Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

This is my first kit and so far everything has gone well. I am currently trying to cover and so far every piece has gotten better and better. Not without a few wrinkles but overall not bad for a first time out. I am trying to cover the wing tips now and it has been impossible. I have tried pulling and tugging and different cuts etc but I cant get this wing tip right. The problem is that it is on the leading edge and has curves from leading edge to the side of the wing and also from top to bottom and I cant pull all the slack out as I stretch it from the tip back. I don’t have a heating gun and where I live it is impossible to get one. I have wasted a bunch of covering already and as you can see from the pic I am having problems with the entire side of the wing.

Any suggestions?

Weekendflyer

My Feedback: (3)

Wingtips are pretty hard to do. What I found to work well is to secure the wing to the table (put some weights on it, if you some available, or if you can get someone else to hold it is even better, anything to keep it from sliding around). Get the wingtip out off the edge of the table a couple of inches. As you pull on the covering, with a hot iron heat the covering in front of the wood so the covering is shreinking as you are putting it on. Don't work too much in one spot, you have to move across the whole piece. But you will see how you can stretch the material. One thing I found that is farely important is to have plenty of material to hang on to. It's hard to explain, but if you experiment around a little bit you should be able to figure it out. I normally manage to get a whole wing tip to look like one piece, or you can do top or bottom.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

without a heat gun it's very tough. You may find one in a hardware store. They are used for stripping paint.

Also, very soon, a new video "How To" will be posted here at RCU about covering, and there is a section on wingtips (Using a Heatgun)

bojangle

If you ever saw me cover a wing, you would laugh. Sometimes it takes 6 hands, 4 feet, a helper and a six pack. For a large one piece wing, I actually work from the top of a scaffold, with the tip well secured.

The end of the wing looks best if there are no seams. Instead of working from the root out, try starting at the very end. Clamp, block or however secure the wing, end facing up or at a 45 degree angle where you can get some leverage. Cut a piece for the end, at least 4 inches oversize all around for a grip. Tack the covering in the center with your iron, then start moving the iron out, takes at least 4 hands, have someone help you. As you apply heat, pull out and down, stretching the covering over the curved surfaces. Don't force it, as you can tear the covering. Just keep a constant pull and it will form with no problem. Don't let a wrinkle get under the iron, or it will be permanent.

At a point where you transition to the flat part of the wing, trim very close and straight and smooth out the edge using the tip of your iron. The rest of the wing is easy. Lay out a piece for the bottom, line up the edge of the sheet front to back, overlapping where you trimmed off the end piece. Pull the corners diagonally and tack, then pull out all the wrinkles as you tack the edges. The trick to a smooth job is to have all the wrinkles out, with the covering tight as a drum, before shrinking it. Leave a small opening somewhere for the air to escape. It helps to have holes in the ribs so the hot air can move ahead to the next bay as you work your way along the wing.

There are videos and countless books on the subject of covering, but when all is said and done, it takes years of practice. Don't expect perfection on your first plane. Get it covered the best you can and go fly it. If you get some bad seams (I still do), put a trim over it. Believe me, no one is going to criticize you for your covering job, and don't ever apologize for it. When you have your first kit plane in the air, you won't be concerned about the wrinkles.

Some like the heat gun, some don't, and it isn't needed. I tried one, had to use a hot mitt, was like trying to wash my feet with socks on .

Bob

David Cutler

It's definitely worthwhile getting a heat gun, as it is indispensable and you will find it will be used again and again. For instance, even after finishing the covering, you will find it will be needed to get rid of wrinkles quite frequently.

You should surely be able to get one from the same place you got your other stuff for the plane.

Good luck!

-David C.

hookedonrc

I just finished covering my first plane, a Somethin Extra. I have the iron, the heat gun, and a seam sealer, and found that I used all of them at one time or another. I have sympathy for your position, I found myself almost spinning around sometimes trying to pull and stretch the covering over different parts of the plane.

BTW: I also agree with the 6 pack as an essential part of covering. I just haven't figured out if I should drink it before or after I am done.

TNRabbit

Make sure the covering is good and warm when you start; that will help with your stretching over the end.

spokman

My Feedback: (2)

The six pack gets you brave enough to forge ahead! You can take forever trying to figure out what the heck to do when covering.

photoniq

Can't wait for the how to videos.

Strat2003

My Feedback: (1)

If I might offer some constructive criticism...that wingtip isn't ready to cover, you have a lot of sanding to do yet. Any covering job will only look as good as the surface underneath.
If you don't mind a seam down the chordline of the tip, it's a lot easier to do tips by using two pieces. Do your first 'tacks' about 1/4 of the way around and work both ways from there.

Hang in there! Covering is an art that you CAN learn!

bojangle

Someone should come up with a cordless iron. I have 10 plugs in my shop, no matter where I plug in, the danged cord gets tangled around the wing.

Actually, it might take 2 six packs. One to get braced, another to unwind. Seriously, I find covering quite satisfying (although at times frustrating) it means the plane will soon fly. I just don't seem to have the imagination to get all those fancy color schemes. If the plane flies good, I might add some stripes. Otherwise I start another plane.

Good luck with your wing, and have fun.
Bob

Nutz4flying

Bob,

I need some advice. I had punched some holes in the bottom of my Somethin Extra wings on a hard landing. I took the covering off the bottom, repaired the balsa and then recovered the bottom. But of course, the seams of the bottom are no longer tucked under the covering on the top as they would be in a normal covering job. The covering came off one of the wings in flight today - got her down okay but I need a solution. Any ideas?

hookedonrc

I would bring the bottom covering up and lap it over the top then add a trim strip of about 1/2" over both. I have done this on other planes and it seems to work.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Here they are... (Scroll down to the part where the P-38 gets covered)

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=352