What is the easiest way to remove old monokote from a fuse and wings. I have a Extra 300 that I am reconditioning from head to toe. Doing this one right! Having a time consuming problem getting the old coat off. I am using a heat gun but its very slow going. Any good procedues will be helpful. Thanks batdog</p>

I either pull it off with or without heat. Worked alot better with heat. Only thing I could add would be to wear an old glove and use pliers to grab the covering.</p>

Just run your heat gun in front of the covering as you gently pull it off.

Will the small area's that won't come off show through the new covering? I am using a solid color. Will it be noticable?

I would lightly sandpaper the area.  And yes, it will show thru. 

Hey batdog, Are you still flying up at the Venice club?

when you are using the heat gun don't let the covering get to hot. I normally set my heat on the low setting. Just warm it up in front of where you are pulling the covering off. I then will use acetone to get rid of some the small pieces that wants to stick. Just take your time.

Hey Drube. I am at my home in NC above Asheville for the summer and will be back in north Port by Thanksgiving for the winter. I haven't joined a club in Fl . Up here we have a bunch that fly together but its not an orginized thing. I heard there are some guys that fly somewhere in North Port . I have flown at both the Venice club and Port charolette but am currently not a member but I am a AMA member. I am addicted to this sport . Batdog

x2 on using a heat gun, i had to remove some old monocoat from a p51 and the heat gun worked great just take your time and dont get in a hurry.

Thanks for all the replies. Everyone is saying the heat gun is the key but it sure is time consuming. Thanks for your help. It is examples like this where everyone is so helpful that makes this such a great sport. Thanks again batdog ( the plane will be worth the effort for sure )

Like said, a heat gun works great.Try putting it a little closer to the surface.
I know two spots to flyat inNP, PM me when your in town.

What Gene is saying here. I use high heat myself but I have done it a bunch. Yes, depending on the color you are going to use the pigment of a dark color will show through most the time. Acetone and sand paper will cure that.

The fast way is to set the plane on fire and build a new one

When you re-cover, use Ultracote - a little heat and it peels right off.

Taking the time to pull off big pieces instead of letting it tear makes the job go faster. I use the heat gun too, and pull it off methodically from one seam corner across to the other corner. It goes faster when you have a big piece to yank on and can just go back and forth across the line where the covering is stuck with the heat. I use the gun set on high, and it's nearly an instant release when I heat while pulling.

So, a little off topic.... When using ultracoat do you heat it a little before taking the covering? Do you take the covering without heating and heat when applying ?
I am having a hard time applying some Ultracoat patches but I suspect the roll I bought is defective.

Did you peal the backing off before putting it on? Not really sure what you are asking.

If you're patching a plane that's been flown before, it may have exhaust oil on it. Clean it with acetone or alcohol before putting on the patch.

It had oil and I cleaned with alcohol and let it dry. But the ultracote is not peeling right, the backing comes off a little but then the red color starts to come off too.
Do you heat the ultracote before peeling it? I thought the heating was once it was applied to activate the glue[:@]

The backing should peel right off without heat. Sounds like you have a bad roll

Hey minnflyer I did set it on fire, but now I don't have anything to hold the new covering on.

Hey guys. I havetaken your advice and using the heat gun and acitone I have been getting good results but it is slow going. I have the fuse completely stripped and repaired and am now working on removing the covering and making minor repairs . I bought the acitone at Lowes and it removes the remaining adheasive easly.This EXTRA 300 is looking good but alot to do yet. Thanks batdog ( I couldn't take the Set It Afire advice but you have to be careful working with the acitone)

Yea, watch out, Acetone is EXTREMELY flammable!

What type of heat gun are you supposed to use? Is it one that you would buy at a hobby shop or would a hand held hair dryer possibly be used?

I do not think a hair dryer would get hot enough. Hobby store heat guns are not expensive and you would use it to tighten shrink covering in many areas. I have had mine for at least 10 years. Cheap investment. To keep it servicable for a long time you need to run it in fan only until it cools down instead of switching from hot to off.

I second that. I have a black roll that seems to be bad. Everytime I try to peel it of even with a little heat applied, the painted glue backing likes to stay behind. I always acetone it off with a rag. It takes a bit of work, but it does come off.


When I recover a whole aircraft I usually just tear the old covering off, clean with acetone, sand and fill the balsa, wipe down with a clean white rag until I see no dirt- then recover.
This is the quick simple method I use without getting too much into detail.


Pete