Oberfeldwebel

I picked up some thin polyester cloth at Hobby Lobby (the craft store) and was wondering if anyone has used this for their models ?
I'm going to use it on a TP P-47 I'm working on. Thanks for any input.

Walt Thyng

My Feedback: (9)

I used some Hobby Lobby Dacron to cover a VK Sopwith Camel. Really liked it except for the need to use Nitrate dope (very smelly) to seal it. Used Balsarite fabric for attaching, shrank it with a heat gun (had to reshrink after nitrate dope). Once sealed I put on a coat of clear butyrate dope and painted with Latex. Five years and not a wrinkle.
Walt

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I was looking at the local Hobby Lobby and their white Polyester selection was pretty heavy. I passed it up.
The selection was also confused by the fabric blends such as 65-35 cotton polyester etc.

da Rock

Fabric stores are better sources of cloth. For one thing, you can actually look at a range of different weights and see the differences.

Keep in mind also that the thickness of the cloth determines to a large extent the finished weight of the airplane. All our composites gain their strength from the fibers being rigidly bound together, and their weight from how much glue is required to do that. When the cloth is thick, you get unnecessary weight.

C/L stunt has used fabric store cloth from the beginning. For finishing purposes, if you feel the cloth is too thin, it's just about right.

One trick to using it is to paint it on with polyurethane paint, not use epoxy or fiberglass resin. It won't be quite as strong overall, puncture resistance for example, but will give good structural help, and will be adequate for models.

Oberfeldwebel

I thought it might be a bit heavy but am going with the polyurethane to attach to wood. I was also thinking of finding some silk and checking the price difference. I was just thinking about this so I may not do it after all. I was trying to figure out how to weight it against a like size piece of fibreglass.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Sig Koverall is 1.25 oz per square yard if you are looking at 100% polyester dress lining at JoAnn Fabrics or Walmart. You will have to buy a yd and trim & weigh it?

Judging by the reported prices people are paying, the Sig price is very competitive.
http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmar..._20Covering_01

My experience with the WBPU is that it is very close to the dope of yore
http://www.minwax.com/products/water...tive_finishes/

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

o to F&M enterprizes and just buy their cloth. It applies like anything else, shrinks more than most and is paintable, not to mention the strenght it adds to your airframe. Plus the cost in many cases is less overall than other systems.
It is just Stits polyfiber in a smaller weave. But other than that it is the same material they use on full scale.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

http://www.stits.com/ this is F&M

Stits Poly fiber lite = 1.7 oz per yd