jtec/radiowave
70cc twin V2
Interesting thread:
I used to be a die hard Ultracote user and liked it over the old MonoKote, We had a falling out with Horizon so I changed over to using Monokote. The new monokote is very different than the old stuff. I find that you have to use much higher heat to apply it and shrink it. You also need to make sure your surface is well prepped. It has to be clean!! Brush it off, vacuum and tack rag it. Prep work is 90% of the finish to make it look good.
The only time I use an iron is to tack down the edges and seal the seams. Once I have it stretched out and the edges sealed I use a heat gun and a large car wash mitt. I heat small areas at a time and rub it in while it cools, that way the adhesive on the covering sticks to both the film and the wood. If you don't rub it in while it cools the adhesive can stick to only one surface. Rubbing it in while cooling will give you a whole lot less bubbles out in the sun.
If I get a bubble I do use a needle or a pin (but I like the needle idea if available) to poke a small relief hole or two and keep heating it working to the pin hole while rubbing it in to get the air out.
To make it look good it takes time and work and I am no expert.
As for trim the Windex trick is GREAT but it has to be real windex with ammonia. I usually mark with a felt tip pen where I want to place my trim, Cut my trim piece, spray the area with windex then lay the trim over the area and position it. next take a squeegee, ( playing card or credit card) over the trim piece and work the windex and air out from under the trim. Pat dry with paper towels and let it sit for 24 hours. After that I take the iron with a sock on it with low heat and make sure the edges are sealed well. It on't show any air bubbles.
because we build mostly big planes I buy 25 ft rolls at a time and haven't had any real issues with color match. I have seen issues with all covering. It happens do to how batches are run unfortunately. If you do get a bad batch of film call Tower or Hobbico and let them know. I am also pretty sure different color may react differently.
I am sure their are lots of different ways to work with all coverings but this is how it seems to work for me best. our next project will be fabric covered!!
Al
I used to be a die hard Ultracote user and liked it over the old MonoKote, We had a falling out with Horizon so I changed over to using Monokote. The new monokote is very different than the old stuff. I find that you have to use much higher heat to apply it and shrink it. You also need to make sure your surface is well prepped. It has to be clean!! Brush it off, vacuum and tack rag it. Prep work is 90% of the finish to make it look good.
The only time I use an iron is to tack down the edges and seal the seams. Once I have it stretched out and the edges sealed I use a heat gun and a large car wash mitt. I heat small areas at a time and rub it in while it cools, that way the adhesive on the covering sticks to both the film and the wood. If you don't rub it in while it cools the adhesive can stick to only one surface. Rubbing it in while cooling will give you a whole lot less bubbles out in the sun.
If I get a bubble I do use a needle or a pin (but I like the needle idea if available) to poke a small relief hole or two and keep heating it working to the pin hole while rubbing it in to get the air out.
To make it look good it takes time and work and I am no expert.
As for trim the Windex trick is GREAT but it has to be real windex with ammonia. I usually mark with a felt tip pen where I want to place my trim, Cut my trim piece, spray the area with windex then lay the trim over the area and position it. next take a squeegee, ( playing card or credit card) over the trim piece and work the windex and air out from under the trim. Pat dry with paper towels and let it sit for 24 hours. After that I take the iron with a sock on it with low heat and make sure the edges are sealed well. It on't show any air bubbles.
because we build mostly big planes I buy 25 ft rolls at a time and haven't had any real issues with color match. I have seen issues with all covering. It happens do to how batches are run unfortunately. If you do get a bad batch of film call Tower or Hobbico and let them know. I am also pretty sure different color may react differently.
I am sure their are lots of different ways to work with all coverings but this is how it seems to work for me best. our next project will be fabric covered!!
Al
