Sorry for asking a question that you guys have most likely answered many times before, but I have never "covered" a fuselage, let alone a scale warbird.lol
Im not really up to speed with glassing , Monokote, fabric, etc. It all means the same to me.

Can anyonerun through the process of covering thi way fo me? And also how would you fabric cover a rudder?

Any help would be appreciated!

Regards,
RORY_S

Check the RCU Magazine they have a great how to... cover article.

Silkspan is great for just what you're planning - it's far easier to apply than glass, much lighter, has less grain to fill, is a whole bunch cheaper, and takes maybe a bit less time.

Silkspan comes in several weights, and you probably want heavier rather than lighter.

I spray the silkspan with water or rubbing alcohol (water if humidity is low, alcohol if it's higher), then lay it flat on a towel while I dope the surface to be covered with clear butyrate dope (thinned maybe 25% if necessary). I then lay the silkspan down carefully, doping through the silkspan as neccesary to make it adhere.

One additional benefit is that mistakes are easy to fix. When dry, just use a #11 blade and a flexible straightedge to cut out the offending region, pull the damaged silkspan off the model, and redo... I have used this method a half dozen times with great results.

When dry, fill in the grain with a couple of coats of thinned dope, then by spraying with three or four coats of sandable primer. Then sand and prime progressively starting with 240 down to 600 grit to set up for a real smooth finish, or 320/400 for a bit rougher one.

Same technique works on control surfaces - but only dope the perimeter frame of the aileron/rudder/elevator. then lay the precut silkspan in place and dope through to the perimeter structure (doping only the perimeter of the surface, and not the ribs gives the silkspan a chance to shrink over theribs instead of being stuck to them.)

HTH,


Jim

E-mail me your address and I'll send you a tape on how to Monokote.
Since I'm a pro at it I no longer need it, ha ha.

[email protected]

Chuck

Micafilm works well for rudder and elevator surfaces. Stick it on with Balsarite, heatshrink it, and colour it. Easy to work with. Very strong.