Danh4

My Feedback: (5)

I'm building a Balsa USA Fokker Dr.1 I just started covering the wings with Solartex and I can't get the covering to conform to the scallops at the trailing edge. I thought I could fold the top around to the bottom and iron it there, then hit it with the heat gun and have the covering shrink right down to the shape of the scallops but that doesn't happen. It shrinks tight across the high points of the scallops but I end up with a double layer of covering that just doesn't look right to me. Is there a trick to it? I'll attach a photo so you can see what I'm talking about.

Dan

WacoNut

I would fold the covering over the trailing adge and seal it down with the iron across the entire scallop, this will assure the covering will remain in the bottom of the scallop like it is supposed to be, you may have to slit the covering every 1/2" or so to get it to conform good. The full scale actually had a wire trailing edge and the scallop was formed by fabric being shrunk and the wire being pulled in. A little late but Sig Koverall would be perfect for this job.
Anthony

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Ditto to Anthony's post. I re-covered a Great Planes Dr-1 with Solartex and had the same situation. What I did was what Anthony suggested, iron the material to the top of the trailing edge first. You should leave as much material overhanging as possible in order to have something to pull on. I did the bottom surface first, pulled the material over the back edge of the T.E at the "points", and then made cuts at 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 way between points that extended JUST SHORT OF the edge, pulled as I was heating the material, and ironed it down, I trimmed the bottom material at the top edge of the T.E. When I applied the top surface in the same way, I made cuts at 1/3 and 2/3 distance between points and ironed it down while pulling, and then trimmed it at the bottom of the T.E. You get a cover that follows the scallop perfectly, and whatever small cuts extended to the rear of the T.E. are offset from each other so there is no bare wood showing. My Solartex cover stayed perfectly tight until it was, shall we say, removed, in a sudden halt at the end of a flat spin after a collision with a D-VIII during one of our warbird fly-ins. D-VIII survived, BTW.

Danh4

My Feedback: (5)

Thanks guys! I decided to experiment on the wing I already had done thinking I'd have to rip all the covering off and start over anyway. With a little heat I was able to separate the seam where the top covering folded over on to the bottom and then I cut the slits as you said, pulled each tab tight to the scalloped edge and re-ironed them down to the bottom of the wing. Worked great!

Sorry to see your Fokker in such a sorry state khodges, at least it went out in a blaze of glory and not hangar-rashed to death!

Thanks again!

Dan

tarvma02

My Feedback: (3)

Here's what I would do. Cut a 1/4 inch strip and cover only the trailing edge and then slit the upper and lower areas so that there's some overlap. And then cover the top and bottom and trip them flush. This works great and gives you a professional look. I pretty much do this with all curved surfaces.

Don41

I pretty much second this method. I work with monokote but the Elder 40 I am working on has a scalloped rudder and I first covered the trailing edge then later on I overlapped the main covering,, cutting slits as needed to allow a smooth roll over. It worked out fine.

Don