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Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
1 Attachment(s)
I am about ready to cover my 3rd plane. I have a T.F. Iron and trim iron. I covered my other 2 planes back in the mid 80's with just an Iron. Will a heat gun make it Easier to cover ?? Thanks for any input. Bob |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
you need a heat gun. it will shrink the covering. use the iron to atach to air frame.. Or you could get some nylon covering. dye it the colour you like. use dope to put on frame. then 1 or 2 coats of banana oil. this is no piss take it is like dope but none shrinking and gives a elastic waxy feal to it. a lot stronger then sola tex and sola film..
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
Opinions vary. I prefer the iron, myself.
If you don't get the covering fitted well, you can shrink it a lot with the heat gun. If you fit the various sections well to begin with, no more than a pass over it with the iron is necessary. Just my 2ยข worth, Dave Olson |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
I use one. I generally tack down the perameter with the iron then do a first light pass with the heat gun just to get the wrikles out. I pretty much use the heat gun always on the wing tips, pull and stretch. Cut off the remaining and the trim iron finishes it smooth. It pretty much goes faster doing the general area shrinking on the wings, fuse, stab, and fin. Then I go over the wood contact areas with the iron again. Works for me. Others probably have different ways.
Edwin |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
i love the heat gun and for me its needed:D
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
Once you use a heat gun in conjunction with an iron you will wonder how you ever got along without it.
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
Agreed. The heat gun is much better for covering wingtips. For me, it is also much better for removing wrinkles that develop from flying or riding in a hot car, etc
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
Works great on shrink tubing also. ;)
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
Also works great to heat epoxy and get it flowing into the smallest of cracks.
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
And they make a mean toasted cheese sandwich.... Just watch out for T-pins!!!
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
I once used a heat gun to remove a poor glass job on a swapmeet plane. It was covered with 2oz glass and weighed a ton. Just started at an edge and kept the heat up and slowly pulled it up. Took awhile, but with a little sanding to resurface I was able to salvage a corsair wing with .75oz glass.
Edwin |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
ORIGINAL: BarracudaHockey Once you use a heat gun in conjunction with an iron you will wonder how you ever got along without it. Do you NEED a heat gun? No, but then, you don't NEED a covering iron. A clothes iron would work. But a covering iron does a better job. Take a look at these videos, especially #4 where I do the wingtips. You'll see how valuable a heat gun can be. [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=726]Covering Videos[/link] |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
I think you'll get a whole lot of opinions here that are based on personal technique. Basically it boils down to how you deal with the covering.
I, for one, consider the heat gun next to useless. My iron has never punched a hole in the monokote and makes quick work of the shrinking. |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
Bob,
In the long run, as others mentioned above, a heat gun is a great tool to have in the shop. I've used mine for all sorts of things. Personally, I prefer not to use one for covering. I especially wouldn't use one on the wings of the model you have pictured in your original post. To help prevent warps of an open frame structure, I attach/iron the edges of the covering down as per standard covering practices. Then I gradually tighten the covering with the iron. I set the iron's temperature so that is will slightly shrink the covering, then alternate between the top and the bottom of the wing to tighten both sides evenly. Then I bump the temperature up a bit (~20 degrees) and go back over the wing again. I repeat this several times until I'm happy with the finish. All said, you could certainly do the same as I do with a heat gun, and many modelers do so very sucessfully. I still like using the iron, though, because it gives me exact control over the shrinking AND I can guarantee that the covering is properly adhered to each rib and stringer. Good luck, Gary PS. I have family in Cullowhee - do you know any retired professors from WCU? Perhaps you're one too? |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
I should have added that for many years I used only an iron too. But once I tried a heat gun, I'll never do another covering job without one.
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
ORIGINAL: GAP-RCU Bob, In the long run, as others mentioned above, a heat gun is a great tool to have in the shop. I've used mine for all sorts of things. Personally, I prefer not to use one for covering. I especially wouldn't use one on the wings of the model you have pictured in your original post. To help prevent warps of an open frame structure, I attach/iron the edges of the covering down as per standard covering practices. Then I gradually tighten the covering with the iron. I set the iron's temperature so that is will slightly shrink the covering, then alternate between the top and the bottom of the wing to tighten both sides evenly. Then I bump the temperature up a bit (~20 degrees) and go back over the wing again. I repeat this several times until I'm happy with the finish. All said, you could certainly do the same as I do with a heat gun, and many modelers do so very sucessfully. I still like using the iron, though, because it gives me exact control over the shrinking AND I can guarantee that the covering is properly adhered to each rib and stringer. Good luck, Gary PS. I have family in Cullowhee - do you know any retired professors from WCU? Perhaps you're one too? Gary LOL, No i'm just a retired Blue collar guy, my wife has 2 degrees from WCU and wants that PHD. Thanks for all the input, I guess i'll put a heat gun in my shop, if for nothing else, it will re- heat a cup of coffee lol. Bob |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
I've been modeling since the early 1970's and have never even considered using a heat gun for doing wing tips. I'm going to give it a try (now that I have seen your video). Thanks for doing a great job with your videos. Ron
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RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
Thanks Ron, a lot of people feel that way once they've seen those videos.
In the review I did for the Great Planes Profile-38 I included 3 videos. The first one is pretty basic, but the other two show covering a curve and a compound curve. They are also worth looking at. Scroll down to the section on covering: http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=352 |
RE: Is a Heat Gun really needed ?
MinnFlyer Thanks for the Video link, Great info there. Bob |
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