EVOL

My Feedback: (2)

i am working on a BTE Flyin King over the winter and i am up in the air on which type of covering to use. there are so many different kinds to choose from now but i want 2 things.

1. i want it to be flat instead of glossy.

2. it has to be able to be layered without making big ridges.

i was thinking coverite but i understand it does not have adhesive on the back? 21st century fabric would be cool but will it be able to be layered? any help would be great. thx chris

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

You could always cover it all white with a thin film, like MonoKote or Ultracote and then use flat paint for youe color scheme

EVOL

My Feedback: (2)

i would prefer not to paint it. does monocote make flat colors? i know i have used flat black from them before.

kerrydel

My Feedback: (2)

Top Flite does make flat MonoKote, but there are only 7 colors.

[link=http://www.monokote.com/flatmonokote.html]http://www.monokote.com/flatmonokote.html[/link]

Kerry

EVOL

My Feedback: (2)

has anyone worked with coverite before? how hard is it to work with? i am mostly concerned with the application of the adhesive. thx chris

EVOL

My Feedback: (2)

the other thing im wondering is will 21st century fabric layer well? i want to make at least 3 colors on the wing so they will have to layer without big ridges. thx chris

silvercloud-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

What about solartex.To answer your question about century 21 fabric yes you can layer it but the only problem that I had was after a while it seems to separate from the glue but other than that it looks ok .I would checkout solartex it is starting to come in some diffrent colors and it covers real nice.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

I would highly recommend SolarTex over Coverite. SolarTex is SUBSTANTIALLY lighter in weight than Coverite (yet just as strong), the adhesive is excellent, it goes around curves (wing tips, etc) very well and in general is easier to use than Coverite.

What I would suggest with the SolarTex is:

After covering, shrinking and applying any decals, trim, etc. , put a coat of water base polyurethane on the plane. The weave on SolarTex is more "open" than Coverite, and the dirt/grime gets in there easier. SolarTex says you can remove it by scrubbing with a brush, however, I have not been able to get it clean to my satisfaction.

As for weight, I built 2 identical 46 - 60 size planes. They were both powered by OS 46FX. One was covered in Coverite, the other in SolarTex. The SolarTex covered plane, with a final coating of water base polyurethane, was almost 4 oz lighter than the Coverite plane. Since the planes were short nose/long tail (FW- 56 Stosser) I did not have to add as much weight to the nose of the SolarTex plane. The total weight difference between coverings and added weight was about 6 1/2 oz.

FWIW - If you want/need to do any painting of trim, etc, SolarTex takes latex paints very well. The water base polyurethane clear coat will also fuel proof the latex definitely to 10% nitro (I have read reports of it being safe to 15% nitro also) and it will not yellow with age as the oil base polys do. Be advised that latex DOES TAKE an average of 7 - 10 days to fully cure and the clear coat should not be applied until the latex is cured.

Hope this helps.

EVOL

My Feedback: (2)

i am interested in the solartex except i do not want to gloss coat my plane. i want the finish to be semi flat. how dirty does it get without a clear coat? i did a search for solartex and i cant seem to find anyone who sells it. do you have a link? thanks chris.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

Balsa USA sells SolarTex http://www.balsausa.com/

As for the dirty part - I tried one plane without any poly on it. In about 3 - 4 months of flying (cleaning the plane at the end of the day ) the dirt was very noticable (at least to me).

As for the "flat" finish, water base polyurethane is available in a "satin" finish. I have not been able to find a "flat" polyurethane and I am not aware of any "flatteners" that are useable with a waterbase paint/poly. There may be some flatteners that can be used, I just can not find any.

Satin is ABOUT halfway between a complete flat and a semi gloss. I use the satin poly clear coat on the warbirds I do and the results are pretty good. The "gloss" on the finish is quite close to what you would see on a real warbird.

Hope this helps.

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

Dont use Monocote Flat , it dose not stick to itself well and the seems show up .
Use a glossy for mutiple colors , and then use a simple clear flat cote