help on covering
 

I'm about to cover my plane but I don't have a covering iron or heat gun [sm=drowning.gif] what could I use instead and how would I use it.

RE: help on covering
 

See if there is someone you can borrow them from. Unfortunately you will need both to do a good job.

RE: help on covering
 

you can get both for about 40 bucks total, i recomend just buying your own.

go to www.towerhobbies.com

RE: help on covering
 

pt-power- In a pinch, you can use a clothes iron. The larger size makes it a little more difficult to use, but if you take your time and follow the instructions that come with the covering, you can get very good results. Watch the temperature of the iron and don't allow it to touch open areas. When heat shrink covering first came out, there were no special irons or heat guns so using your wife's iron was the only option. Jim

RE: help on covering
 

yes there were but the hobby stor was selling them for $40 each

RE: help on covering
 

store

RE: help on covering
 

hi there when i first started i used to use a travel iron for covering. but like everyone said always best to have the right tools ;)

RE: help on covering
 

but it sucks to have tools that are over priced I checked great hobbies and they were selling one for $25.98 including shipping thats pretty good but I'm broke after buying my plane. I'm only 13 and I'm jobless

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[Deleted by Admins]

RE: help on covering
 

pt-power- I just looked at the Tower site. They sell an iron for $13 and the heat gun goes for $14.- Jim

RE: help on covering
 

but that about $29 CA. I think I might buy a heat gun and iron at the great hobbies in P.E.I they probably have a combo deal or something

RE: help on covering
 

im A GOOF i FELL DOWN A NARK MONKEY AND IT ATE MY SHISH KABOB
[siDIRTY SANCHEZ EAT ME OUT

RE: help on covering
 

[sm=bananahead.gif][sm=thumbup.gif][:'(]u SUCK UR MOM AND FALL DOWN SOME MORE STAIRS AND MAYBE HE WILL EAT YOU..moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooo ,mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo DADADADADA ANUS|!!1




11 dirty sanchez come with ,me and we will have fuin!!|(sniff sniff||||||||||||||)

RE: help on covering
 

+anus up my hole with a shish kabob nark nark nark some one is at the moves with a cat named monkeys the dog monkeys

RE: help on covering
 

fart fart fart

RE: help on covering
 

[>:][:o][X(][:-]:eek:[&o][sm=angry.gif][sm=bananahead.gif][sm=biggrin.gif][sm=confused.gif][sm=cool.gif][sm=crying.gif][sm=devious.gif][sm=disappointed.gif][sm=drowning.gif][sm=eek.gif][sm=frown.gif][sm=greedy.gif][sm=idea.gif][sm=kiss.gif][sm=lol.gif][sm=pirate.gif][sm=punching.gif][sm=RAINFRO.gif][sm=redface.gif][sm=rolleyes.gif][sm=sleeping.gif][sm=spinnyeyes.gif][sm=stupid.gif][sm=sunsmiley.gif][sm=surprised.gif][sm=thumbdown.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]look at me im a kitty cat i where a bole of penauts for a hat if i eat them all i whill get fat look at me im a kitty caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.:D:D:D:D:D:):)[8D];)[&:][:@]:([:'(]

RE: help on covering
 

I have tried a clothes iron covered wiht a t-shirt to tack down some loose ends. It works, but I don't think I would attempt a whole model this way.

A hair dryer probably might work as a heat gun, but I don't think it gets hot enough to really shrink the covering propersly.

You are going to have to buy the tools.

You can get by with an iron alone but it is a pain to do the larger shrink process with just the iron.

RE: help on covering
 

I covered my first airplane with my wife's clothes iron. It worked ok, but the close areas around the tail were pretty tough. The clothes iron even worked to shrink the covering. The other contributors are correct though, if is best to use a real covering iron and heat gun. If you don't have the money, be sure and clean the iron very well before using it on clothing!!! Especially if it is your wife's or mother's! [:@]

I have a covering iron and heat gun and it is a L O T easier with those!

RE: help on covering
 

You will be best served if you get hte proper tools, but if you must use a clothes iron, cover it with a cotton t-shirt. Some of the glue from the covering eventually gets on the t-shirt and you can turn the shirt. Use one that has been set aside for rags. It is much better than trying to get the glue off the iron later. They sell socks for the covering irons for the same purpose.

According to the ultracote I just applied, my first covering attempt, the tack down temp is 220 degrees. If your covering is like that, they suggest the following to check the temp.

Set the iron just hot enough so that if you drop water on it it takes a few seconds to boil off. Then it is right around 212-230 degrees. If it steams right away, it is too hot for tacking.

They suggest you shrink the covering at 300 degrees. I don't have a test for 300 degrees, so you can try setting it about 1/4 higher than you set it for tacking. Then see how it behaves. If it melts the covering, it is too hot.

If you set a hair dryer on the highest heat and hold it close enough you might have enough heat. Make sure it is over 1200 watts minimum. If you can set it for high heat and low fan, that will give you the highest heat.

Here are photos of the patches I did. The red to the left is the new part. The older covering was more translucent. The light area on the blue covering is a reflection. The new piece is slightly darker, in the center.

I could not match the colors exactly as the covering is over 10 years old. Next time I will remove a whole section when I am doing a repair. It will look better.
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