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Showing results for 'ceconite'.
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DB Sport and Scale Auster J1 Autocrat
Richard Mallam. replied to Danny Fenton's topic in Scale Matters
Danny, I am on the case with my Auster build - see pic. Wings are finished complete with your flaps. but as yet not covered. Using Ceconite fabric which I find is slightly easier than Koverall. Seems not to fray so much and pinking shears help. Covering on fuse' has yet to be doped. It has just had a very light blow with the heat gun. Rudder will be close looped, but have just realised that I will have to move the servos to accomodate.....Elevator movement is as per the plan instructions. Richard -
Laminating film and ceconite I use
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Posted by Don Fry on 13/03/2018 18:44:49: But being serious, the ultra light aircraft shrink fabrics like Ceconite, work well. There are on line application instructions which are good. They sell a glue. Don't bother, balsaloc, or equivalents are good for us. Ceconite cone by the yard, off a ( I assume, six foot) width. Cheap. Edited By Don Fry on 13/03/2018 18:45:18 !0/10 for the tip Don!!! The Ceconite arrived in tube format about 7ft long! which sent SHMBO's eyebrow somewhere near the ceiling however after the Balsaloc was slapped on and hammered in place with a iron at 100 degrees and shrunk at 120 it goes on a treat.............. will finish off with some non shrinking dope.....
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Hi Bob, yep that's what I am thinking, 64th ply frame, covered in Ceconite, I won't reveal yet (might not work) But the full size door is a fabric affair, over an alloy frame. The edges are fabric over alloy sheet. As you say the sliding windows are fairly easy to do, though they probably wont slide.
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4 coats of thinned (not by a lot) dope, then the rib tapes, then another coat of dope to seal the tapes. Primer coat next to see if we have sealed the Ceconite. Pleased to say we have. so 5 coats of dope in total. The edge on the tapes is too harsh in my books, so the additional layer of dope, and a sanded layer of primer softens all those tape edges. That's the rudder ready for paint now, just have to get the rest to this point. Had a bit of a change of heart on the scheme, I was going to do Echo Echo G-AJEE but I have heard from another modeller who is doing this one, and just in case our paths cross at some flying event I thought I would choose a different subject. Might choose BH as its quite a challenge to paint..... Anyway I have lots of silver Klass Kote ? Cheers Danny
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Now that Solartex has gone...
Peter Christy replied to David Davis's topic in Building from Traditional Kits and Plans
A problem a lot of us "traditional builders" are facing, alas, David! Oratex seems similar to Solartex, but lighter and much more expensive! I have bought a roll of Ceconite-lite, which is relatively cheap and comes in a large size. My roll is 70" by 72". Ceconite is used by full size aircraft as a fabric replacement, but the "lite" version is not approved for full size. It is relatively light though, at 1.9 ozs/sq.yd. It only comes in natural white, and will need painting, which leads to the second problem: What is a good replacement for Solarlac / Clearcote? I've been singularly unimpressed by Flair Spectrum and its derivatives (Chroma?). Oh, for the days of Kingston Diamond..... -- Pete -
Looks good even without te paint. My Ceconite arrived on a long roll.. I am following you Danny.. I will use it on my next plane..
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So the polyester resin used to join the cowl halves finally set. It was still a bit tacky last night, but this morning is completely dry. I was nervous that a single layer of tape and resin would be enough to hold its shape, but when the former was removed the shape was nice and rigid. I will add blocks to the front bulkhead so that the entire engine bay area can then be fuel proofed. The single coat of dope has shrunk the Ceconite nicely, I guess that's the way it is best used. And not to worry too much about the soft tension after heat. Three more coats should be enough to fill the weave. I will spray some primer on one of the tail surfaces first and check for pin holes. Cheers Danny
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Lol easy was not the word that sprung to mind, certainly not with Ceconite and dope! I know my errors on this side hopefully put them right on the other ? may even do this side again, have to see how it goes.....
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For certain close weave tissues it is also the only way, Esaki for example ? Well the Ceconite does work, but it is much slower in the long run than an iron on covering. It also leaves a bit of a frayed edge. I remember a control line friend showing me nylon covering, and they said you can sand the frayed edges no problem, but do not bring sandpaper near the surface until at least three coats of dope!! So that's what I will do..... But the rear flappy bits are covered. Cheers Danny
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fitted a base to the seat area, this is the top of the servo box seen in previous pics. I then turned my attention to the fin and tail plane fairing. This bit is going to be tricky, and may not work, but nothing ventured nothing gained as they say. I filled in above the tube, front and rear. Should have done the underside too, but had glued it in place before i thought of it lol With the fin just dry fitted I stretched some Ceconite over the area, and it should work....... This is the real problem area.... Anyway that's all from me ?
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Yes, non-shrinking dope. I found meths better than water for cleaning the sticky balsaloc residue off the iron, but it's a bit exciting as of course meths on a hot iron possibly isn't the best combination... don't use a sock on the iron though, in this case, the balsaloc makes a right mess of it! Ceconite can shrink a LOT so beware of overshrinking with the iron as it could damage delicate understructures. Testing is the key.
