I have had to make some minor repairs that called for removing covering that had another color on top of it. I tried using the heating iron but it looks terrible. What am I doing wrong?

Make sure your seams overlap at least 1/4" and that the seams are over a wood structure. Once you trim away the old material, wipe the area with alcohol or acetone. Put your patch in place. Now set your iron to a low (tack) setting for the covering you're using - this is very important since you just want to activate the glue, not shrink the plastic. Then tack one corner, pull the patch so it has some tension, then tack the opposite corner. Now work your way around the patch going back and fourth from one side to another. Once it's all tacked down, go over all of the seams to make sure it's tacked down, the, increase your iron to the higher shrink temp and start with the seams again. Finally shrink/wrinkle removal should be done with a heat gun.

Good luck with it.

I didn't do a good job of relating the problem. I can get the covering on the opening, I just can't get the second color on top of the first without it looking terrible.

Which brand are you using?

Assuming the patch is smooth and taunt applying second color trim with the same covering material (Monocoat is my preferred product) is much easier and works quite well if you vent the base covering.

On occassion for this I use a dedicated tool called a woodpecker but you can also do the same just by using a dresssmakers pin (very thin) and makiing many tiny pin holes on the entire area where the second trim piece is to be applied. It makes no differance whether or not it is over balsa or open bays and it works equally well over both.

John

That's a really interesting idea; thanks! I've always cut away the covering on the bottom layer except for about a quarter inch border. Your method would achieve the same result but ought to be easier because the edges of the bottom layer wouldn't sag. (That's for open bays; over wood, they ought to be about the same, I think.

Venting the bottom layer of covering as mentioned works very well on most types of covering. another option if you are using Monokote is to lay it down using Windex. It has to be the good, old-school, stinky ammonia based window cleaner, not the newer "green" stuff. Soak the area where you are putting on your trim with the windex then lay the trim piece down. Use a piece of 1/16 balsa or something as a squeegy to smooth it out and remove all the bubbles and the excess liquid. Now let it dry overnight. The windex will slightly activate the adhesive and secure the trim. Now just take a trim iron and go around the edges of the trim to really seal it down. Have the iron just hot enough to melt the adhesive but not distort the covering. It works great.

For Ultracote, venting the area underneath works and also just taking it slow really helps. I like to slowly iron down the trim while gently "shimmying" the iron. Make sure the iron isn't too hot so it doesn't tweak the trim piece. If you are patient you can get it down bubble free.

Like anything, practice. Your first few attempts may not be the greatest but the more you do, the better it will get. Before you know it you will be impressing yourself.

Thanks for the info. I think I'll try the windex method next time.

Gary

All who is in this hobby should have the woodpecker at the workbench of course, as JohnB said.
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