Bought a used arf Sig Kadet Lt-40) The decal job was done poorly to say the least. Being color blind dosent help. Would like to add yellow and red monokote to the leading edge and maybe some large stripes. I have the materials but not sure how to go about it, was told I cant heat-up Monokote over Monokote without getting bubbles. Praying for help.[]
Goplaneman

If it is MonoKote brand covering, you can get a product called "No Heat". It is a solvent. You wet the covering, lay it on, smooth it out, and let it sit overnight, and it's done.

Done properly and carefully it can be done but its difficult. But there was a thread around explaining that you could use a soapy solution or windex between them. Set it at the location where you want it then squeegy all of it and allow to dry for 24 hrs.

Top Flite also sells Monokote trim sheets that peel and stick and match the Monokote colors perfectly.

Jesse

I think the LT40 ARF is covered in ultracote(oracover)... I don't know if that will make a difference or not...

MinnFlyer

Is "No Heat" different than Monokote trim solvent? Thanks.

CP140 -- yes, the Ultra/Ora is workable at a lower temperature than Monokote, so there might be problems with the underlying covering changing its shape while you try to apply the Monokote over it.

woodbutcher -- yes, they use a different formulation -- I don't know what's in whose, but my Monokote appliques stayed gunky underneath for a long time when I used the non-top flite solvent.

I think the best chance for success with this setup would be to float the appliques on with windex. When you do that, you place the overlay where it goes, squeegee out all the bubbles and as much of the liquid as you can, let it dry overnite, then go over the edges with your sealing iron using the lowest temperature that activates the adhesive. An easier approach would be to trim with ultracote instead, but that may be beside the point, right?

"No Heat" and "Trim Solvent" are the same thing.

You can also use Acetone, but it's a little more powerful (can cause the adhesive to get gooey, but I have used it with good results.)

From my experience I would say the Windex route is your best bet. It will give you just about unlimited working time and will give you the best results since you can work all the bubbles out. Trim solvent works great if the covering is only overlapping by a quarter inch or less. Any more than that and it tends to trap the gasses let off by the solvent/glue and you end up with bubbles. Trim solvent will also stick almost immediately so if you don't get the piece into perfect position on the first try you may be in for some trouble.

Covering applied with Windex does tend to peel off easier than that applied with heat or trim solvent so be sure to go over the edges with an iron or possibly trim solvent to make sure the edges don't start to peel back after a few flights.

If I uses the Windex, Can I go over the whole sheet with low heat, just to activate the Glue?
and should I uses Ultracoat since I will be covering Ultracoat?
Thanks,
Goplaneman

I wouldn't advise it. If the edges don't come loose, there's no way that the middle can be a problem, so doing the edges is enough and there's no harm in not doing the middle.

On the other hand, doing the middle is quite difficult to do without inducing bubbles, so there is strong potential of causing harm if you do the middle.

It's all just appearance stuff, but if you didn't care about appearance you wouldn't have wanted to do this in the first place, so I'd advise minimizing the risk by not heating the middle.

(BTW, what I reported on solvents is first-hand experience... the different brands behaved differently for me when applied to monokote in about 1999 or 2000. The various brands use proprietary mixtures of ketones and other aromatics and they may have the same ingredients and concentrations or they may not -- and they may be the same today as when I tried them or they may not. I assume that you've used both, Minn, and I'm glad they both worked well for you, but be advised, they don't always and we'd have to do more investigation to know when they do and do not, so we can't make a blanket claim that they're the same.)

Could I cut out the ultracoat that is on ther and remove just the area I want to put strips on, and then recover with the Monokote overlaping about 1/4 inch, and making sure all seams are over balsa.
Goplaneman

This technique is possible but it will be a bit more tedious. Of course it will work best if the covering is over sheeted areas. I would stay away from open wing bays, etc. with this technique. It would probably work fine on a stripe down the side of the fuselage if there are not any large holes to be covered which is often the case. I would suggest giving the Windex technique first. After seeing how easy it is you may decide against cutting out any existing covering.

just use the windex and go around the edges i just put stars on a friend rascal 110 same covering i used white monocote it works fine dont try to cut the covering under were the trim is going

Heres my trick..
Map out the area you want to cover and poke tiny pinholes in the covering about every 1/4" on the layer you are covering over. The new monokote sticks right over it and the air escapes out through the pinholes. Works great for me, I just try to make the pinholes as tiny as possible pushing only the tip end of the pin through. Also, if you get 1 bubble you can pretty easily poke a hole through the outer layer without going through both and then just iron the bubble out. If you do accidentally go through it wont hurt. As long as its only a pinhole and you dont overheat the monokote any more than it takes to pul out the wrinkles.

Thanks for all the help
Goplaneman