frets24

My Feedback: (15)

In the process of rebuilding a favored plane's fuselage I encountered some difficulty in attempting (thus far) the covering.

Did one full side and and the cowl/front end-wing saddle and cockpit forward- with the remains of a 15 year old roll of MonoKote Yellow. The stuff went on great and I felt like I was really cooking along. Compound curves shrunk down tight and the small wrinkles and bubbles came right out easily with the heat gun and iron, adhesion was great.

Started the remaining side, bottom of the tail section and the open type upper tail section with a new roll of MonoKote...wow, what a difference. I felt like I had never done covering in my life before. Bubbles and small wrinkles everywhere, wouldn't tighten up over the upper rear stringers and when it did there were see-through spots and pin holes everywhere, overlap seams pulling apart, holes burnt through before I could blink....totally disappointing session, Nothing like when covering with the older roll or a recent wing recover on the "BlueHawk". Had to double check the new wrapping and the print on the edge of the film just to be sure I had "Super MonoKote" and not "EconoKote".

I've never had this problem with MonoKote before and have covered at least a dozen planes over the years, but then I haven't had to buy a roll in over a decade...always had enough of what I needed for repairs left over from the original build or just excess rolls from a hobbyshop sellout years ago.

SO, has monokote been changed? Did I just get a bad roll? Or, Did I suddenly become a novice in the time it took to unwrap the new roll?

Not necessarily a flame on TF or MK...Just wondering. May have to adjust my technique and polish the skill set I had already ripped the covering off before I thought to post a query or shoot a pic.

cstevenpeterson

My Feedback: (21)

I do not have the answer except to say that I have experienced exactly the same issue - mostly with ARF repair. I still like MK, but I have found that Ultracote goes on much easier - like MK used to...

Steve

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

There's been a lot of people saying Monokote has changed but Tower/Great planes/ Hobbico have not responded to the complaints

I personally changed to Ultrakote/Oracover for this reason.

da Rock

We discussed that at the field a couple of weeks ago. Most of the old timers believe Monokote has changed and all noticed just what you noticed.

But nobody knows for sure.


hhmmmmmmmm
I wonder if Mythbusters would check it out...................

MikeL

My Feedback: (3)

I'm pretty sure Bill Baxter has addressed the issue.  If I recall, the answer was surprisingly similar to their answer of why OS went to ABC-type engine construction, rather than real ABC construction.  The statement was something along the lines of environmental issues making the old formula cost-prohibitive to produce.

da Rock

Who needs Mythbusters when we got Bax

ChuckW

The smell is definitely gone. Iremember using it as a kid in the early 80s then again in the early 90's. There was a distinct plastic or paint-like smell. Iimagine it killed off a few of my brain cells. You get a wiff of it now and then with the newer stuff but not nearly as much.

Idid see a statement once from Bax that the product has adapted over the years to meet changing environmental regulations. Just about every indsutry and product around has had to deal with the same thing.

Istill have great luck with Monokote though and it is actually my prefered covering.

davidgeorge212

I have not noticed any of those problems mentioned

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

I think they have a major quality control problem. There are good rolls and bad rolls. Maybe they changed the formula, too, though their instructions for applying the stuff haven't changed. I recently covered a fuselage with a roll I've had on hand for years. Reminded me of how good it used to be.

Some people claim that those of us having problems just forgot how to apply it. If so, it's a funny kind of forgetting, because it never seems to happen when using an old roll.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Well, it was very noticable in this morning's adventure. I don't think one forgets how to apply covering just "all-of the-sudden" while in midstream of a covering job. The older stuff went on exactly as I remember it should have.

It's funny someone should mention the smell also. My wife said, "Did you open the window or something? That stuff ran me out of here earlier, it stinks so bad.!! But, not so much now"

I've about got this new stuff licked now and the second new roll is no better or worse than the first. I always really liked MonoKote in the past and it would seem like some kind of betrayal to switch now, although I am going to try out some ultracoat on my next project just to see.

airbusdrvr

I and many others second this opinion/solution

davidgeorge212

but not all [X(][X(]

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

It changed about 10 or 12 years ago. For a long time we were told we weren't putting it on correctly?? OK, the users bad! It was hit and miss depending on if you got the new stuff or an old roll. For years we were told it didn't change. I went over to Ultracote and what do you know, I still knew how to cover!!!!!!!!!!! Today we are told they made the change due to a number of reasons and we just had to learn how to use it. Why bother when there are better products on the market, Mono is a hit or miss covering, Ultra always works. Mono has a better color selection and it shines better, who cares if it sags and bubbles or doesn't shrink. I still use Mono, for Trim Work. Ultra doesn't activate with ammonia like Mono does so Mono is a good way to trim if you are doing a lot of little detail work. You can do a search here on RCU and find a lot of threads about the Mono problem. Give the Ultra a try and see what you think. Post back here if you like it.[8D]

Deadeye

I've been using monokote with great success for 8 years or more. Maybe I just learned with the new formula? I've covered at least a dozen 60 size models using nothing but monokote, and am always pleased with the results. I just finished this one last week.

macdona

My Feedback: (3)

I for one would like to know Deadeye's secret. M/K changed so much a long time ago and I switched to U/C and have never looked back. Never will use any thing else.

mikegordon10

I think maybe the real question for Deadeye would be "have you honestly ever tried Ultracoat?"
Why just think, what with your unusual skills in applying Moneycoat, Ultracoat would prolly just automatically jump onto the airframe whilst you just sit in the ole easy chair sucking down the suds!

