cygnet

My Feedback: (33)

Does anyone know where to buy silk, I want to silk and dope a plane.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I found this:

http://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/silk/habotai.html

Note: the "mm" (5mm, 8mm, etc) means "momme" which is a unit of weight. It does not mean "Millimeters"

qldviking

I used silk for my last glider, I got it at the same place mum gets her stuff for her needle crafts etc, wasnt cheap tho, about #$28 yd 48" wide. I used the lightest wieght raw silk in the natural colour, I cant remember the specifics tho

qldviking

I just checked that site, very good prices indeed. No wonder us aussies shop a lot over in the US

av8djc

My Feedback: (4)

OK, with 5-8-10-12-and 16mm could you tell me which one a typical 60 size would use? A 120 size? I want to get away from Coverite and into silk. We fly on small loose gravel so it tends to punch holes in film. I think my Coverite is too expensive anbd a little heavy for the 60 size.

Dave

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

To tell you the truth, if that's the reason you want to switch, don't bother. Silk is pretty fragile.

Try Sig Coverall, it's much stronger:

[link=http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/ThumbsV6.html?L+Sig+skbn8550+_Ddp_5fSearch1_02a46C overSigSilk_01Search_02Index_01SubMenu_02None_01Me nu_02CatProd_01Thumb_02Silk_20_26_20Fabric_20Cover ing_01Manu_02SIG_01]Sig Coverall[/link]

qldviking

forget silk, too light and frgile, as MinnFlyer said, use sig coverall far stronger overall and minimal wieght penalty. I only use silk on my gliders, and there I use the sig coverall on the wear areas ( belly and wing tip undersides)

av8djc

My Feedback: (4)

I spent the six bucks to get a bunch of silk samples sent to me before I got back here but no big deal it should be interesting anyway.

Is the Sig coverall lighter weave than the plain unpainted Coverite? Is it also with the adhesive on one side or do you put it on like silk. I'm thinking of going to the fabric dept at Wallys and just finding the appropriate weight material and give it a try. I think having the glue cover all the area it gets heavier. I have tons of dope left over from full scale projects.

Dave

cygnet

My Feedback: (33)

I have used koverall a lot, it does not have any glue on it so you need to use nitrate to put it on then butrate to fill the weave, it is a lot heaver than silk but it is stronger also. It would be a lot lighter that coverite. Hope this helps

av8djc

My Feedback: (4)

Yes it helps. It answers the glue thing. Why not just find some cheap dress liner material at Wallys? I guess I need to look there first.
Dave

cygnet

My Feedback: (33)

The trouble with the dress stuff is that it is real heavy, but if you are doing a large plane its not a problem I'm doing a taurus and want to save all the weight I can

TFF

Sig and K&S still have silk but it is expensive. It makes a prettier model but it is harder to use than koverall. It also rots in time; I am replacing the old silk on my ugly stick because it gets holes too easy now but I hate to see it go.

jdgt2

I'm currently building a Senior Telemaster. It is an 8' span plane but rated for a .60 size engine. I'm covering with fabric and dope and chose a dacron (like SIG Koveral) from the Aircraftspruce website. It's their lightest, non-certified fabric at 1.8 oz/sqft. It costs $3.25/yard at 60" wide. They also sell both Nitrate and Butyrate dope and all of the associated thinners and retarders etc in Pint, Quart and Gallons.

the link to their site is www.aircraftspruce.com. Look under covering materials.

dhal22

you can apply koverall with minwax water based polycrylic and lose a little bit of hard shell effect but gain a lot in weight savings.

bchapman

I strongly agree with some of the other members that Sig Koverall is the way to go. Koverall is made from Dacron, which is the same material used in full-scale aviation to cover aircraft, but it lighter in weight than aircraft grade, and also less expensive. Since you were looking into using dope, I would suggested going with Butyrate dope. What is good about Koverall is that it has no adhesive and is shrunk with a heat gun, rather that the shrinkage of the dope, which is what shrinks the silk tight. I have had the best results doing it the old fashioned way with Koverall, and my models are far more durable the anything else at the field. Plus, you just can't beat a nice paint job. Here is a basic summary of the process:

1. Coat every surface of the wood that the fabric will touch with 2-3 coats of Sig Lite-Coat dope, sanding between coats.

2. Lay out the Koverall and brush clear dope around the edges and let dry.

3. Come back with a heat gun and/or iron and shrink tight.

4. Now, give the surface 2 more coats of clear dope, being careful not to apply too much over open areas, as it will soak through and puddle underneath. Once you get a few coats this isn't a problem.

5. You can also use Sig sanding sealer if you really want to fill the grain of the balsa.

6. Apply color dope.


I would caution you that you CAN use Nitrate Dope when you are first coating the bare balsa structure, however, you CANNOT apply Nitrate dope over Butyrate dope. If you do you will have to do the whole area over. I always play it safe and just use all butyrate from the start. Another thing, whatever brand of dope you start with, stick with it. Sometimes, things from one company may not be compatible with products from another, even if they are the same type. This applies to dope thinner as well.

Good luck with your project

Brian