tlojak38

My Feedback: (15)

Hi. I have a question. I'm recovering a big stik 60, and I'm wondering how to go about covering the ailerons and elevator control surfaces. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, bit if you've had or seen these surfaces. They have a contoured edges on them, and that is a little confusing. Anyone know how to go about getting that done? Thanks for any help!

nh4clo4

My Feedback: (33)

The way I found the best is to cover one side, lay it down on the side you just covered, trim the scalloped to about 1/8-3/16 oversize, then make a few slits so it conforms around the edge, when you do the other side, slit the covering in so this side will overlap the slits on the first side.

bbbair

OK - I wasn't sure what you meant by 'Contours' so I looked up the plane and saw the trailing edges are 'scalloped' and YES, I can see why they would be difficult to recover.

Personally - I'd replace the elevator and Ailerons with a strait edge... but that is just me.

OK, Plan 'B' Heat, patience and time are the key ingredients here.
Cover as per normal routine and when you come to the Scallops you take your iron and heat up the covering around the individual Scallop pull the covering with a gentle pressure and keep adding the heat around the Scallop (yes you are stretching the covering). Pulling down to get the covering around the TE. Repeat for each Scallop and trim with a Xacto knife.

(Plan 'A' is much simpler )

Happy Landings!

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

Plan C, I'm lazy: cover the scallops with one thin piece, then the bottom followed by the top. I touch all my seams with clear nail polish to prevent the dreaded fuel creep.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

If your using Ultracote covering there is no problem. You just bring the covering over the edges a little loose and stick the covering down with the rounded shoe on a trim iron then the covering can be shrunk. Ultra is really good for this. Or you can just use the trim iron and run a strip along the inside of the scallop, then cut slits in the covering so you can run the covering back onto the flat surface of the control. Now you just cover the controls and trim evenly along the edge. The covering really sticks well to itself. Hope that made some sense to you. Easier to show someone then to try to explain it.

tlojak38

My Feedback: (15)

I think I understand. I've been watching videos on here and I think I'm going to try the stretch method, like they use to do the end of a wing. I'll try it on a piece of scrap that ill put some scallops on. Thanks for allthe good ideas, and if all else fails, plan b will go into effect.

dignlivn

You could sand the Scalloped T.E. ,so it is straight. (planB)


Bob

icegs

I did a 40 size last summer with the same trailing edge. I got a partially built kit that had two rolls of Solarfilm inside, so I used that. The covering material in general was terrible (in my opinion anyways), but covered the scallops fairly easily. I can't see me using Solarfilm again; it's easy to melt, and not very durable. The colour/adhesive has separate from the film in a number of places after about a year of infrequent flying, and can only be corrected by recovering.

I used a trim iron with fairly high heat, and just gradually worked the covering down into the scallops pushing it with the iron to stretch it. The green is Solarfilm, and the white is Monokote (my usual preference). The Monokote went into the scallops fairly well too, but took a little longer to stretch. The trailing edge of the ailerons took more time than the whole wing to cover.

tlojak38

My Feedback: (15)

hello. just an update on the recover. the pic is just the fuse, but i did find a relatively easy way to cover the scalloped edge on the elevator, and ailerons. i tried it on the elevator, and it worked well.

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

And what was the method you used to cover the scalloped edges?

tlojak38

My Feedback: (15)

I took a thin strip that was longer than the elevator and de the scalloped edge first, trimmed it, and covered the rest.

Inter1

As mentioned just cut and fold for the scallops, you can have real fun recovering this plane


Ian