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I am not sure I agree Simon, regarding a lot of work. I rarely leave a model in the colour of the covering so the paint stage happens no matter what. Yes you have to attach it, and yes you need some coats of dope to seal it. However Oratex is around £15 a sq/mtr. Ceconite is around £4 a sq/mtr as its 2 meters wide. makes a big difference on a larger model. I buy my dope by the gallon from LAS. Cheers Danny
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Murat - in terms of ease of use, it's not really the same at all - Oratex is self adhesive, and comes in various finishes; Ceconite is completly bare. You need to glue the wood (I used balsaloc) then iron on and shrink, then prepare the surface with a couple of coats of dope, then paint and other finishes... so it's a lot more work! but it gives a beautiful linen finish... and it's incredibly tough! I got mine from LAS Aerospace Simon
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I have just tried Ceconite too. I used balsaloc, and found that worked well on wood, but not so well on itself, ie the overlaps. Not sure if you found that? In the end I used dope and that was brilliant. But the dope wont soak through, you have to pre dope the airframe and use thinners to soften the dope through the covering, as you do with Esaki tissue. Stubborn bits lift the edge and splodge some dope between the covering and the balsa, 5 seconds rubbing with your thumb and it will be stuck and dry. The beauty of dope is you can soften with thinners and re-position. Lovely to use and remember its almost 2 meters wide, so a lot cheaper than other covering. Only done the rudder so far, as a test and really like it. Cheers Danny
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Try LAS aerospace limited, if you are UK based. They do the uncertified lightweight stuff. It is less that £8 for 72 inch wide per running meter. The instruction manual, with temperatures is on line. Don’t use the evostick type glue they recommend. Balsa loc does the job. Also haberdashery shops sell a heat setting interlining glue. I suspect it’s the same as Balsa loc. Works well. ceconite shrinks a bit more than Solartex. Nice stuff to use, and fabric of choice if you want to paint it. I’ve got a quarter scale Flair Triplane, all painted, and no heavier than Solartex.
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Beautiful.. Well done Simon.. Ceconite seems comparable to Oratex in price.. How does it compare to Oratex in terms of looks/ease of application?
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I've done exactly this.... recovered a VQ ME109 I used cellulose thinners from a large 5L tin I bought a year or two back to clean down the wood, it's smelly but it did the trick. I used this as a test for covering in Ceconite as used on microlights - it's beautiful easy stuff to work with, but is not self adhesive. I put balsaloc on the wood and stuck it down with that with an iron in the normal way. Two coats of dope then needed to fill the weave, coat of primer then the top colour, and I added a matt lacquer to even it all off afterwards as I was using a mix of celloluse and B&Q tester pots! With the VQ heavy base build the result hasn't come out light, but it definitely flies well. some pictures of the covering in progress and the end result. Simon
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Colin’s Spanish Fury
Colin Leighfield replied to Colin Leighfield's topic in Hawker Fury Mk 1 - RAF's Finest Biplane!
If I remember rightly, Ceconite has been around for a while as a full-size covering material? In this case I’ve got more than enough Solartex to do the Fury and I want to get it finished now. I bought some nylon for this project, but I’ll use that for something else now. One of the problems that lead me to park the Chipmunk was warping of the ailerons using silk, tissue and dope, among other self-induced mishaps! One day I’ll take a deep breath and have another go with it. There’s a lovely un-run OS62FV in that, mustn’t waste it. -
Colin’s Spanish Fury
Danny Fenton replied to Colin Leighfield's topic in Hawker Fury Mk 1 - RAF's Finest Biplane!
I am looking forward to seeing how it goes. You are right the litho/foil finish was a bit of a pain, but worth it. Yes the new workshop looks just the ticket! I have been messing with Ceconite, which is like a porous, non adhesive Solartex. Thinner and lighter, but a bit more faff, but if like me you love tissue and dope this ticks the same boxes. -
Not so sure, DD. I really struggled to get the Ceconite to stick to itself on the second side, even after two coats of balsaloc. This may of course be a short coming of Balsaloc, ie not meant for this task. But I am not sure I want to spend another £30 to try some of the correct adhesive. Still food for thought.
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So while the fuselage dries, (used aliphatic for most of this). thought I would give a covering material a go that I have heard great things about, Ceconite. This is a covering that is used on full size aircraft and is a polyester fabric that is heatshrunk. I am very lucky that Dave Hopkin, friend and fellow balsa basher sent me an offcut to try, Dave did you know the offcut was 2 mtrs by 1 mtr??? What were you covering??? I am going to apply it with dope, lets' see how it goes....... *****Spoiler alert***** if you are a subscriber to the magazine, look away, as this will no doubt sneak into my column, and I don't want to spoil the surprise ? Materials I am using first..... The rudder has been sanded to shape, I like to taper the trailing edges, not necessary, but that's just me. A coat of 50/50 dope has been applied, and let dry before we start. More later.
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I'm building a 1/4 scale Boeing Stearman, detailed on another thread. I'm probably going to finish it as a US Navy N2S-3, most of these built between 1942 and 1943. I've worked on and flown in several full size Stearmans, including recovering one of them. They had all been recovered in recent years though, using modern Ceconite and modern pinked tapes. I've read that pinked rib tapes were introduced around 1935 - is that true? If so, would an original US Navy Stearman have had pinked or torn rib tapes?
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Rich do a Google search for Diacov, Diatex and Ceconite as an alternative for cheaper coverings.
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Another possibility is the acid catalysed finishes used in the furniture industry. Tuffcote used to be one of these, at at very high price because it was sold to us. I've never used them, but I can't see any reason why any fuel we use will attack them. And are much cheaper, so wastage is not too much of an issue. LAS Aerospace do a glue for ceconite, it's like clearcote, but thicker, used wet. Not used it myself, but I have an acquired part built airframe covered with ceconite and glue, and the covering is certainly there to stay PS, Diesel motors smell fine, before or after. Glow engines stink, before and after, but are so simple to use. Jury is out on petrol, very complicated things.
