From: larry@peak.psl.nmsu.edu (Evil Engineer doin' it the Cowboy Way)
Newsgroups: rec.models.rc
Subject: Re: Light Covering...
Date: 30 Dec 92 17:47:03 GMT
	<LARRY.92Dec27190444@peak.psl.nmsu.edu> <2572@rnivh.rni.sub.org>
Organization: New Mexico State University, MetaPhysical Science Laboratory

>>>>> On 29 Dec 92 12:02:53 GMT, torsten@rnivh.rni.sub.org (Torsten Leibold) said:
[...]
Torsten> :-) Have you ever tried to make a finish with tissue and
Torsten> dope on your own ?? Well, then I cannot understand why
Torsten> you call it low-tech. I think the handling of an iron is
Torsten> quite easier than that ...

:-) Absolutely! 

The truth is, I cover ALL my full-bodied CL stunt ships with silkspan and
dope. Both planked foam and open-bay built-up wings. Fuselage, rudder,
stab, and wheel pants: all exposed surfaces. This serves two functions:
it adds tremendous strength, plus it covers balsa grain. And it does so
with absolute minimal weight. (I've experimented with fiberglass/CA over
planked surfaces with pretty good luck too.)

Of course, the finish requires more coats of dope, sanding, dope with talc
filler, more sanding, more filler, then silver, sanding, more silver, then
color, trim, inklines, clear, more clear, sanding, more clear, more clear,
curing (for weeks) and finally sanding/buffing! But the result should be
magnificent perfection. Well worth it for any creation as special as 
a CL stunt ship..

And it really IS low-tech. It does involve labor and time. But it requires
only simple, cheap materials. And not an extremely high skill level.
Covering with silkspan is not terribly difficult, it just requires patience.

Very light jap tissue finishes, used by the FF crowd use the same basic
techniques, without all the filling and sanding and colored paint. Just
tissue and several coats of clear dope. (If you want color, use colored 
tissue!)

I've also used super monokote plus epoxy paint on my profile stunters.
Although the epoxy paint is super durable, it is noticeably heavier and
more difficult to spray than dope. And, although super monokote seems 
to be the overall best (not easiest to use) plastic film, its
durability is poor. Where monokote starts to bag and and loosen and
raise after a few weeks or months, a dope and tissue finish endures for 
years or even decades.

Torsten> It's no problem to strengthen your structure with
Torsten> tissue/dope, but it's really hard and very time consuming
Torsten> to get it beautiful. And it's even harder to get it
Torsten> light. Really !! Have you ever tried it ?  I prefer a
Torsten> strong but light wood construction that doesn't need the
Torsten> strengthening of the covering and use film for finish
Torsten> instead. The only reason for me to use tissue/dope is
Torsten> it's durability, so I prefer that covering on scale-like
Torsten> models or on trainers which I expect to last longer than
Torsten> just some seasons.

If "harder" = "more time and labor", then I agree with your point. But
the technology involved is actually quite primitive. As for lightness, I
still contend that you'll have great difficulty finding an equivalent
finish nearly so light as dope. Lightness is inherent to dope, since the
most of the paint ends up evaporating.

If you are truly interested in learning how to get a superb dope/tissue
finish, you should give Windy Urtknowski a call. He has a pair of good
videos out which provide exact details on every aspect of this finish.
His phone number is (201) 440-0905. However, be warned that he may talk
your ear off. :-)

Regards,

L.
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