"What's the secret to a good covering job?" That's a question that has been posted many times here at RCU. A few years ago, I did a basic tutorial on covering, but it was just that? Basic. So when it came time to cover a wing I recently finished, I decided to videotape the process to give you a more "In-Depth" look. But first, let's go back to basics.
What tools are needed?
Many of us who have been in this hobby for a while can tell you a story or two of how we once covered an entire plane with a few rolls of covering, a clothes iron, and razor blade. And yes, I've done that too. So as far as "What tools do you HAVE to have?" goes, that's all you need if you're broke, but I don't recommend it.
A more appropriate list of tools would include:
- A Covering Iron
- A Heat Gun
- A Good Supply of Fresh Razor Blades
- A 36" (or 1 Meter) Metal Straight Edge
A few extra handy items would be:
- A Trim Iron
- A 12" Metal Straight Edge
- A Metal Square (or Triangle)
- A Few Pins
- Masking Tape
- A Glove or Pliers (For pulling covering around corners while heating)
For this Article, I'm covering a Great Planes Ultra Sport 40 Wing (The Original Ultra Sport, not the "Plus" version). The Color Scheme that I am using is one that I have used several times before. Here is what the final product will look like:
The Top is mostly White with Red Wing Tips, and a Metallic Blue Band with White Stars on it. The Blue Band will also have a Pinstripe on each side.
The Bottom of the Wing will have the same White outline and Red Wing Tip, but it will feature a Metallic Blue "Thunder Bird" design.
One last note before we start - Remember the basic rules:
- Cover from Back to Front to keep the seams out of the Air Stream
- Cover from Bottom to Top to hide the seams from view
Ok, it's time to start. I started out by covering the Belly Pan, but first, I added 3/8" wide strips to the corners where the Belly Pan meets the Wing. Note: These videos have very large file sizes. You can download each one by clicking on it, or download all of them in one large ZIP File by clicking Here.
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