The plane I'm building now has a horizontal stab that sits roughly mid fuse. And I am wondering if there's a special way to cover the elevator after it's attached to the fuse? Ohh and also the fuse will need to be covered after mounting the horizontal.

So are there any tips on covering like this? This is my first covering job so I need some more help.

Thanks,
Josh

Josh:

It is almost impossible to describe the steps thru the mail. The best thing to do is see if your hobby shop has the booklets that
give photo step by step instructions on covering. Also RCM & MAN
have pages where you can order these booklets that span the
range from basic RC Flight, engine basics and covering tricks.
Also, ask one of your club members who is a covering guru and I'm sure he would be happy to help you. It is so much easier to
have hands-on help.

Randy

The video from Topflite is a good source of info. It's a little info-mercailly. But, it cleared up some of my questions.


Cliff

i simply cut my film to shape, lay it on the fuz, cut a slot down the film where the tailplane sits, then a little slit at the top, it now looks like a T with a very long l the - is the depth of the tailplane.
you can now film and the edges arounf the tail are sealed nicely.

It's not tough to describe how I do it (and I do it a lot!).

After it's all put together, cut strips of covering about 3/8" wide, and cover just the seams (IE, where the Stab and Fuse meet). Then do the same with the Fin and Fuse. Then cover the Stab, Fin, and Fuse separately. See pic

I would do it as follows, after selecting your colors:

> Apply small strips of the appropriate color at the joints where the stab meets the fuselage, first. That way, you're not trying to make the covering "bend" at those junctions.

> Cover the stab and elevator with one piece. (Or if using multiple colors, use one piece of each color for both the stab and elevator) This also creates a "Monokote hinge", adding to the security of your other hinges. Start at the front of the stab, and iron the covering down there. Then iron it down at the trailing edge of the stab, just in front of the elevator. If viewing it from the top, hold the elevator in the "down" position, and carefully iron the covering into the hinge gap, then onto the leading edge of the elevator, then finally onto the rest of the elevator. When you shrink it with a heat gun, hold the elevator in the "up" position, so that the covering doesn't shrink out of the hinge gap. Repeat this same process for the bottom.

> You'll not only have very strong hinges, doubled by the Monokote, but you will also have sealed all the control surface gaps, which will look neater, eliminate flutter, and give you better elevator response.

When you do the fuselage, start at the tail, working around the stab by either using multiple pieces, or by carefully creating patterns with slots cut out for the stab. This method has served me well for many years...Never had a hinge of this type come loose, and never have had elevator flutter with this setup.

Good luck!

SWEEEEET. Thanks for all the help. I have my plane setup now though that I can slide my horizontal in place after it's been covered. But knowing this will help me a LOT when trying cover weird spots.

Thanks again,
Josh

Josh, probably a needless caution, but be sure you don't have any covering where the glue joint is! You'll probably still have to apply some small strips in the joints/seams as mentioned by the other guys. I, too, prefer to cover prior to assemlbly when possible, but make sure I leave bare wood for the glue joints. I think you can get a little better looking job by applying the seam pieces and then lapping the surface covering over them, which is the case when you cover after assembly, as opposed to having them on top, but if you're careful it'll look okay either way.