Richard Parkes

ok Im out of date - 15 years of no modelling. Ive designed an 1/8 scale CAP10 and have tried to use Depron throughout to get the feel of how it all works.

The model looks like turning out at the target weight. How to finish it? I like the effect of Solarfilm and the CAP Im reproducing was glossy white blue and red, so iron on film would do the jon fine but its relatively heavy and I want to keep the wing loading low whilst I redescover those flying skillsknow Ive still got somewhere.

What would you all recommend I finish this 3mm sheeted model with ?

Richard

watt_the?!

how much weight do you think you will add with the SF?

Tim

Richard Parkes

1.06m span, average chord 200mm, plus fusalage and tailplane I reckon all surfaces a bit under a sq m of covering @ 60gm/msq ?

Is there lighter way of covering it ?

Richard

watt_the?!

actually i guess im alluding to your comment on the SF being heavy and what actual weight savings you could gain by trying something else and how that affects wing loading.

60g for covering isnt going to affect the wing load much at all me thinks.

if the model is, for instance, 700g, then WL = 700/1 = 700g/msq

so if you went for SF, it'd be 760 v some lighter covering might be , say 30g...(730/msq)

for those metrically challenged; 700g = 25 oz
1 msq = 10.76 sqft

so wing loading for your plane is 25/10.76 = 2.3....pretty darn low.

if you add a ''heavy'' covering, you will be adding approx 2 oz, giving you a WL of about 2.6....still very low.

ps what does your plane weigh anyways?

summary, dont sweat it.

Tim

Richard Parkes

ok - I take your point.

I guess I was just doing a quick check to make sure something else wasnt available that I had missed but thanks for your help anyway

Richard

flypaper 2

Paint right on the depron would be the lightest and takes paint very well. Testors works very well on foam.One of the big secrets for these little farts is keeping it light for best performance.

Sky Sharkster

Hi Richard, welcome to Wattflyer! I agree with Tim and Flypaper, regular iron-on or paint will do the job, but to bring you up-to-date, there have been a couple of newer products on the market lately.
About 5 years ago there was a new product called Coverlite or Litespan introduced, this is a thin fabric-like material which was applied with a special adhesive called "Stix-it" or "Balsa-Lock", similar to doping tissue on to the framework, attached then shrunk with an iron. Not as puncture-resistant as "plastic" but not as heavy either and it has a matte finish with a definite grain or weave, perfect for Old Timers or the "Doped Silk" look.
Next, about 2 years ago, because of the need for "super-light" coverings for electrics, there came about the "Micro" coverings, trade names So-Lite (from Solarfilm) and MicroLite from Coverite. Another trade name is Litefilm. These weigh about 0.6 oz per square yard. They have a heat-activated adhesive, come in opaques and "Transparent" colors and are not as "dense" a color, that is, a little thinner material that allows an overlap of different colors to show through. This can be easily covered with a pinstripe. They require a very low iron temperature, on my old TowerHobbies iron it is nearly "off"! Good adhesive, sticks very well to foam or balsa. Will melt easily, either with the iron or heat gun, but once you learn the setting, they're no harder than older films to work with.
Just a few more choices!
Ron
P.S. My Avatar is a 1/2 sized Astro Hog covered with red and white MicroLite.

Richard Parkes

Ron - thanks for taking the time to reply - I am delighted to see that more options have come out - Solarfilm was such a great step forward when it appeared, and Im delighted to see developmenytt has kept going.

Richard