[8D]I am considering Solartex for my next building project.
I understand that this is an iron- on fabric that comes in
colors.

For you folks who have used it, how do you like it? Does
it go on nicely and adhere well at the seams? How is it
when applied to compound curves (e.g. wing tips)?
Is it reasonably light in weight?

Thanks for your input.

it is heavier than plastic coverings and goes around curves easier than plastic.it needs to be sealed with polyurthane or some other fuel proof clear to prevent staining.

Thanks for your reply. Is the polyurethane coating to
protect the Solartex from fuel stains or what kind of
stains are you referring to??

fuel stains,I have it on a robinhood 80 with a maloney 125 which is a gasoline ignition engine the 2 stroke oil in the exhaust will turn the yellow solartex a greenish color of not painted.the same would happen with the exhaust from alchohol based fuels.solartex itself is fuel proof but if you want your whites to stay white it needs a clearkote

I use white and then prime and paint the plane with Rustoleum automotive rust preventative paint. When I'm done with the paint scheme, I add any decals or pin-stripping and then use automotive clear coat to finish it off.

Gibbs

I use it all the time on my larger planes. It does not require any paint to be fuel proof but; it does pick up stains easily due to the weave of the fabric and is hard to clean unless you do put a top coat over it. You will find it goes around compound curves much better than the plastic films do, is much stronger and sticks down better, especially where there is an overlap of the material. Another advantage is that a roll is a few inches wider and longer than the film comes in, not by much but it makes a big difference in how many rolls it takes to cover a large plane. The weight increase over the films is very small, almost unnoticable.

I totally agree with rodney. What little weight gain over film is worth it for the improved look of the fabric, plus its durability. If you need a good fuelproof clearcoat that won't yellow like polyurethane, use LustreKote. It's completely fuelproof, dries fast, and makes keeping the covering clean much easier. The only covering I like better than Solartex is Koverall, but then there's all the finish work that goes with it. I'll use Koverall for fine scale, but Solartex is what I use when I have to re-cover an ARF or for a sport scale bird. It takes latex paint very nicely, too.

[8D]Thanks for the input, guys.

Here is my Solartex covered Robinhood 80