graggy

Hi, I just finished a great planes arf and the covering has some wrinkles in it there not real bad. My question is when I try to get them out using a heat gun they seem to get worse and I stop. Am I not getting the covering hot enough? Is it normal for the covering to loosen up a little before it gets tight? I dont want to mess it up so I stopped and figured I could get some good info here. Thanks for your help

ChuckW

Yes, the heat will cause a few wrinkles if oyu aren't careful. Here's an analogy I saw from someone on here: think of a sheet on a bed with a wrinkle. You have to pull on the right spot to get the wrinkle out. Pull (shrik) on the wrong spot and you just make more wrinkles.

Try to not only heat the wrinkle itself but the areas around it to help pull it tight.

sometimes you'll see wrinkles develop from the heat but they go away as the covering cools.

Also don't be afraid to get it hot. Too hot and you run the risk of burining a hole but Monokote has high shrinking temps.

JimO

My Feedback: (7)

Look and see if the seams are pulling a part. If so use an iron and reseal before trying the heat gun again or just use the iron.

JimO

firstplaceaviator

My Feedback: (27)

Definitely run your iron around the edges and make sure that it is Ironed down everywhere that it is attached to the airframe! If the seams are loose and you start shrinking it with the heat gun, it will pull away from the airframe at the edges. Don't ask me how I know.[:@]

They may not appear to be loose. But, if they are, the last thing you want to find out, is that they "were" loose when you hit it with the heat gun!
Doug