Campgems

Guys, this is more of a vent than a question. I am currently flying a Phenoix FunStar that I recoverd to improve visibility. I am using fresh (I think) Monokote purchased from Tower a couple months back. The stuff is brittle. All you have to do is look at it cross eyed and it blows a hole it in. Well not really, but running off the paved runway onto the mown sholder resulted in seven small patches required Monday. Today, I bumped the horzontal stab with the transmitter when I was picking the plane up off the bench to take it to the flight line. This bump left a big ragged hole in the covering.

I've used monokote on almost all of the planes I've built in the last three years, eight of them. This one is the only one giving me grief with the stoutness. Well, not exactly, my neon pink was a bit on the brittle side also, but not as bad as the white on my plane now. In fact it isn't just the white, but also the teal contrast color on the underside.

GURRRR.

Got to patch it up again so I can fly tomorrow.


Don

dhal22

fiberglass or koverall and paint will make those wrinkly bubbly peeling monkeycote blues go away.[X(]

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Monokote bursts easy when cold

qldviking

I have had the same problem with my last covering job with monocote, never again. I will be going to silk for my upcoming gliders, and will go with koverall or full sheet and f/g for my gassers. I have used mono for many years, but this last lot is nothing like my older supplies [:'(] it tore so easily taking the backing of I got suspicious straight away, and I hacve now ripped it all of and contemplating what to use now, the plane in question is a scratch designed and built Zero, .60 sized with a 5'4 ws, built up wing, and open structure fuse and empanage

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

I have one word for you, Ultracoat. I am the last of the die hard Monokoters and I switched a few years back to Ultracoat and have never looked back. Monokote changed a few years back. Top Flite said that it did not, but something changed. It won't shrink tight and if it does it does not take long for it to all sag. My last attempt with Monokote was using the flats. I had the same problem that you are describing. All I had to do was look at it wrong and I had a hole. Ultracoat does not have the same color selection as Monokote, but I am extremly happy with it. Good Luck, Dave

qldviking

the problem with Ultracote is colours, I had 5 main colours I used and Ultracote hasnt got 2 of them that are even close

Campgems

I've used it, ultrakote, on a couple planes and was very happy with it. The only issue was that it wouldn't quit shrinking. I was doing a turtle deck on my Super Aeromaster and I made the mistake of covering the sides first, then the deck. As I was shrinking the compound curves , all was going OK until the side shrunk out from under turtle deck covering. Luckly some trim I' applied later covered it quite well. Some prior planning would have prevented this though.

Don

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Ultracote!! I changed over 8 or 10 years ago and only use mono in a pinch. Don's over shrinking is one of the reasons I went over to it, half the time mono doesn't shrink at all. By the time Ultra hits 300 degrees it is finished shrinking forever. A lot of the time I only use an iron to do the shrinking.

Insanemoondoggie

I use manly Ultracoat , I used Monocoat yellow and purple on my SSE. Very hard to work with , but it seems to hold up better over time .

Alex7403

i had problems with neon monokote, its inner color is white.
the neon monokote didnt stick to wood at all, i guess its for trim over existing covering.
its something different than monokote...
didnt use ultracoat yet because i think that one hobby retail account is enough... for now at least....

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I use Ultracote 90% of the time and only use MonoKote if I need a particular color

And yes, you CAN use both on the same plane.

jship

My Feedback: (4)

Well not quite the last. I have never used anything but MonoKote. It has never in all these years let Me down. See no need to change. Maybe i'm just use to it. Or maybe I'm to old .
john

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

I used Monokote for years with no problems. Then, a covering job that looked just fine when it was done would need reshrinking after every flying session.

Does anybody know if the transparent Monokote has problems, too? I'm working on something now that would look good in transparent film.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I don't think it matters what covering you use, they will always need a little touch-up each year

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

Each year, sure. Each time you fly is too much, though. It didn't used to be like this: they changed the formula.

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

Monokote used to be thicker and rubberier than it is now. Not as rubbery as Oracover/Ultracote (however you spell it), but much better to work with.

As Jim (W8YE) said, Monokote and all other plastic coverings, are more brittle in cold weather.

Lots of folks don't realize that plastic coverings have a bias (some call it grain). Applied incorrectly, your covering will sag at the slightest opportunity. Apply it lengthwise in the same direction in which it comes off the roll and you'll find that you have a much better covering job. Especially with Monokote.

Monokote still has the best color selection. This is important to me as I'm hooked on their Copper Metallic Red, used with a White base covering over the entire model (except where the trim goes). Another great color combo for sport models is covering the bulk of the model with Monokote Cub Yellow and using Monokote Dark Red for trim. That's snazzy to my eyes.

Monokote White used to have a classy appearance. It used the standard white pigment in the glue, but the clear polyester layer had a smoky look to it. The last time I saw this version of Monokote White was in the early eighties.

I don't think the folks at Monokote are intentionally lying to us. They're just too young to have memories of how things looked when they were infants.

Now, if the Monokote folks would restore their covering to the high quality level that it used to be, I'd be buying it again. As it is, I guess I'll keep using Horizon's product, even with the limited color selection.


Ed Cregger

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

This is the company that makes the Monokote for hobbico

http://www.generalformulations.com/

This is the company that makes Oracover sold as Ultracote for Horizon

http://buegelfolie.de/home.jsp?root_...91153607563158

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Mike, I don't need to reshrink my planes from year to year with the Ultra. I have always lived in either Calif. or NV so it may not get hot enough in other states to do this. After I cover the plane I set it out in the hot sun and let it do the nasty ugly then bring it back inside to cool off. Then I reshrink it and do the sun thing again. It takes a time or two doing this but I end up with a covering job that stays tight, even when I went to shows for days on end with my planes out in the hot sun. This trick works even better with the Solartex covering. I just call this curing the covering.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I on occasion re-shrink mine be it Monokote or Ultracote but it is not every year or every time I go flying either

mesaflyer

I haven't had too many problems with either mono or ultra, but I am going to try this next time. Thanks for the tip!

jship

My Feedback: (4)

I also have re-shrinked Monokote. I also have re-shrinked the ARF junk. I believe if Monokote is put on corectly it will not be a problem.
As I said before, never had a problem with Monokote that I felt was caused by the product. (sometimes it was caused by Me).
john

scale buff

My Feedback: (24)

I agree with David 100%. For years, I was a Monokote lover, wouldn't even think of Ultracote. But, I began having troubles with Monokote, not shrinking well or not staying shrunk. Tried Ultracote several years ago and have never looked back. The glass and cloth boys are right, those coverings are very nice BUT take a lot more work than plastic film. In film, Ultracote is the way to go.

Campgems

Gene, I have always had car heat issues with the Monokote, Could be that the planes didn't last long enought to get the covering stablized though

By the way, I do like the color selection of the Monokote, and I use it for trim on everything.

Don

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

Notice that those with little reshrinking to do are folks that live in arid parts of the country. Those of us that must tolerate high humidity are the ones that have to reshrink on a regular basis.

I agree, the older Monokote, if applied properly, would stay put most of the time, even in high humidity situations. Unfortunately, I've never had the necessary hand strength to apply it "properly". Believe me, it takes some very strong hands to do it properly. By properly I mean stretching it on the model physically so tight that you need very little heat and very little shrinking to make it taught. George Asteris has gorilla hands (high George!) and he is one of the best Monokoters I've met.


Ed Cregger

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Good advice ED