MonoKote tips
 

Need some help.

I've built several models, all covered with MonoKote. Overall my planes look good but I have never been able to do a good job around tight curves like rounded wingtips.

Anybody have some good tips to apply this stuff without wrinkles in these areas?

MonoKote tips
 

High heat, and pull on the covering while you shrink. :cool:

MonoKote tips
 

CD is very correct. Lots of heat and stretch....heat and stretch...heat and stretch....and practice...you'll be covering golf balls before you know it. :)

MonoKote tips
 

If you have a helper and a heat gun, and have a extra length of covering beyond the wing tip (say 6-7 inches) to hold on to.....get the covering hot with the heat gun so that it is nice and soft. The helper should then stretch the covering down while also keeping it taunt from side-to-side.

Try not to warp the wing!!!

MonoKote tips
 

Work in small areas, starting in the middle and work toward the leading, and trailing edges, alternating sides. If you see wrinkles develope as you pull, heat those first. I find it easiest to use a heat gun for this. I only leave about 1" overlap, I usually don't have help. If you leave to much, the covering will stick to itself, then's when I start inventing new 4 letter words. ;) You may want to invest in a hot glove. fingers do get hot fast. Good luck Garry

MonoKote tips
 

Best advice is to switch to Ultra cote

MonoKote tips
 

Better advise is to paint, it hate that iron on stuff. Looks like plastic and is.

MonoKote tips
 

Why would you want to paint a sport plane? It adds so much weight! And talk about finesse...You'd still need to cover it, even when painting, with cloth anyways.... :)

Monokote/Ultracote
 

By all means, switch to Ultrac**p, especially if your'e into highly visible seams that don't hold. If your'e really into self-flagellation, try some Ultracote Plus! I really can't understand why this superb product is no longer on the market. :rolleyes:

Re: Monokote/Ultracote
 

Do you know where you can get Ultracote Plus?

MonoKote tips
 

On tight corners, like the corners of the stab etc, start in the center of the corner and work out, that way you don't end up with a fold or crease in the middle.

I also prefer monokote over ultracote. I have done only one model in ultracote and it will be the only model I ever do with ultracote.

MonoKote tips
 

The real trick to doing wingtips is to remember that this stuff STRETCHES as well as shrinks.

Imagine that you have a thin sheet of rubber (Like what a balloon is made of), and you lay it on the wing, then stretch it over the wingtip to make a smooth finish. That's basically what you want to do with your covering, but a heat gun and a few extra inches of covering are needed to hold on to.

PS Wear gloves! Those guns get HOT!

MonoKote tips
 

On wingtips, I like to use an iron as much as possible. I weight down one end of the wing, and pull the covering while ironing. I usually take the iron on medium heat, lay it on the covering material while pulling it around the curves. As the covering material gets pulled around the curve onto the tip, I run the iron over the wood. 99% of the time, I can get the wingtip covered in 2 pieces of monokote.. the top of the wing, and the bottom of the wing. No little relief cuts, etc... just streatch it around the tip. Just remember to do it kinda quickly so you don't burn a hole in the monokote.

Hope this helped a little .. let me know if I can be any more help!!

deck

MonoKote tips
 

So it sounds like I just need practice with stretching. Thanks

MonoKote tips
 

I like to use a heat gun rather than an iron on tips because you need to heat a large area in order to stretch it. Going back to my "sheet of rubber" analogy, think of how larg an area is being pulled when you stretch it... That's how much area you need to heat. You're not going to stretch that stuff cold.