Hi everyone.

I am covering my first plane. The problem I see is that there is some black stuff on my yellow covering. The tack iron is new. Is this normal? am I melting or burning the covering? I have the tacking iron set at 3 (it is a coverrite) and I am using monokote. Any ideas?

Thanks for any help.

Patrick

It looks like the non-stick or whatever that coating on the bottom of the tack iron is rubbing off? Is this normal?

Do you have a "sock" on the iron? Most covering is done with a cloth covering on the iron?

no, but I will go get one and put it one on, thanks for the heads up.

It's not normal for the coating to rub off so quickly either. I just bought a new one and used it at "3" without a sock - no problem. Brand is "Hangar 9" for only $15. The quality is quite good.

You don't need to apply much heat to the opens spaces. Start by sealing the edges and thenvery lightly shrinking the open spaces. If they don't tighten right away, you had too much slack when sealing the edges and might need to start over with a new piece.At some point more heat won't shrink the material - just burns it.

The sock will definitely help, though. Also minimizes scratches.

A package of cotton baby socks from some place like Wally World works fine. Custom made socks for this purpose tend to get a little pricey.

It's possible that it's just dirt or grime on the iron. this does happen from time to time when covering with an iron that doesn't have a sock on it. I use my iron all the time without a sock as there are certain things that are just easier to do without a sock on the iron. And I do see small amounts of black "gunk" that will come off onto the covering. A quick fix for this is to get a bounce dryer sheet. Lay it on your work bench and rub the hot iron on it. This will clean off the bottom of the iron before putting it on the covering you are working with.

Ken

Hey thanks JollyPopper - great suggestion! I think I just paid $5 for one sock.

Art

I've used the MonoKote Trim Solvent for cleaning up colored adhesive that has transferred from one color to another, might also clean up the iron. For an iron sock, I usually make my own out of an old bedding sheets. Cut a shape large enough to cover the iron and sew it on taking up any slack in the material. It's not that difficult.

Acetone will clean the color off the iron also and it's available locally and is fairly inexpensive.