Kimhoff

My Feedback: (22)

I recently got a Bud Noesen Citabria that appears to be covered with fabric It has been painted so I aaume the frabric proably had some type of dope applied. This thing was built in 1983.

I am looking for suggestions on how to go about removing this covering. I want to clean up the airframe and apply a type of pre-colored fabric.

Thanks

frankspeaks

Shouldn't matter what kind of paint was used, all cloth covering comes off the same way.
Use a sharp blade and cut a line through the covering being careful not to cut the wood... lets say your doing the wing, so our line would be around the entire edge... from the root to the tip. around the tip, and back to the root. peel the covering off one side and then the other. Use the knife blade to help pull up the covering to get started and work slowly.
Fuse is the same way, you have a top to remove, two sides and a bottom. Remember that the covering is cloth, so it won't tear... use that blade to cut away covering as it gets too big to handle.
With a little patience, you'll be ready to sand and recover in short order.

Luck, Dewayne

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Try a heat gun, or an iron. While you pull on the material, heat the area that contacts the frame. Whether it's dope or some other covering adhesive, it will soften, and steady traction will pull it loose. There may be residual adhesive left on the frame; no worries, just sand everything smooth before recovering. If there is any color left that might show through the new cover, you can use a primer to cover it up, or if you plan to paint the new cover, the primer and cover coat will hide whatever color remains underneath the new covering.