toyking23

My Feedback: (4)

First time using Ultracote, and I have covered 20+ planes in Monokote. This is Flourescent Green. What is the trick to this stuff. I have tried low heat to medium heat, I have tacked the edges, then applied heat gun to shrink, and I am just plain screwing this stuff up. While I am no professional, my covering ability is 7 out of 10. But this stuff is kicking my ass!!!. What is the trick to Flourescent Ultracote.

Scorpionjack

TK;
Nothing special, UC is extremely easy. Same method as Monkote. You sure you didn't get a Bad Roll? sounds peculiar. I actually use majority of UC for trim on Monokote it's adheres to monokote very good. My 78" CAP is covered in Ultracote no problems, Limbo is UC, Sukhoi is UC, a couple quickies are UC the list goes on. No problems. I use Transparent UC to seal hinge lines on ARF's. I think you may have a bad roll.

Dzlstunter

I admit it has been a year or two since I used Ultrakote (including the flourescent orange color), but it was a good experience. I thought it easier than Monokote, especially for the shrinking over compound curves. What WAS different (as far as I was concerned, anyway) were the directions. I read the directions, and it was contrary to the methods I had used for Monokote for a long time. I thought: "This will never work." But, having already read about someone else's experiences, I followed the manufacturer's directions (such as beginning in the middle of sheeted surfaces), and it worked fine. I does help to have an iron thermometer in order to get the heat settings right. My irons are now marked for the two different coverings and the shrink vs. seal levels on each one as well. I also used a Woodpecker tool on the larger wood surfaces before applying the 'kote. Good luck! John

Homebrewer

My Feedback: (8)

I found in my covering expereince that monocote and ultracoate covering require two very different methods for application:

Monocote: Must use an iron to apply, for me, it won't go on nicely any other way. I apply at 300 F with a sock and 275 F without a sock. I follow normal instructions. I can't seem to get monocote to lay nicely on sheeted serviced with a heatgun and only use a heatgun to shrink unsheeted gaps. I don't care for this covering because you cannot reheat/reposition it if you make a mistake.


Ultracote: Only iron I use is a trim iron. I lay the covering flat on the surface. Tack the edges with a trim iron and heat with a heat gun until it is taut. MUCH EASIER TO GET PROFESSIONAL RESULTS!! Make sure you don't overheat the seams because they will pull back. Also a plus is that you can heat the covering and peel it and reposition with no problem. THe coloring is in the coverint, not in the glue like monocote.

toyking23

My Feedback: (4)

I have two rolls so, I will try the second roll to see if that is the problem. Just to remphasize, this is florescent ultracote, not just plain ultracoat. Do the same covering techniques apply for both?

Thanks for all the advice. I am not having trouble on solid parts, only my open parts, elevator, rudder, wing.

tbzep

I covered my SE with midnight blue and fluorescent orange UC. IIRC, the fluorescent stuff is a little thicker and doesn't stretch and shrink quite as well as the regular color, but it's still better than moneykote. I just applied it the same as the opaque color.

I have some photos of it here, just note what I mentioned on the page that the developer didn't accurately print the color...that ugly orange/brown color is really fluorescent orange. It's the most visible plane at the field in every sky condition.

http://personal.mem.bellsouth.net/mem/t/b/tbzep/RC.html

Tim

Scorpionjack

TK;
Here is a great site that has a ton of information reference Ultracote.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/articles/1115.asp

wbrian

toyking23

Are you sure your not using ultracote plus?

gpmikemorse-RCU

It would not surprise me if different colors of Ultracote shrink differently. I've not used Ultracote, but it's certainly true with Monokote. The plane I just built was red on the bottom, white on top. With the red, I just pointed the heat gun at it, and it shrunk up like a drum in front of my eyes. With the white, nothing I could do would shrink it up. I doubt my covering skills changed much from the bottom of the wing to the top!

My guess (totally a guess) is that the white is thicker or has more coloring so that it's opaque enough that other colors don't show through. Might be the same with Fluorescent Ultracote.

In the end, I just had to live with the wrinkles.