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

That was my first thought too but two years ago I built a plane for a friend and used Mono bright yellow and it went on easy and shrunk very well. I mixed coverings and used quite a bit of Ultra on it too. I also had to use some Mono floresent green last year, talk about total crap!!!!!!!! No shrinking at all. If I wouldn't have put it on tight I would have had to pull it completely. I have also found Ultra silver was crap too and used Mono to cover a P-51. That was a first but it happened!! I can still use Mono but why fight it when we have Ultracote?? Who knows, maybe some day Mono will hold a covering contest or something so they can unload more of the crud?? It could happen!!

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

You can put only one brand over the other?

It doesn't work the other way?

I cannot remember which to use as the base?

Ultracote is more porus?

davidgeorge212

That is totally not true, I cant even begin to tell you. I have been covering every airplane I build with mono and about a year ago somone at the feild started praising ultra. I finally got to the point where I had heard enough and I went down to the LHS and bought several rolls of ultra to cover an airplane. By the time I got one wing panel coverd in it, I was about ready to punch a hole in the wall from frustration. It practically came off the roll wrinkled and when you heat it up it will just fold in half and stick to itself. Then I just had a bunch of scrap covering because it had a lot of splotchy clear spots where all the coloring behind it separated. I tried it so no one can say I didnt and now I just have a greater appreciation for monokote.

mikegordon10

The adhesive on Monocoat is indeed the color which when it's removed leaves a clear mylar. This is not the case with ultracoat. Also ultracoat's adhesive side won't stick to another ultracoat adhesive side. There are several other brands of covering that would exhibit these tendencies. I know cause I'll try whatever's new. BUT in my opinion Ultracoat's not one of them.
Are you sure it was Ultracoat that you had so much trouble with.

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I have only covered a couple of planes now and did a few repairs. One thing is for sure there is a difference in the coverings. I recovered one plane in orange MonoKote and it went one reasonably well and shrank good. I then had some older MonoKote white and I cut and added as needed and it worked great.

I was almost out of the white so I ordered another roll and also ordered two rolls Metalic Wine and one roll Yellow MonoKote to cover a 60 size Stick. The Metallic Wine worked really well and had excellent shrink control The Yellow was not as good but I only needed small amount of it.

I even store my covering material in PVC tubes with slide on caps that seal the tubes and keep the MonoKote fresh. So the covering in my environment is well kept. I did some testing and now I KNOW for a fact there is a difference. The new roll of white was total crap! I mean you could put a 6 x 8 inch piece over a simple FLAT area and you would have to burn it before you could even get it to shrink! I put three pieces on the area and simple could not get one to work.

I even went back and checked my temps, cut another section used different iron and nadda...complete garbage. You can cut 4 x 6 inch pieces out of different rolls of MonoKote the SAME color and you will be amazed. The only way you can get some of it to work is on a flat area and stretch it to the MAX when ironing because some of it will not shrink. [:'(]

It all depends on when it was purchased and the age of the material. I feel like I am being taken for a ride because I end up having to buy another roll of a superior product and I basically lose my money, not to mention you have to recover the area you were working on.

I know each and every one of you believe your time is valuable and do not want to waste it on bad covering material. I think once I get through my 8 or 10 rolls of MonoKote I am moving to UltraKote or finding something better.

bullseye000

I built and covered a plane for a local who never picked it up and it's been sitting on a shelf for almost a year. I ran out of my stash of red and bought several new rolls and it gave me fits putting it on. I took pictures last year for my scrapbook and if you look at the monokote in the pictures and on the plane a year later you can see how bad wrinkles and sags form when the plane just sits. I made a big stink in another thread a while back and I believe it was Bax who said all the arf models hobbico sells is covered with the same monokote we are using. So there you have it, you need to find yourself a ten year old Asian kid to train you how to use the new formula monokote.

ramboy

How does Solarfilm compare to Monokote and Ultracote?

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Yes it has changed! I to went to ultrakote,

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Perhaps you just need to learn how to use Ultra?? That's what the people at tower told me when I started to have problems with Mono.
Today I finished the repairs on an old plane, it was covered in Ultra Metalic, don't waste the extra money for it, the metalic isn't all that Impressive. I used some Mono yellow on one side of the patch and Ultra red. No problems with either one going over the old Ultra. I just used what I had on hand and wasn't going to spend any money on this old Aeromaster, looks good enough to fly.