Hello all.

"clip"
---
"clip" (Life story sencored)

..and somehow i got back with model planes after 20 years.
So i got this West Wings kit, Fournier RF-4.

So far, so good. Plane is in finishing phase. There's only one thing that worries me. Solarfilm.

You see, there wasn't any inventions like that in those rubber powered Guillows kits i made as i was a kid. The instructions in pack (roll, whatever) of film are, should i say Hemingway-style. Not too much words.

So if i ever manage to do that woodoo with iron anyways, i prolly make 1000 other things wrong and ruin the whole thing.

Is there a website (a book with pictures is fine too..really) like "covering Fourniers with Solarfilm for dummies" anywhere?

And another thing... (I hope that my disquise works, so my sillyness doesn't affect my reall life).

We used to dope actually all balsa planes, but no-one (I'm referring to the "manual") is talking about that anymore. Is it outta fashion these days?

Nah. I'm not goin to ask from some 12 years old who knows these things:-)

In order of preference, here are three ways to learn to cover.

1) Get someone who knows how to help you cover your first plane.

2) Get a book like Harry Higleys "There are no Secrets", then get started.

3 ) Just go at it alone and expect the first plane or two to have lots of wrinkles.

I used option 3 and lived through it.

Tom

PS: Good luck with your real life. Your silliness is always welcome here.

If you decide to go it alone, read this:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/reviews.ph...ew&reviewid=67

Thank you Minnflyer.

Now that the fuselage is almost covered, I do have some additions I'd like to suggest to that How-To thingy.

First. You should type the "...thou shall not use clothes iron..."-part with CAPITAL LETTERS to ensure people, that its kinda clumsy and extremely dangerous tool.

Howcome dangerous? I have several burns here, one even in my nose (yes, i know that there's absolutely no need to iron my nose while covering a plane, but...). My respect to HER had a tremendeous growth due saddling the beastly iron...

Second. Temperatures using Solarfilm aren't in the of Iron manufacturers material lists. Those bast...

..err..

..sorry...

...extremely nice gentlemen do also have a habbit to mark temperatures using balls in thermostat instead of numbers. So i noticed that the LOW temperature for Solarfilm was app 8mm (1/4 inches) under that 1st ball and HI was just a little over it. And, as the Rowenta manual kindly educated me, that temperature is to iron synthetic fibers + stuff.

I wonder also, what kinda dark Freudian secret hides in that using of balls to get that iron hot. One ball, not so hot, two balls makes it hot enough but three balls... No wonder they divorce so much these days...

Hm. I got lost..

Some more addeneums suggested.

Horizontal and vertical stabs should not be glued to fuselage before covering. Or i guess it could be easier that way. (problem yet to come is to fit elevator to the rest of the plane, cause tail...nevermind)

Get a brother. If you don't have one, you should make your parents to make one.

???

Brothers are useful things, when you have to lend a heat gun. Mine made it possible to make my 1st covering job wrinkle-free by leaving his tools unprotected. I hope he forgets he once owned a heat gun...

Btw. Do not grab the heat gun from that hot metal thing in its nose, not even then, when you're up to drop the fuselage youre tightening. It drops anyway as soon as you notice that 150° C is not something you want to hold for long.

I started from tail and as i already attached "feathers" in it, i had several situations, where i had to fit that pesky iron in 20 times smaller place that the iron is. Laws of physics never stop to suprise me. All done so far..

If we ignore those those minor difficulties I mentioned earlier, i foud that short "manual" very useful and, belive it or not, i did not make a single wrinkle in the covering.

Well.. The tail part has covering made of several (make that zillion) small pieces, so there is some seams in it.

But yes. I made it (or almost, the nose is waiting 'til i finish this lithany), thanks to your help.

BTW: The reason I've chosen this forum instead of that electric flight one, is because this small glider (yes, it has a speed 400 motor and I'm very sorry about that:-) is goin to be a giant scale FW190 some day. And before that its goin to be a biplane (or 3, have you seen those WW1 models in balsa-usa?) and this and that.... I hope that SHE forgives me, but the house will be full of kits in the future. Anyways i didn't start from Pico J3 Cub...

I'll bet your plane is very nice. I hope you will post a picture of it soon!

Here in the US, our irons just have little numbers on them. I don't know how that converts to balls or degrees centrigrade for that matter. I find a monocote iron more convienient and usually set the heat a little past half way.

My parents must have know I would build toy planes since they got me three brothers. I can't wait to hear about your first flight!

Tom

I didn't read the link posted by MinnFlyer and it probably covers this, but in case it doesn't, I'll just add my two cents:

ALWAYS vacuum the model prior to covering. Don't just use a tac rag because it won't get all the dust off. The covering will not stay down if you cover over a dusty model.

If you have an air compressor, then this is the order to go in:

1) Sand model (repeat until three times after you think you've sanded enough. )

2) Blow dust from model.

3) Vacuum model.

4) If you find something that needs to be fixed, fix it and return to step 1.

5) Start covering.

Good luck. I went with greenboot's option 3 as well. Unfortunately, it did kill me, but as luck would have it I'm immortal, so I lived to tell about it and try again.

Solarfilm, the ultimate conscience
Sanding.. *sigh*
If you try to cheat yourself with the bright idea of saving time by leaving some areas with poor sanding cause "covering takes care of that", you soon notice, that every single scratch in the original body will be 1000 x worse after attaching Solarfilm. Really. I can look the plane from 2 feet distance and see no scratches or other mistakes, but if i stick my nose (that red striped one) closer to the model, i see Grand Canyon...twice.

Next plane i will sand 'til i drop...

More observations about covering planes with Solarfilm. :stupid:

Thou shall not brag (Braggen sie nicht to Germans). After you've bragged in rcuniverse.com about how wrinkle-free is your plane so far, you soon notice that the Gods of Solarfilm hear that and soon teach you to be humble. You are driven to the edge, no man (ecxept all newbie coverers) has ever been with serious amount of small wrinkles, bubbles and loose seams right after your cursor hits the Submit-button.

Strainer-method: Sheeted fuselages should be full of pinholes to avoid bubbles. Even if you're already fallen in love with your first model plane, you must, for the good of you both, have guts enough to stick the pin thru it like rabid voodoo priest. I know it hurts, but it's a lot better way to do it before, than after putting the Solarfilm on.

Btw: I had no idea, that 2 colored covering in the wing could not be done (or at least one of my friendssaid so, whose brother in law... nevermind). So I just cut 4 pieces of film per wing and ironed them to them.

I've become quite handy with the iron. SHE is looking me with new kind of respect, ecspecially when i rolled the other monster, vacuum cleaner out from its dark cavern, and vacuumed the plane.

Hint: Vacuum the working space as well. Actually you should vacuum the whole room too, cause there's dust everywhere.

Yes. I know that a dinosaur is easier to tame than the pesky vacuum cleaner, but the man's gotta do what man's gotta do.

Besides, after you've already stolen the clothes iron, scissors, pins, brushes (yes, HER make up collection is recovering slowly) and wrapping plastics from the kitchen, SHE's no longer wondering about your new-born interest of domestic war-material. SHE's relieved, if you leave the rolling pin untouched, so she can still warmly wellcome you from the bar.

Err..

Should I make these shorter?

The whole point here was to ask that what do you guys do with those plastic canopies. I didn't attach it under the film (bag full of reasons for that), so now i just have to figure out what to do with it. What glue sticks in Solarfilm?

Btw. In my eyes she (the plane, allthou i dont think SHE is ugly either) is sooooo beautiful. Isn't everyones first born?