I would like to remove the old covering and re-cover my Kyosho Stearman bi-plane.
Do I just pull of the old, or should I heat the seams as I do so?
After the old is off should I then sand? treat in some way? before applying the new covering . I intend to re-cover with solertex and then paint it.
Thanks in advance.

Laurence

Stripping an old covering job off an airplane is a job. Heating helps in the removal but not too hot. How difficult the removal job depends a great deal on how old the airplane is and the condition of the old covering. Right now I am recovering two airplanes both are quite old where the color is separating from the plastic. What I can't get off with just peeling off the covering, it gets down to scraping and sanding to get surfaces clean enough to recover.

Covering with Solartex if accomplished properly is an excellent covering. Painting can provide a neat final finish, but caution should be taken not to get the airplane too heavy with too many coats of paint.


Minnflyer has some very informative How-To's on covering here on RCU. Well worth the time to review.

Even more so, it depends on what brand the covering is. Some coverings have a permanent adhesive, heating helps, but it's still tought to get off. Other coverings come off easily with the application of heat.

Monocote peels off pretty well with heat, just don't use enough to actually melt the adhesive and don't get it hot and then let it cool again before peeling it off.

I warm it up just in front of where I'm pulling but once in a while there is the colored glue left behind. I use Acetone and a rag to remove as much of the color as I can then sand it off. I use a lot of yellow covering and any of the dark left over spots can show through the new covering.