Bigshark

After reading through 100 threads on the perils of monokote or "new monokote" and comparing it to my experience building with ultracote/oracover, I'm impressed with the strength and ease of use of monokote.

A few details my experience thus far is only on applying chrome to the bottom surfaces of the wings and body of a sig 4-star 120 and olive drab to the top surfaces. I scratch built a fiberglass cowl that I also covered with pretty good results. I covered the tail feathers in missle red along with cutting out some circles for Japanese markings.

I haven't yet seen how the covering will be effected by aging but it is much stronger and stiffer than ultracote and requires massive amounts of heat to fully shrink. It will not shrink as much as ultracote but it will shrink enough to work. If the wrinkles aren't coming out you aren't using enough heat or enough patience. Right before it bursts into flames, monokote becomes the most beautiful stuff I've ever used. The seams also disappear better and the color is deeper.

Just my two cents.

Thanks,
Rich


Sorry, no pictures to upload yet......

RCVFR

My Feedback: (7)

A funny thing: if someone gets good results with a product, it's a good product; if they get bad results, it's a bad product. Hmmmm...

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

You missed the key phrase........."Just before it bursts into flames"

outdoorhunting

Yea! Ditto on the bursting into flames !!! That is a VERY NARROW window from super-tite covering to those @##@% holes that appear before you can move the heat gun !!!!!!!! & why is it ALWAYS the VERY last wrinkle ???

Lomcevak Duck

My Feedback: (14)

It is the very last wrinkle you remove before it burns for the same reason you find everything in the very last place you look. It is always the last place you look because after you find it, you quit looking...

somegeek

My Feedback: (2)

* chuckle *

Never thought about it that way...

Regarding MK being tougher than UC - that's the first time I've heard that.

somegeek

Bigshark

Admittedly I've yet to try to destroy it but the monokote seems thicker, heavier, and tougher than ultra. The right befor it burst into flames comment was an exageration. While I've never needed to crank my covering iron to 390F before it does work. Also using a standard hobbico cheapy heat gun, it would appear to be difficult to burn a hole in the stuff. I did have on wing tip start to discolor from too much heat but that was it. After that I just kept the gun moving, even in very small circles, the stuff worked great. It does require much heat and mucho patience. Some of the wrinkles take a while.

Comparing the finished product, the chrome mono on my wing looks like a full length dress mirror. The chrome ultra on the fuse of my skimmer 600 looks like the dull back side of regular aluminum foil. IF the monokote holds up, there is no question it looks better.

I'll believe that there were bad batches of stuff that got out there in the past but the "monokote is crap" threads are no longer applicable in my opinion.

macdona

My Feedback: (3)

They might have fixed the problem, but they lost me a long time ago, and I will never go back.

RCVFR

My Feedback: (7)

Too much heat may not "burst into flames" but it can make a hole appear where there was none before. Been there, done that. The discoloration is actually "normal" for the shrinking temps. If you are covering a fiberglass cowl, you definately have the magic touch! Good for you!

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Up till about fourteen years ago I foolishly stuck with my old standards: Doped silk, silron, silkspan or japanese tissue. At that point I tried monocoat and of course my first jobs were terrible but that went away over time thats what I use to this day.

About five years ago I did a years worth of projects in ultracoat (about 10 airplanes). That was the time I became aware of modeling forums and how it was not politically correct to prefer Monocoat.

After that year I did go back gleefully to Monocoat and I can honestly say that My work with the monocoat when compared to a years worth of Ultracoat jobs was indeed far superior: Looked better and is more durable Plus the colors are much nicer and are much more variety, especially the clears (man wish they made a clear black, is that an oxy-moron OK clear smoke).

The real bottom line is both a fine products but require very different techniques and learning those techniques for either is not going to occur overnight. Monocoat can be just as easy to use as Ultracoat.


John[8D]

kamakazie frank

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Rich:

I've been using MonoKote for the past twenty five or more years. I think it's a great product if you know how to work with it or work it! I've just completed an Ultra
Sport 40 and the results are below.

Frank

outdoorhunting

Hey Frank,- How did you do the shadowy ( is that a word?) part under the wing?

kamakazie frank

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Outdoor:

I think you are referring to the reflection on the right side of the wing from my lighting above. That would be a great monokoting technique if I could reproduce it!!

Frank

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

I used Monokote for many years with good results. Then, last year, I covered two planes. One (white & maroon) was fine. Went on as usual, stayed OK all year. The other (red & yellow) was a disaster. The application was OK, as usual, but I have to re-shrink the covering after every flight, and there's no way to re-shrink it under the canopy, so that stays wrinkled. It loosened up a lot over the winter, too--none of my other planes has ever done that. Bad wrinkles develop on both sheeted surfaces and on the wings. This seems to have been about the time that the formula was changed, supposedly because the old Monokote was bad for children who ate it. If your kids are eating your planes, you've got bigger problems than what's in the covering.

I did my most-recent job with Coverite film. Very easy to apply--easier than Monokote. If it holds up when flying season comes, I'm never going back.

TexasAirBoss

My Feedback: (22)

I like Monokote. I do get a little sagging the first few season changes. I just touch up with an iron when I get home. After that, it seems very stable for a long, long time.

As for the dope and fabric method; I just tried that for the first time this year. I loved it !!! I build scale models now. The patina of Monokote just doesn't cut the mustard on scale projects. I was amazed how wonderful the dope and fabric goes on, (Koverall).

Bigshark

It's still a project or two away based on my flying and building skills but I will do a WWI bipe in fabric and dope someday.......

TooLow

My Feedback: (5)

I havent given up on moneycote--just found a new way to cover. I discovered the polycrilic and dress liner meathod. Cheaper than SIG Koverite and dope--same results except the poly dries faster and you dont get the smell.AKA you get to cover planes in the comfort of the warm house. Just have to do the color coat outside!

superflea

Dope and fabric is easier than monokote imo. its really just a matter of painting the structure then laying the fabric over it and painting over the fabric when dry paint the whole thing with dope. more time consuming, but if you enjoy building then this is the method that will deliver the most enjoyment, and gives a real sense of pride when done. and nothing looks as good as dope and fabric when done well.

If you want to test your skills out then just build yourself a box out of 1X1s and dowels then cover it with silkspan and dope just for practice. I really do find it easier than any of the plastic films. film is fast but dope and fabric is very relaxing and all around enjoyable to me. Course that could just be the fumes.

somegeek

My Feedback: (2)

I'm looking forward to my next build for that very reason. Going to be covered with silk, tissue and dope. Will be my first time using this method.

somegeek