dr_wogz
Posts: 2006
Joined: 7/17/2002
From: Pointe Claire,
QC, CANADA
Status: offline
|
Sig Aerokote brand Polyester covering review
Again, another review from me.
This time, it’s the covering, not a kit.
I am currently building an AK-Models SU-27. One sweet plane & build!! And again, this is a build for a club-mate (but it’s just taking w-a-a-a-y too long!)
For covering, I decided to try Sig’s new polyester iron on film “Aerokote”. Seeing that my local supplier has limited supplies, I opted for an online order. At $17.99 CAD per roll, it was the cheapest available in iron on films. And, being new, and from Sig, I had to give it a try.
The order arrived. Big rolls!! The extra few inches really stand out. (It’s roughly an extra 3 square feet!!) Definitely a value! More surface area for less cost. The added width seems to fit wings better!!
I was somewhat puzzled though, as the colors I ordered seem the same. I ordered both the ‘Slate Grey’ & ‘Light Grey’. My wife nor I could tell a difference. I did contact my seller, who just said they picked the rolls as they came. I also contacted Sig about this, thinking that this might be a bad batch, mislabeled. The response from Sig was that the slate grey is supposed to be slightly darker than the light grey, with the backing peeled off. (It’s a clear backing..) Still, I couldn’t tell a difference. At the beginning of the covering stage, I tried to keep the rolls separate. But I did eventually gave up.
The backing is a crisp, clear film. And, as all polyester covering, as you peel the backing off, it generates quite a static charge. Also, the larger size, I could barely peel one off the other, as my arm-span was about 1” shorter than the peeled backing & covering. Quite a stretch!! The covering backing, as mentioned, was crisp. That cellophane type, that springs back to shape once crumpled. Overall, I found it hard to keep in the trash. It just kept popping out!
“Aerokote” covering seemed thinner than most others I’ve used. Imperfections showed though quite well, and the last few inches of the roll had the tell-tale imprints from the cardboard tube it was wrapped on. (Don’t’ worry, they do go away once ironed down.) Make sure you sand well, and the model is clean. Specs & sanding grooves do show though this thin film, along with the overlapped seams. Wood grain too, in certain spots. Dunno if it is any lighter than the popular other two. The covering material seems to like to stay curled up. It’ really doesn’t lay flat, or unravel like UC or MK seems to do. It does lie flatter once the backing is removed.
I started out with the about the right temp on the iron, and I started with the underside of the wing. This ‘new glue’ Sig advertises, I found a bit frustrating (OK, quite!) It just didn’t seem to stick. It had a very low shear strength. Typically, you tack down a corner, then tug on the opposite corner, and proceed around the frame until all the edges are tight. I found, with little effort, the corner would pull up as I pulled the 2nd / opposite corner. With UC & MK, I feel I could really pull, almost breaking ribs. With Aerokote, I felt I was constantly going over & reheating / reseating the previous corner. I felt I eventually had little tension on the covering, and had to rely on the gun & iron to shrink down the center portion.
The glue layer on both MK & UC seem to be a gooey mess. With MK, it’ll bleed out with a modest iron temp & pressure. I have cut UC just so, that the glue layer is uncut. Again, a gooey layer. Aerokote seems to miss out this ‘gooey layer. This also probably attributes to the faintest scratches showing through; nothing really to ‘fill’ any minor imperfections.
It just never really stuck down. Pulled up sections revealed little wood adhered to the back. And, it seemed that after a while, it would peel up on its own! The flat slabs of elevators & rudders were a good example. Corners would pull up, and the eventual heat to stick down would have the edges pull away.
And that became a separate issue. The overlap seams, that little 1/16” – 1/8” you’d leave to fold over an edge wouldn’t fully stick down. And, in some cases, it would then curl up; shrunk & hard. Some seams were quire noticeable due to this bump that wouldn’t sit flush.. Most cases, it seemed to stick to itself better than the wood. And, in some cases, it didn’t seem to stick at all.
(On a side note, I did add some detailing with Ultracote. One piece of UC that needed repositioning pulled the Aerokote clean off the balsa. So, UC’s glue is far superior to that of Aerokotes!)
The model is covered. A complex model to cover, and the main downfall of the material didn’t help any. Instead of one sheet for a certain section, I opted for many smaller, overlapped pieces. (“Panel lines!!”) Ideally, a simpler plane would have yielded better results. Or, a simpler plane for my first attempt with this new covering.
It is a definite value, with the extra area. And, I’m sure (like everything else!) with some practice & patients this product can yield beautiful results. I do hope my experience is unique, and can be attributed to the first few off a new product run / introduction. The glue is the only real killer.
This in no way tarnishes my view of Sig mfg. They continue to produce leading edge designs, and top quality product. This, in turn, just needs a few more runs to iron out the bugs! (No pun intended!  )
_____________________________
Failure is not an option.
It comes bundled with the software.
|
Printable Version
All Forums >> Radios, Batteries, Clubhouse and more >> User Product Reviews >> Sig's Aerokote film covering - a review 
Sig's Aerokote film covering - a review - 
RE: Sig's Aerokote film covering - a review -