is EconoKote the same as TowerKote?
08-21-2013, 08:30 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: georgetown,
TX
Posts: 637
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
is EconoKote the same as TowerKote?
Does anyone know if TowerKote is the same as the old Top-Flite EconoKote? I have some old T-F EconoKote that I want to use as trim over TowerKote. Do they have the same temperature range?
Bob
Bob
08-21-2013, 08:05 PM
#3
My Feedback: (1)
I disagree. I have used both and did not find them to be similar. I believe the Econokote is intended for electric planes and seemed to be much thinner ( therefore lighter weight) than the TowerKote. It was very easy to burn a hole thru it with your heat gun when shrinking it. It did shrink up well but I did make a small hole that I had to patch also. I have it on a glow powered plane and it has held up just fine for better than 6 years. I used it on this plane to just get rid of it as I had ordered it by mistake. The towerkote was used for a complete recover on a 50" glow powered bipe that I rebuilt. It went on very easily and shrunk up great. After 5 years I have never had to reshrink it and the plane look as good as the day I finished it. IMO it's great stuff for covering any low buck project the the limited color selection will work on. I have also used it a lot for trim colors over Monokote as It's lower temp stuff than the Monocrap. Ultracote is now my main covering of choice ( no more "Mono" for me) but to each his own! Would I cover another plane with Econokote? NO! would I cover another plane with Towerkote?YES! Try it all yourself and you decide!
08-22-2013, 06:53 AM
#4
Banned
The recommendations that I used to make, when I was building a lot, was: Pick a covering material; learn how to handle it, and stick with it. They all had their various idiosyncrasies.
Les
Les
08-22-2013, 10:58 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: georgetown,
TX
Posts: 637
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the feedback. I have used both in the past and find that both are compatible with glow fuel. The Econokote I have is at least 20 years old and I just did not remember if it was a high temp. or low temp. material. I will be putting it over TowerKote which is a low temp.
Bob
Bob
08-22-2013, 02:01 PM
#6
My Feedback: (-1)
They are both low temp covering and both fuel proof. Try using Windex or a home brew of just water and ammonia to put your trim on then after it has set you can just go over about 1/4 inch of the outside seam to make sure it stays down. I haven't tried the ammonia on TC or EC but it works great on Mono, doesn't work at all for Ultra.
Like Les I use one covering only these days, Ultra, but I still like Mono for trim work.
Other then electrics I have had very bad luck with the EC and TC coverings. I have had EC shrink so much in the hot sun the covering split, looked like someone took a razor blade to it.
Like Les I use one covering only these days, Ultra, but I still like Mono for trim work.
Other then electrics I have had very bad luck with the EC and TC coverings. I have had EC shrink so much in the hot sun the covering split, looked like someone took a razor blade to it.
08-22-2013, 07:20 PM
#8
My Feedback: (1)
The Towerkote that I used on that 50" biplane that I referred to was Cub yellow. Don't know if it varies from color to color. I have used the red towerkote for trim also with good results. I wish I could use just one brand (Ultra)for everything but that doesn't work out. Today a club member dropped off a little electric he wants recovered with Hobby King covering. That will be new to me, but I have seen good results on some planes others have covered with the HK stuff. We'll see!
08-23-2013, 06:21 PM
#11
My Feedback: (1)
That's two reports that Tower Kote is not fuel proof! Uh OH! So now I am nervous and concerned that the 4 planes down in my shop that have TK on them are quietly shedding their skin as I sit upstairs here all comfortable and content. I ran downstairs and put my Cub yellow 50" biplane on the workbench for inspection. Let's see, it's got a glow engine, a Thunder Tiger Pro .46, it's been flown but always cleaned up afterwards, no scuffs as I do my best to not induce unnecessary hanger rash, and best of all not a single seam is lifting. What a relief!!! Now I did find two inaccuracys in my report on this plane......it's a recovered and slightly modified Tiger Bipe 40 that actually has a 49" wingspan not 50" as I estimated earlier. Second and maybe more important, I checked my receipt and it has only been a little over 2 yrs since I recovered that plane not 5 yrs as my memory told me. A quick look at the other 3 planes with TK showed they are still looking good, so maybe the shedding of the skin is yet to come.....but I don't think so.
)
09-05-2013, 08:25 PM
#16
I haven't found any film covering that's "fuel ""proof"".. Some are more fuel "resistant" then others.. I'm a Monokote user, and have found some rolls are better then others.. some colors are better then others(adhesion wise)... I've also used many other brands, and have several brands in my covering stock I keep on hand(I'm sure I have about 50-60 rolls of different sorts)..
The best one can do, as the wise people have already said, is prep prep prep... plan your scheme for few seams, and plan the overlaps, so they wrap correctly to let the oil pass on by.. and not get driven into any seams... and keep it as clean as you can.. wipe it down every flight.. even a quick swipe with a paper towel will help keep the oil from penetrating... and don't use anything extremely harsh on the outer finish... a good "glass and surface" cleaner seems to do the job decently.. it cuts enough oil without damaging the finish too bad.. Some people put alcohol in thier plane cleaner... that's harsh though.. and will dull any film covering in short order...
In my experience, the Econokote is a thinner material the Monokote by a few thousandths if that.. .. Towerkote handles just like Econokote in my experience... I covered an Eaglet quite a few years back with Towerkote.. then covered an Eagle in Econokote... both equally stood tests of time.. but really I prefer Monokote on just about anything now.. I've got planes 15yrs old that still look new.. and I've also got planes 20yrs old that look 20yrs old.. haha... so its pretty hit and miss... the best you can do though is give anything a good application.
The best one can do, as the wise people have already said, is prep prep prep... plan your scheme for few seams, and plan the overlaps, so they wrap correctly to let the oil pass on by.. and not get driven into any seams... and keep it as clean as you can.. wipe it down every flight.. even a quick swipe with a paper towel will help keep the oil from penetrating... and don't use anything extremely harsh on the outer finish... a good "glass and surface" cleaner seems to do the job decently.. it cuts enough oil without damaging the finish too bad.. Some people put alcohol in thier plane cleaner... that's harsh though.. and will dull any film covering in short order...
In my experience, the Econokote is a thinner material the Monokote by a few thousandths if that.. .. Towerkote handles just like Econokote in my experience... I covered an Eaglet quite a few years back with Towerkote.. then covered an Eagle in Econokote... both equally stood tests of time.. but really I prefer Monokote on just about anything now.. I've got planes 15yrs old that still look new.. and I've also got planes 20yrs old that look 20yrs old.. haha... so its pretty hit and miss... the best you can do though is give anything a good application.
Last edited by DGrant; 09-05-2013 at 08:29 PM.
