what is with deal that i have been hearing about monokote? has their product gone down hill or just a bad batch. Should I look for other brands to cover my new plane?

I've been using Monokote for 10 years now. I don't have any plans to change.

Ken

Persoanlly, I prefer Ultracoat but I noticed something this weekend. I had a couple roles of white Monokote laying around. I had sworn the stuff off but I'm also a cheapskate so I decided to uses it on my GP CAP-232 since i had it on hand. Much to my suprise, it is turning out great. I think I've just gotten better at covering. Maybe it's not so bad after all...

I do not like the stuff myself as I can not get wrinkles out of it or get it to stay tight.

My personal favorites are Coverite fabric and Oracover. I have placed an order for Ultracote and I am going to give that a try. I have heard high praises about Ultracote.

Anyone ever try Coverite film? Is that as good as the fabric?

I first used Monokote sometime in the early 80s. The Monokote I used on my most recent plane worked the same way I remember it from way back then. The thing I think is most important is knowing how to apply it with a minimum of wrinkles so when you're shrinking it you are really just tightening it up rather than trying to remove wrinkles.

I have heard here at RCU that monokota has had some problems "fisheye"ing. Has anyone had this problem?

Never heard of this. I've used Monokote regularly for about 30 years now and never had a problem. Is Ultracaot easier? I haven't a clue as I've never used it.

As I said above, 10 years of using Monokote and I've never heard of this either.

Ken

monocoat is a little harder to get right but is a good product.i like untracoat better in that it is easier to apply but it is slightly thinner than monocoat and they short change you on the rolls compaired to monocoat.something i have noticed and someone tell me if its just me,but i think diferent colored monocoat and ultracoat goes on diferent?oh well mabey my imagination

They have changed Monokote. I found a roll that was about 6 - 7 years old. That roll adhered extremely well and shrank properly. I TRIED to finish the job with some of the new Monokote. The new Monokote did not adhere as well and shrank very poorly. I had to have the heat cranked up so high I thought I was going to blow a hole in it. I should have stayed with Ultracote - it would have been less aggravation.

I strongly suggest using Ultracote for film coverings and SolarTex for your fabric coverings. They go on with lower heat, have excellent adhesive and the colors stay the same from batch to batch. In addition, unless you get your paint color matched, Ultracote paints are substantially closer to the film covering than Lustercote is (and Ultracote paints DON'T SPIT ).

I have noticed the same thing. I could be wrong but it seems like the basic colors of Monokote (ie standard reds, blues, yellows, white, etc.) shrink well. I've also had good luck with transparents. I've never been able to get aluminum colored Monokote to shrink well at all though, no matter how careful I was. Like I said in my other post though, I think I'm getting better at the whole covering thing, maybe I'd do better with the aluminum now. The white Monokote on my Cap 232 is looking very good so far and I'm using left over Ultracoat on top of it for the trim.

I haven't noticed differences between Ultracoat colors so far.

As others have said it takes more heat to shrink Monokote than another product like Ultracoat. To do any covering job properly and to be able to get out all of those wrinkles, a heat gun is a must. For the best covered finish (with any product) is to seal the edges with the iron, and then shrink the rest of it until its taught with the heat gun. I see too many people trying to shrink an entire wing or fuselage with just an iron.

i use a heatgun when i cant get wrinkles out but always tac then shrink with my iron.when i first started building models about 30 or so years ago i use a regular household iron i got at a garage sell.the monocoat they sell now im not sure if they changed anything or not,but when i am useing it the smell seems to be the same.i bet you i can be blindfolded and can tell by the smell that it is monocoat. ChuckW i have the same problems with the silver colors of monocoat.monocoat is thicker than ultracoat and corners seem to be a little trickier to do,other than that i think it is about the same quality as ultracoat.i can do a better job wth ultracoat than monocoat though.

Saw a post by BAX the other day. As many of you know Top FLite now falls under Great Planes umbrella and he is their rep. He stated that there has been no change in formulas, manufacturers or manufacturing technique since the "good ol days" (my term).

