Heatshrink paint bubbles
 

Hi there,

I have finished my first plane off with some solarfilm. It really looked nice but then the bubbles started forming. WHy do those appear or did I do something wrong.

At first I thought it was just my plane, but then I inspected some other planes which had the same bubbles. It looks like a common problem.

Is there anything I can do to make it go away and what should I look for or do when covering my next plane?

Which covering material is the best to use and why?

The radio on the photo is built by myself. I just need to cover the wings and balance the airplane to go for my first flight.

Sorry the photo was too big!
 

The photo I tried to upload to the previous message was too big

Covering bubbles
 

Covering bubbles are almost always a problem. Here are the methods I've used to minimize them. I prefer Ultracoat because it doesn't seem to gassify as much as Monokote. Monokote is better in some circumstances. Gas is released when the adhesive is heated...there's those bubbles. Monokote will stick to itself with extremely low (say about 175 degrees) heat. Sometimes you can stick it with the heat from your hand.
1. Before adding the overlay mark its outline on the main piece. Pinhole the area the overlay will cover. I use a Woodpecker tool and a pin. Run over the area with your iron to smooth it then carefully position the overlay. Lower your heat to about 225 and start in the middle of the overlay going towards the outside edges.
2. When I do a straight line or series of straight lines I generally put the pieces together before I put them on the plane. I usually use about a 3/16" overlap and a 1/4" pin stripe made of the same covering material to hide the seam. I do this on a piece of glass. This is useful when the area under the design is open like say a 4 Star Forty.
3. Spray the covered wing with 409 or Windex with ammonia. Put on your overlay. Squeegee the liquid out. Set the assembly in the sun for 2 or 3 hours. This works especially well on Monokote.
4. Ultracoat Plus has adhesive on it for the accent color(s).
Hope this helps.