! He rebuilt it, even hand making a new cowl and it is the most gorgeous thing you will ever see! STUNNING!
bird.

John_M_

Well bird, the problem here with painting out side, we live in a high density neighborhood, and about sometime everyday, someone is mowing their lawns or blowing off their yards with a leaf blower... if I painted out side, it would look like a porcupine, with all kinds of debris stuck to it... maybe I can buy one of those popup shade tents with the screened in sides, then just the fine stuff will stick,



Well I won't say much, this image says it all... that is one gorgeous aircraft, definitely show some photos when you have her finished... I may go buy some stocks in Rust-oleum... after you finish that scheme, your paint purchase will drive their stock prices up



John M,

bigbird3

[QUOTE=John_M_;11867027]Well bird, the problem here with painting out side, we live in a high density neighborhood, and about sometime everyday, someone is mowing their lawns or blowing off their yards with a leaf blower... if I painted out side, it would look like a porcupine, with all kinds of debris stuck to it... maybe I can buy one of those popup shade tents with the screened in sides, then just the fine stuff will stick,



Well I won't say much, this image says it all... that is one gorgeous aircraft, definitely show some photos when you have her finished... I may go buy some stocks in Rust-oleum... after you finish that scheme, your paint purchase will drive their stock prices up



That is the one my friend! Isn't she a beaut? I must say that I have never been stunned by any plane as I have with this one. I have the 'Airborne Media' scale detail package on this one. There are many pictures of it and it looks like it just rolled off the assembly line! Can you imagine hand making that cowl?
I have to make the interior before I can put the stringers on it or the two doors are the only access other than the hatch I had to design below the floor! The glass kit was two hundred bucks! I haven't even decided what power plant I want to get.The evolution radial sound like a great choice. I think they make a nine cylinder, don't they? This one will take some time but if it turns out like my cub in the gallery it will be worth it. Hope I don't have my last heart attack before I finish it! hehe! Rustoleum stock? John boy, you could get rich off of this one!
bird.

John_M_

Airborne media scale detail, that sounds nice... they offer some pretty extensive detailed info; stuff you could only get if you had access to the real aircraft... for the right scale project its worth the investment... I was thinking a Moki radial, but they maybe too big; I think the smallest displacement is a 5cyl 180cc... or a 5 & 7 cyl 250cc, and then a monster 5cyl 400cc... the evolution 9cyl is 99cc... nice looking engines... now you got me all excited...your heart will be just fine, if you take care of yourself, and stay away from those PB magazines.


Oh, hand making that cowl would be something to watch.. I enjoy doing stuff like that, and use to have the dexterity to do it, but its not so easy now with these old hands... but that cowl is a piece of artwork... there's not many left that can do that kinda hand metal work... no more apprenticeships to hand down the skills.

John M,

mnemennth

Wow... that takes me back; memories of a misspent youth working in a rod shop in Syracuse. I've made more than a few fenders and valance panels, even a few belly and chin pans; still have the scars on thumb and index to prove it. I THINK I could do that cowl; but I don't think I could do it in a single piece. I'd have to break it up into quarters or 1/6ths.

Hey, just curious. What about the Krylon Fusion rattle-can paint? It's made for plastic. I know it sticks to those resin lawn chairs, and I've never seen anything else that doesn't just flake off after a few weeks. Dunno how heavy it is in comparison to the Rusto, though.


mnem
*Not a morning person* grrrr.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I just had a stray thought (I know thinking is dangerous around here) when using Lusterkote or other rattle cans would it work to spray through like a piece of screen wire to strain out any pigment globs and get a little finer spray on the plane or would it take too much paint to do so? Just a random thought from my dope rotted brain from my younger days.

bigbird3

Well John, I don't do PB or any other type! The Stinson is going to be thirty plus pounds. The guys with the big P-47's and corsairs are using the 180 moki's and I think I heard of a 150, not sure. Still, it would be just right I think. The 250 is around four thousand bucks! The 400 is right at 6000.! That would be one expensive smokin' hole for sure! LOL!

mnemennth, that cowl was made in sections as was the original. The closeups I have of it shows two and four rocker panels riveted together. I would definately be a 'female dog' to do in one piece!
Krylon is probably in the range of rustoleum as far a weight. It seems reasonable to speculate. As far as how it would stick and be fuel proof is another issue. You could be our Guinna pig. Someone's gotta do it! LOL!
I've always wanted to work an english wheel or hammer machine. What a neat art!

Flyer, I'm not sure that paint idea will work! The screen would just plug up. Spatters are a real problem with any rattle can. The rustoleum just won't clear it's throat upside down and wastes a lot of paint doing it. If you wipe the nozzle with an MEK wet rag it will take a lot of residual off of it. That seems to be a big part of spatter. Also, I have found that storing the cans on there side works better than standing them up. Always spray a few medium long bursts to clear any clots because that is where they seem to come from!
Now, go take a few more asprins for that head ache of your! LOL!
That's if from the bird cage for now.
bird.

John_M_

Bird, just teasing you about the PB mags.. those Mokis radials sound great... I think the 9 cyl revo would be a little on the quit side based on the number of cyl, and the size of the exhaust pipes... those Moki's have a nice throaty idle, and a roar with amazing doppler shift sounds at cruse & full throttle speeds.. I think the 150-180 cc would be just right for a 35lb plane... a 170cc pulls a 50lb plane around with some authority... put the right prop on that Moki, and that Stinson Reliant will be flying and sounding scale like!



FlyerInOKC, all that screens going to do is make a mess.. it will cause the fine spray out of the can to condense into bigger droplets.



John M,

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Thanks John

cubcrasher

My Feedback: (6)

Fear not the foam brush.

bigbird3

cubcrasher, It all depends on what kind of paint. Urethanes will leave bubbles with a foam brush. Camel hair is still the best! Although they are tough to keep clean and reusable. Just don't shake the can before dipping the foam brush, stirred not shaken! That will eliminate bubbles too.
bird.

spaceworm

True of solvent based polyurethane. However, water based polyurethane is water white (clear) and stays that way. It is also fuel proof.. I use it over Solartex and get a beautiful finish. Sincerely, Richard.

acdii

I wonder how it is over Dope. I sprayed the white on my cub and its dull, the rest of the colors I brushed on and they look good.

bigbird3

Thanks for that note Rich. I have used water based before but wasn't aware of the clear issue. Good to know. I don't usually use paint over Solartex unless it is natural and plan to paint a scheme. Otherwise I just put it on and fly it. Never had any issues with fuel soak.
bird.

spaceworm

Amen to Koverall. I have also used polyester dress lining from a fabric store with good results. It used to be butyrate dope over nitrate, NOT nitrate over butyrate; maybe the formula has changed? Good luck. Sincerely, Richard