Is there anything I can do to seal a Monocote finish so that it doesn't peel over time? Both of my planes are peeling like crazy and everybody else's planes at the field aren't peeling at all! There must be something I'm missing here! I clean the planes off with Windex every time I fly and it still peels. Is there something that I can put on the plane to seal the Monocote so it won't peel? Would a spray on clear coat work?

First, make sure that you seal it good when you iron it on, maybe you're iron is not hot enough.

Next time a seam lifts, try cleaning the underlying area GOOD, then wipe the adhesive side of the lifted covering with a rag soaked in acetone and immediately seal it down. The acetone will activate the adhesive (But it only works with MonoKote, not Ultracote)

The trick is use either water base clear MINI WAX... brush it on with a foam brush or clear nail polish. Use either of these to seal the edges .

I've never had to clear seal any Monokote edges in the decades that I have used it. Your iron is not hot enough. The iron should be hot to the point that the glue melts. When you do a seam of Monokote over Monokote, you can see the color come off on your shoe cover, which for me is a piece of white t-shirt. Of course then you want to run your iron over the seams just enough to get the top layer to melt to the bottom one, but not enough to drag the melted color over the finish. If you do that though, you can clean it up with Monokote solvent. When you are hot enough, these seams will not readily lift as you are describing happens to you. Good luck! Keep at it. Jon

Someone in another post stated if you use Windex with the ammonia in it, the ammonia would lift the edges of the Mono.

Not really. In fact, Windex could actually help the edges to stick.

Um, let me think about that. People use Windex specifically with ammonia to "float" trim pieces into place and then wipe out the moisture to get it to stick, . . . and it does given time enough to dry. So something is going on there in the way of softening the adhesive. True, people do iron around the edges to seal it in place but it does stick to some degree.

We have a guy at our field that has a nice Great Planes twin that was reduced to shreds before stopping the Windex.

Actually, when you use the windes method to attach Monocoat trim you are simply creating a wet-decal. The only way I know, after 42 years of modeling to truly seal monocoat (I may know how to seal it, but I never can spell it) is with heat or Monocoat solvent ( though I suspect that acetone will work and is cheaper. I go over my seams with a trim iron set on high,
Walt

Well, look at it this way... The ammonia in Windex does soften the adhesive, but when it dries, the adhesive is no longer soft and is re-stuck - just like when it is applied using the windex method.

If the ammonia in Windex softens the adhesive in Mono, the edges will not reseal the same as they were. Each time it will be little further back under the cover when the ammonia comes in contact with it.

I have some Monokote solvent, will that seal down the edges for good? I do not put the covering on the planes, they are ARFS.

Never had a problem with egdes coming up, in decades of using Monokote, if the edges are sealed by enough heat and pressure. The iron should be hot enough to change (darken) the color of the Monokote, temporarily, as it is being applied. Some sealing irons DON'T GET HOT ENOUGH! Pressure can be applied by rubbing with a cotton 'rag' immediately following the hot enough iron. Also have used, for the same decades, Windex and other brands of window cleaners (even home mixed) containing amonia.

It is also a good idea to apply the Monokote with the lapped edges trailing when possible. Like starting from the rear/trailing edge working forward and apply the next color over that leading edge and so forth. I've applied many Monokote edges on fuselage sides, trim colors, etc. without peeling problems though. A lot of my planes have the different colors of the top and bottom surfaces meeting (one overlapping slightly) at the leading edge of the wing.

Terry in LP

I may be new in covering, but, I have tried almost every type and any ideas that have been told to me and by far the best seems to be heat and good covering to start with. Any ARF you buy needs to be completly gone over with a good sealing iron on high or close to high. Someone befor said to almost melt your edges together. Thats the only way I know to keep them there. Lapping the leading edge will of course keep the wind from dragging the covering off. Trial and error has shown me the best way is the old way.

As I do very little monokoting and I don't like the stuff, I give no advice. However there used to be a very excellent monokoter in my club who was an early devotee of the early IMAC style of models which he BUILT.
He did monokote. He always went over all seams with a small artist's brush using Aero Gloss dope. He never had a problem and he flew like he FLEW many times a week. I asked about other dopes, but he said that Aero Gloss worked better than true aircraft dope. His models exhibited proof that something was right.

dont use monokote......they changed something in it.....i hate it now. i too have problems with it.....and yes my heat is hot enough.....

You mentioned they are ARFs. Sorry if I am stating the obvious, but are you sure they are actually Monokote and not some other brand? Either way, you need to go over the entire plane with a hot iron to reseal everything. I just purchased a Great Planes Big Stik ARF that is covered with Monokote, and just removing the masking tape that kept some of the pieces together in the packaging made the covering lift. I had to go over the entire plane with a hot iron to ensure it is fully secure.