JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

[8D]I'm looking for opinions on the current quality
of 21st Century fabric covering. Does it cover well?
Do seams/overlaps stay sealed?

What is the quality of matching 21 Century spray paint
and does it match up well with the covering?

Thanks.

bhady

I've been wondering the same thing. I'm building an old GP Aeromaster kit and think the fabric would be the way to go. In reading some of the other threads here on RCU, it seems there are a lot of opinions on covering materials out there. Some say they have no problems, others do. Some say Monocote and some of hte other films suck, others love it. Hard to know who's right, kind of like Chev vs. Ford vs. Mopar debates I guess. This should be an interesting thread you started.

bhady

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

Coverite fabric covering is a good covering, HOWEVER, you need to coat the airframe AND any overlap seams with Balsarite or Sig StixIt in order for the covering to stay adhered. The adhesive on the Coverite fabric, in my opinion, is not that good. In addition, Coverite fabric is one of the heaviest coverings out there.

I have never used the Century 21 paint, so I can not comment on it.

I would suggest SolarTex (Balsa USA ) instead. It is noticeably lighter in weight and has an excellent adhesive on it - you will not need to coat the airframe or overlap seams with Balsarite or StixIt to insure adhesion.

Both coverings are easy to work with and cover wingtips very nicely. It is close between the 2 of them, but I feel SolarTex is slightly easier to use on wingtips.

For bhady:

Monokote has changed in the last several years, and not for the better. Many people will recommend Ultracote instead of Monokote due to ease of usage and lower heat requirements. You will also find that the Ultracote paints are a much closer match to the covering than Lusterkote, do not have the "spitting problem " of Lusterkote and "lay" better.

ho2zoo

My Feedback: (5)

I have covered 2 planes with 21st Century fabric. I pretty much agree with Campy on it. It goes on pretty well, goes around curves easier than Monocote, and looks great. As he said, it is kinda heavy though.

I tried the 21st century spray paint and hated it! Was thin and watery and took 4 or 5 coats to get a decent coverage.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I think 21st Century paint is about the best I've ever used. But it must be used as per the directions (Which is not difficult at all)

JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

[8D]Any comments/opinions on the fabric covering which is
available in colors?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I have seen the fabric and it looks great, but I have only used it once - on a wing with no matching paint. And unfortunately, the plane didn't last long enough for me to comment on durability

waagbuck

My Feedback: (1)

Before committing to a fabric covering, check out Solartex. www.balsausa.com.

JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

I have checked out Solartex and I am told that it is subject to
staining if not coated with something after it is applied to the airframe.
To my knowledge, 21st Century fabric doesn't require an additional
application of anything after it goes on the airframe.

mscic-RCU

My Feedback: (6)

I have used 21st fabric. Easy to use, goes around curves easily. Seams can be difficult to seal sometimes. Need to accurately set iron temperature for best results. I use a 21st century thermometer for this. Finish is outstanding as it is painted. Smooth and does not need to be sealed. Can be a bit heavy though, only drawback other than cost.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

I agree with all the above on both 21st century and Solartex. I have covered two planes with 21st fabric. I found it to be durable, with a very nice finish, which is "slicker" than Solartex, meaning the weave is filled in more. However, it is quite a bit heavier than Solartex, and WAY heavier than the plastic films. I re-covered a Rascal 40 with 21st fabric after a crash repair, and had to add about 4 ounces of nose weight to balance it. The only thing that changed was the covering, so I know the fabric is what made it tail-heavy.

The other shortfalls I find with 21st Century is that it is thicker, and seams do not hide as well, and I could not get it to form around curves as well as Solartex, nor stay as tight once shrunk.

The only thing I have found with Solartex that could be better is the "cleanability". It's harder to get grime off, as it seems to get buried in the fabric weave. A clearcoat of just about any type usually cures that, though.

Between the two, I like Solartex much better. I have three planes covered with it, none of them wrinkle, the edges stay put, and it takes latex paint wonderfully.

JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

[8D]Would you agree that Solartex could be sprayed, after covering,
with a clear coat of, let's say, Ultracote clear??

Thanks.

Ed_Moorman

My Feedback: (1)

One thing many people do not realize about iron on fabric covering is that it does not add to the strength of the airframe. Its actual failure strength is very high, but it stretches enough to allow the underlying framework to break. As I recall, in their 4* kits Sig mentions to not use fabric covering. Film covering actually adds to the overall strength of the airplane.

In support of this, I had the main spar, a balsa one, break in a D-7 kit I had. I was doing snaps and other hard maneuvers and the spar cracked near the fuselage. The wing didn't fail since both wings were tied together with struts and I didn't discover it until I was cleaning up. I replaced the spar with a spruce one.

As someone said, 21st Century fabric is heavy.

JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks, Ed. Good point, something I had heard of before,
but had forgotten about.

sebo

I used 21st century yellow on two aircraft. also used the paint. had to prime with white to make the yellow look correct. Initially used grey primer and it made the yellow look horrible.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

I've tried the 21st Century Cub Yellow paint, didn't care for how poorly it covered. You have to use a white primer or undercoat, then it's okay. It acts almost like a translucent "candy" coat, shows what's under it, and no amount of coats will hide a darker undercoat. It IS a tenacious paint, though, seems pretty durable.

JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

[8D]Thanks, guys, for ALL of your input. I have just
started building the Dynaflite Super Decath and is
the reason for my questions. I still haven't made
up my mind as to what type of covering that I will
want to use on this aircraft, but all of your responses
will be of help when I reach that point.