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Old 01-09-2007 | 09:23 AM
  #9  
saucerguy
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From: Chico, CA
Default RE: A guide to using balsa

I'm an x paper covering only guy so this plastic stuff is really nice to work with in comparison, I like how you broke down the weights, makes me want to get into solite rather then Ultracoat, but keep it as something I use when weight is much more critical and I don't mind having to cut up the coverings into more pieces.

Ultracoat is just insane compared to what I was used to, it's so versatile, I did my last build with some rather hard core angles and curves just seeing how far I could push this stuff, it's almost like paint as far as to what it can cover. The idea behind complex angles, you end up with a cupcake wrapper on the edges that are creased much more on the sharper corners and curves, but you are trimming that away since none of it is attached to the plane, i'ts just where you were pulling the material, all you are doing is heating up the edge/area you are trying to streatch around and pulling in a logical manner, the heavier and more flexible the material, the stronger the heat activeated bond, and the more it shrinks the better, it takes more time and finesse for the harder angles, but keep at it and don't push it too far, too quickly and you can cover entire wings, fuses, rudders, elevators with ease in one piece much of the time, just read the mfg.'s instructions as well as make your own decisions as to how skilled you are with it, this stuff does take some practice regardless.

You can quote that for your web site.

I'll eventually video document how I do it, just have alot of projects going on at once so leave that one on the back burner for now.