I'm trying out a different covering, good results

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o1moregil
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I'm trying out a different covering, good results

Post by o1moregil »

I'm trying a different material to cover my wings, so far I like it, looks a lot better than the tape method and is about 20 times faster to apply than tape once you have cut the pieces, this is a cheap laminate I use for laminating small hard hat stickers at work, It doesn't seem as lite as tape but I will be weighing it tonight to check the difference, it heat shrinks like crazy and the adhesive sticks to foam very good, it is clear like duralam but its painted red with rustoluem paint, this is for electric ssc.

Image

Image
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Dane McGee
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Post by Dane McGee »

Wow! Looks good Gil. Keep us posted with details[:D]
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Which_way_is_up
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Post by Which_way_is_up »

Where can I go here in Dallas to get some. Local sign makers? I just need enough to cover three 3696 wings, which should be a good first try size. What's the brand name of the laminate. Is it something I can get at a distributor in a roll less then say a hundred feet! [:)]
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

Image
Image
The clear is the stuff I used, and the red is the packing tape, these were a piece of 12"x12" of each(on the red tape I over lapped them as if the were like on the wing before weight), 1 gram difference.[^]
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

BTW the paint doesn't come of when trying to scratch it with finger nail.
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

I'll tell you guys whats it call next week.
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Ed Kettler
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Post by Ed Kettler »

What is it called? Colors?

Thanks!
Ed
THend
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Post by THend »

I've got some stuff I learned about over on the RC Groups slope forum.. It too is a laminate for books or something...

It has been tried in the past, but the sloper dudes learned that all is not equal in laminate film.

I did a dry run on a scrap wing and it ironed right down. I currently use it to fuel proof the center section of my Makos and it literally melts into the ripstop.

The thread on RCGroups slope forum is called "New Stuff"..dirt cheap and comes in different thicknesses..

I have one Mako on the rack to cover, so I will give it a shot with this stuff.

Some of the sloper guys were painting the foam then covering.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthre ... p=10700329

The stuff I have is from laminatorwarehouse..
ZenManiac
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Post by ZenManiac »

THend wrote:The thread on RCGroups slope forum is called "New Stuff"..dirt cheap and comes in different thicknesses..
The stuff I have is from laminatorwarehouse..
Ahhh... another sloper. [8D]

I don't think laminatorwarehouse sells anything less than 200' rolls. Canuck Engineering (guy sells some slope planes and accessories) has bought some big rolls and sells smaller custom lengths of different widths http://www.canuckengineering.com/new/ca ... m-covering, and here's another website that pulls the essence from the hundreds of postings of RCG discussions into a single page: http://rcgliderandsailplane.com/profile ... gPost:1462

I have something like this on my combat slope plane, and it's really nice. I don't think it's the same as Gil describes, though, because this stuff doesn't shrink, at least not some of it (see the #2 posting above for different varieties tried and evaluated for slope wings). But it does make a really nice smooth, tough surface. My slope wing is EPP -- I tried a chunk of the laminate on some typical blue Dow foam, and wasn't entirely satisfied with the adherence, even with a little Super-77 sprayed on first. But that was just a small strip, and one of the other varieties may work better. And mine was just laminate material from Kinkos, and not the real "New Stuff".

-= Dave
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Which_way_is_up
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Post by Which_way_is_up »

Gil, can you tell us if the laminate you're using is either of these. .

-Premium clear gloss (CP) 10mil

-Digital Imaging (DI) DI 3/2 5 mil or 7/3 LL 10 mil

Thanks
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

Which_way_is_up wrote:Gil, can you tell us if the laminate you're using is either of these. .

-Premium clear gloss (CP) 10mil

-Digital Imaging (DI) DI 3/2 5 mil or 7/3 LL 10 mil

Thanks
It's 3 mil Roy
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

here's the cost comparasing to tape

Tape (per roll):
$2.50, 2" wide x 55 yards (55Yards x 3 Feet= 165 feet of tape), now will break it down to inches (165 x 12= 1980 inches x 2 inches= 3960 inches per roll divided by 144(144 inches in sft)= 28 square feet per roll, cost per square feet is about 9 cents.


the other:
24inches by 10 yard roll $26.50, (24x360=8640 inches)
8640 divided by 144= 60 sqft, about 42 cents per sqft
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

midair02
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Post by midair02 »

I've been using sign vinyl since I started flying foam wings. It shrinks nice and tight just like monokote. After I had the wing completely covered, I used to use a heat gun and *quickly* shrink it down. I stopped doing that since the wings don't last that long anyway. They do look better shrunken down.


Didn't know they made "clear" sign vinyl. Who could ever have a use for "clear" sign vinyl? Just don't make no sense to me.
Cross Check

Post by Cross Check »

Hi William,

That 'clear' vinyl is not vinyl. It is a tougher more durable plastic that is used in the sign shop industry to protect 'ink jet' art/advertising in high traffic/weather dependent areas.
It is expensive, and available in a wide range of thickness's and durability.
The scraps I have played/experimented with show great possibilities, but for me, the expense and extra weight outweigh its usefulness as a covering for combat planes. But that is just my experience. I could not get any paint to stick to the samples I tried.

I'd like to learn more, if anyone has actually had success using it.

Thanks o1moregil, great thread. We appreciate it.

Take care,
Have fun,
Dave'crosscheck'Fallowfield
Maac 6437
Unabashed Combat team
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