How do you get 15 year old monokote off?I got most off my plane but some is almost like its glued on

Old monokote is tough to get off. I've recovered several old airplanes that were covered in monokote, and I've always had a tough time getting it all off.

If you can get under some of the pieces left and get a corner to lift, a iron placed on the piece for a little bit will sometimes allow it to release and come off.

If the heat doesn't work, about the only thing left to do is use sandpaper. This stuff is tough to get off, however, and you need to be careful and sand as little as possible. I've ruined the sheeting on several wings by sanding it too thin trying to kill the last of the monokote.

Perhaps someone else here has that magical answer that's escaped me all these years.

You do it the same way you get 15 minute old Monokote off...

Set the plane on fire.

Then build a new one and cover it with Ultracote.

Thats funny,it really is,you had me going for a minute

Sorry, I didn't mean to poke fun at MonoKote...

Ok, yes, I did

But bsumpter is right, there's no easy way. Heat and sandpaper is about all you have in your arsenal (that I know if anyway).

I'm trying to have lunch,BBQ'd hamburger,I go to wash it down with a big swig of iced-tea. When I come across your post. (SET PLANE ON FIRE). NOW TO MY PROBLEM.You know the whole drinking while laughing thing, combined with the nose and mouth spray. Well, BECAUSE OF YOU I HAVE TO COMPLETELY CLEAN MY MONITOR SCREEN & KEYBOARD. If possible, from now on please e-mail me a warning before you post any more hilarity. THX Buz^

It is real tough to get it all off, especialy if Balasrite (yuk) has been used. It breaks down to a manual intensive operation with heat and #11 Xacto blade.

Since I have discovered Ultracote, I am less likely to use MoneyKote. Ultracote, at least so far seems to come back off much more easily than MoneyKote.

Vince

The problem I have with ultracoat is that it is always coming up when it isn't susposed to!

I have found the best way to remove monokote is to use a heat gun on the monokote while pulling it off, then cover it with a darker color.

Why do you need the Monokote to come off?? Ohh, did you crash!!

exactly, or unless you did a bad job of covering?????

my plane had a little run in with the ground.

I think I'm more concerned with Buz here, and how he's going to get Tea out of his keyboard. Too funny man,,
Buz, you can take the keyboard apart, and the top area where the actual keys are can be rinsed with high pressure water. Let it dry though, so you don't get any water in your electronics.

As for the monokote......try trim solvent to soften it up, that might help release it.. Hope that works, old monokote is the worst to strip. Really this is why I use Monokote over other brands, is "IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO COME OFF EASILY". The trim solvent should work though I think.

I tend to keep airplanes for a long time (more than 10 years). So most of my recovering is not due to a crash or a bad covering job, but is brought on due to years of wear and tear. I don't care how careful you are with a model -- after 10 years the covering is going to look a little ragged.

There's another thread going on in here discussing the ups/downs of both Monokote and Ultrakote. I think I'm going to cover my newest plane in Ultracote because it supposedly comes off easier down the road. This is important to me -- more important than occasionally having to tack the Ultracote back down where it might have lifted.

With Monokote you don't have to worry about the covering lifting up on you -- but when you want it to come off it won't budge an inch. This leaves you sanding down an airframe to ridiculously thin levels to remove it all.

I hope Ultrakote is all that everyone says it is. I've used Monokote since day one, and this is the first time I've ever strayed. But the final straw was when I started to recover my very first trainer -- a Kadet Junior that is more than 14 years old. I ruined the wing trying to get the Monokote off there, and this was sort of a sentimental airplane. So I have to find something a little easier to get off -- I don't like ruining airplanes just to redo the covering.

Oh, and on the keyboard....

1) Unplug from computer
2) Fill the bathtub up with 3 / 4 inches of water.
3) Submerge keyboard, and scrub with a brush until clean.
4) Shake out the bulk of the water, and towel dry.
5) Let it sit for 2 - 3 days, or until you are SURE all the water has dried. DO NOT PLUG A WET KEYBOARD INTO THE COMPUTER!
6) Plug your DRY keyboard back in and enjoy.

I've used this procedure for years to clean keyboards, and it always works.

And it's a hell of a lot easier than getting Monokote off an airframe!

all that happend to myplane is i broke the rudder in a flip and i just decided to recover

If I'm ever in WA, or you're ever in MN, Lunch is on me! (That is... lunch is on me, as in, I'm buying. Not like, on me as it is on your computer.)

If you fry your keyboard, take heart. New ones are only $10.

Guys, There is an easy way to remove monokote or any other covering material from your planes. It can be done very easy with a tool called a "Stripe Eraser", which is available where bodyshop supplies are sold. It is a 3" diameter eraser which chucks into a variable speed drill. Just run it very slowly, with very little pressure over those hard to remove pieces of covering and it will lift them right off with no damage to the wood. With a little practice, you won't believe how good it works.

Try using acetone. Use an old T shirt and rub the acetone over the Monocote. It's going to take awhile, but then again, it's been there awhile.

Silversurfer

Recently I recovered a Trainer 60 I have had for 14 plus years. It was originally covered with red and white monocote. What worked the best for me was to use a heat gun and really bear down while pulling it with a glove. Almost all came off with very little effort. Good luck.

Heck my problem is keeping more recent vintages of Monocote ON. After a few years the stuff gets brittle, and shatters like glass.