rotccapt

hi all im working on a 100cc biplane and i would like to do a painted fabric covering job on it.

so i have a couple options for covering: ceconite lite, stits lite, and solartex.

all three options will cost about the same after all said and done. i have used solartex before and loved how it worked. i know solartex would be easier due to the iron on properties of it. but for all those that have used any of these what are your opinions and why

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

You have another option Captain. Try silk. This place has some good tight weaved silk. There are heavy versions and they are all tight weaved. Dan.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/silk/habotai.html

gene6029

Another option for iron on covering is Sig Koverall. You can iron it on, but first must paint the area with sig stix-it. I have a build thread going right now where im useing it to cover a model im building. It is under scratchbuilding a Buzzard Bombshell. It can also be applied with Minwax Polycrylic waterbased products, or even applied with dope. I have used it with all three methods & it comes out looking great......Gene ,PS, ( i have no experience with the products you mentioned above, just wanted you to know there are other options)

JDP1

I just got 8 yards of fabric to cover the 1/3 Cub I'm building from W mart.$2.60 a yard (48 In. wide) I've used it before and it works great. It's the fabric used to line dresses, its light Dacron Poly same material as Ceconite. You can use dope, Stits or paint on it and of course you need Balsarite to put it on. Last plane I built I used Stits silver on it as a base other wise the sun shines through. I'm going to experiment with black latex this time, a lot of the ultrlight guys use this.

TFF

I use Koverall and dope a bunch. Similar to Ceconite. Depends on the finish you want. Real planes doped or poly fiber are not super glossy. The planes that are super slick have the underneath of Ceconite prepared with dope or Poly and then have a Urethane paint for the wet look. Depends on the plane. A WW1 plane any would be good. If it is a Pitts or like I would use Ceconite+ favorite process. If you dont like the smell of dope you will not like the Stits, it is a vinyl "dope."

rotccapt

the plane will be a culp special, close resemblance of a pitts model 12 but with an open cockpit and round wing tips. i think i like the idea of the koverall it is lighter than the stits and ceconite. what would you think of using waterbased poly to apply the fabric tot he plane? i have done this with 1/2 ounce fiberglass with great results

gene6029

rotccapt, I built a Dynaflite Chipmunk w 89"ws, and covered the entire plane with the Koverall & Polycrylic method. It works great! I did seal the wood with Deft sealer though before useing the poly to apply the Koverall. Iwas afraid the wood would soak up the water. I painted it w latex house paint & it turned out well....Gene

John 38

Walmart also supplies 100% polyester dress lining. Because it is preshrunk there is not as much heat shrink left in it as solartex. I have used it - good variety of colours and weights/tight weave. balsaloc applied sparingly around the frame then stick the material down with an iron stretching it as much as possible to get it on as tight as possible. I have then applied 3 coats of 50/50 thinned nitrate dope to finish the shrink and get a watertight finish. i keep surfaces vertical to apply dope and then lay flat- pinned for wings while it dries. drum tight in no time. not sure on fuel proof re gas ??

Solartex has it on ease of application etc but doped polyester dress lining has it on cost and variety of choice and ability to source longer lengths, it also comes 60" wide

[link]http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=153227[/link] shows my 72" Southerner with dopes on tissue trim - electric so no fuelproof issues

[link]http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1163158&highlight=polyester+dress[/link] covers some testing on polyester dress lining. There is also a warning about using polyester resin over this in another thread on same forum

john