Polyspan Covering
 

Does anyone know where to buy Polyspan it's great covering for small planes and gliders it's like silk span but smoother and stronger . It's not plastic flim irons on with balsa rite and can be painted

Litespan
 

If you mean LightSpan. You can get it at Hobby Looby.

Polyspan Covering
 

I believe that Polyspan is available from Brodack. Not sure if they have a website or not, but I'm pretty sure they advertise in "Model Aviation" - they specialize in U-Control models. Might get more nfo in a Ukie forum?

BJH :)

Polyspan Covering
 

You might try Indoor Model Supply at

INDOOR MODEL SUPPLY
BOX 2020
FLORENCE, OR 97439
(541) 902-8508

Polyspan Covering
 

You may also want to try BMJR models. They do a lot of free flight and small electric kits. I used poly span on a kit I got from them in the past and they sell it in rolls as well.

www.bmjrmodels.com

Harvey

Polyspan Covering
 

Good job, Harvey! BMJR does, indeed, carry Polyspan. As does FAI Model Supply. Go to

http://www.faimodelsupply.com/starline-polyspan.htm

Polyspan is by far my favorite covering material for models weighing less than 4 pounds or so. For heavier models, like Large Scale sailplanes and gassies, I prefer Sig Koverall (because I'm cheap and so is Koverall!)

Polyspan Covering
 

This may be deviating from the subject a bit (and a bit long-winded) but...

I bought some LiteSpan today at the LHS in my quest to have a super light 5-servo Herr Cub (flat wing with two HS-55 for built-up ailerons I added). I had on hand a roll of cub yellow ultracote, but decided it might be fun to go with a more 'traditional' (meaning liver-spotted, old fart, 1940's-type, more-pain-than-it's-worth) covering method.

It seemed a bit odd that I couldn't find anywhere on the label exactly how much LiteSpan material I was getting...hmmm...come to think of it, the packaging brilliantly disguises the 'yield'...what a fantastic marketing achievement! The price seemed decent ($3.50 or so for ??? sq. ft.), so I didn't complain and bought two packages. After unfolding the first pack, I found that it's probably not enough to cover the wing. Oh well. I thought that I'd pop one pack open, experiment with it, and see what it was all about.

After applying Balsarite to the test frame and 'kicking' it with a heat gun, I set my iron on low-ish. The LiteSpan seemed to stick pretty well to the Balsarite at low heat without wrinkling or deforming. After covering the underside and ends of the test frame and trimming, I recoated the edges (over the LiteSpan) with more Balsarite. I couldn't kick it with the heat gun, so a 20 minute (minimum) wait is needed. Applying the topside covering was fairly easy, and after sealing all of the edges, I slightly increased the temperature of the iron and shrunk out all of the sags (there weren't many since the test frame was flat).

I applied 21st Century paint to the covered surface to see what level of opacity I could achieve. I was very put-off by the results. It would take a TON of paint over the covering to get it to the point where it wasn't semi-transparent. Grrrrrr.......... Maybe if I primed the entire plane before applying the color coat, I would get what I was looking for...but at the expense of more weight which was EXACTLY what I was trying to avoid.

Remember that the test frame was flat. Covering compound surfaces with this stuff would require one to feather the LiteSpan by making lots of radial cuts, then applying more Balsarite, then ironing some down, trimming, then applying more Balsarite, then gumming up ones' iron...you get my drift?

OK, on to the durability tests. Can you say 'flunk'? I knew that you could. The LiteSpan is probably twice as durable as Japanese tissue...and 2x0=0. I seriously doubt that it would endure even the most minor of bumps without tearing. Applying a small amount of fingertip pressure to an open bay would require re-shrinking. No thanks.

My objective was to keep it light, but make it look good. Although I don't really like the glossiness of the Ultracote, THAT is what I'm going to use on this cub. The LiteSpan would require so much more paint that I believe that the differences in the final weight would be insignificant.

Consensus: If you have the patience and the time, don't give a hoot about the finish of your planes (I'm talking opacity here), build velvet-lined boxes to transport your planes in, and never actually touch your planes (without forceps at designated hard-points) this stuff is for you! Hell...if you want to play around with the LiteSpan to draw your own conclusions, I'll send you the remainder of the pack that I opened. SASE to me and it's yours.

Note: I don't consider myself to be a 1/2A guru by any means...I typically fly .40-size fun-fly profile, combat screamers, and some really sweet 1/4 and 1/3 scale aerobat stuff. Whatever the case, I try to keep it light!!! I have an EXTREME amount of experience with HLGs (where every gram counts), so I am fully aware of the lightness vs. durability travesty.

-Tom

Polyspan Covering
 

Polyspan is also available from TCI Hobbies at 800-606-0097 they also have a website.
In regards to this product be aware that it is a great product to use but requires the use of dope and while it can be heat shrunk moderatly it can be difficult to do wing tips with . Also you need at least 3 coats of dope on it before you can lightly sand it smooth. Less then that and you will get a fuzziness to it that will be almost impossible to get rid of.
To save weight with these products as it only comes in white use anyline dye mixed in with your dope. It is not opaque but if you have a nicely built plane a little translucense is a great advertisement to your building skills

Litespan
 

I have used Litespan on several occasions over two years now.

You guys must be using material different than I got from Peck's Polymers. I got mixed results.

Either it attachs or it will not. The aluminum colored is the worse.

Either it shrinks or it will not. The pale colors (while, yellow, antique) sucked up the best, whereas the darker colors shrink the minimum.

The Balsarite can sometimes ball up when ironing, whereas using Elmer's Glue stick it does not. The distributor from New Jersey reccomends two applications of glue also.

Wm.

Polyspan application
 

I've used Polyspan to cover several models, quite happily. I've noticed several statements of concern over how to get the stuff to go 'round corners, like wingtips. I've had excellent results from treating it like a plastic heat-shrink covering, i.e., get out the covering iron and tug and heat until it works around the corner, and it will, I think easier than the plastic film will. This all depends on having a heavily-doped wood structure so that the adhesive will bind with the Polyspan after all the stretching is finished.

Polyspan Covering
 

Pete,

My findings exactly. You have to use the covering iron to coax Polyspan around compound curves and wingtip bows, and when you do it conforms as good as or better than Econokote/Towerkote (which is my favorite plastic film, btw).

I have not yet tried dying Polyspan with analine dye. I like the way it looks au naturel, but when I want color accents and graphics I dope down some colored tissue, applied damp. Polyspan also likes colored dope from the spray can. Use vinyl tape for masking.