A couple of years ago I recovered a plane that I built around 1980. I found the remains of the original roll of Monokote and use it. I was recovering a fuselage that was partially stripped for repair after a rather malicious tree intentionally jumped into my flight path. I was surprised the material on the roll, that had been stored in a box in the basement, still matched the covering on the fuselage that had been exposed to light and UV for 25 years. The material felt and acted just like it had just been manufactured.

I've also experienced variations in the adhesive. I've used 2 rolls that I know came into the hobby shop together directly from Top Flight. One roll didn't want to stick very well, and the other was probably the best I've used - very tacky, and I was able to tack it in place by pressing my hand on it for about 20 seconds before starting to iron. It also stuck when the adhesive side folded under and touched more adhesive - when I pulled it apart I ended up with the clear plastic film in one area and all the adhesive and color pigments on the other part.

Hogflyer

For the ones that have not heard of the problems (that I have read in other forums) from Monokote, just type "Current Status of Monokote" in your forum search.

This is why I ask the Question: Monokote or not Monokote?

I agree on the heat gun thing. I also used a heat gun from the hardware store for a while. It had two settings: way too hot or not hot enough. I finally got an actual Hobbico heat gun. The heat guns sold for shrinking covering are the right temperature and work much better, at least for me anyhow.

I'm still using my cheap one from the hardware store. It took a couple of planes to find the right heat setting and distance from the surface before I stopped burning holes in the covering But now it works great

Cheap, as in "already had" or cheap as in "less than $13" http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJD39&P=7

I looked at some of the threads. In most cases it was the same people posting the same complaint over and over.

I saw a description of the ‘fish eye’ issue. Apparently some rolls got out with globs of glue on the back that wouldn’t melt down and smooth out. Also a few reports of a grainy finish over sheeted areas caused by an irregular glue surface over a large area.

Bax made a statement that most chose to ignore; preferring to complain instead. I didn’t copy it for a quote but it said to send them samples of “bad� covering so they can analyze it and make it right.

I use Ultracoat (Oracover) and manage to do an average job of covering. My brother uses Monokote. I think his covering jobs look better than mine.

My brother went with the industrial gun he already had; why spend more money? He finally decided that replacing monokote, after melting holes in it, was more expensive than a hobby heat gun.

Hi!
Oracover (Ultracote to you Americans) is much easier to use and much stronger than Monokote.
I have used both since I started flying R/C 31 years ago but prefer Oracover, and recommend it to all newbies starting out in R/C.

I've been using Monokote for 30 years. After 10 years on an aircraft exposed to UV, it does tend to get brittle. I've also noticed that 10 year old scraps tend to have less flexibility and adhesion than a fresh roll. Monokote that has been sitting around with loose backing or without backing is even tougher to adhere.

Once you have a handle on pulling the covering while heating it, to go around compound wing tips etc, you will appreciate the quality of finish compared to other materials. The biggest thing I still have to learn, is assuring adequate overlap on changes in color or seams. 1/8" may be good for ailerons, but not wings and fuselage - you need to have up to 1/2" overlap in some cases.

The different colors have different weights of pigment, reflect and absorb heat differently as well. I am happy with Monokote - except for the silver. It is tougher to get a good finish and the color/metalic tends to swirl/distort more than other metalic colors. Oracover/Ultracote is easier to shrink down with fewer wrinkles - but the gloss level and depth of color is not as good as Monokote.

I am just looking for the miracle "rejuvenator" that can take a 20 year old finish, seal the occasional loose edges and take care of all the scratches from transport and hangar damage. This stuff should also be a liquid wrinkle remover for those situations where I over heated/shrank a sealed seam and pulled the material too much! They can call it "Oil of Olay for Monokote". Will the FDA require approval?

Have a great day!

BR549

I like Ultra the best for now. Some of the members in my Club is into Cloth and they seem to swear by it. Personally I don't know much about Cloth. JMO


The Club is giving me a beat up old Cloth 1/4 Scale Military Cub. I plan on restoring it next Fall Lord willing. Who knows, I too might get hooked on Cloth... the good side about Cloth is, the Sun won't make my covering look like a wrinkled prune. [sm=lol.gif]


Peter Dowling aka Luftwaffe Oberst
AMA District II # 865404
Aero Modelers Club
Pulaski, NY