Cliff Bastow Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I have a foam model that is a great flier but has been repaired a couple of times and also has the usuall hangar rash, so is starting to look tatty. I was considering covering it with brown paper with watered down pva. I have read somewhere that this creates a good finish and also gives a harder skin so the model is more ding resistant. Does anyone have any experience of this method. does it work and how easy is it to do? Many thanks Cliff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depron Daz Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I've used craft tissue from Hobby Craft and water based polyurethane. Paint an area with the WBP and lay one section of tissue. Then slightly overlap the next piece, and the next and so on. Always lay it on a wet (not saturated) area and smooth out carefully. Once all complete, paint over with more WBP and allow to dry fully before applying paint. It is also better to have torn edges on the tissue to avoid visible lines. Brown paper is similar, but heavier, and PVA doesn't sand very well, in fact it doesn't, whereas WBP can be sanded smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Hi Cliff Instead of using brown paper, I would use laminate film, otherwise known as "New Stuff". I'm in the process of rebuilding my older foamie gliders which were covered with cross weave tape for strength, then covered with coloured packing tape. The laminate irons on, and doesn't shrink, so you start the iron in the middle and work outwards, the opposite to other covering films. The laminate gives you incredible strength and rigidity, eliminating the need for strapping tape, and I believe some users have said that they no longer fit wing spars now either. The laminate can then be covered however you like to give it some colour. I bought my laminate from flyingwings Steve A470Soaring.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Bastow Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 Hi Steve. That sounds quite promising, will it lay in all the recesed panel lines though? so that they can still be seen or will it give a smooth finish. I would like the panel lines to be still visible but if they are toned down somewhat that would be ok as they are a bit overscale. Cheers cliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Cliff When you see the laminate, it has a frosted appearance, but that is just the adhesive. Once it has been applied to the foam surface it turns totally clear. With the newish craze of Ultrabatics with foamie gliders, many people are lightening their models by making a series of holes along the length of the wing and tail surfaces. With the laminate on you can see straight through, like looking through a window. Spars and servo's are totally visible. Steve A470Soaring.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Here's an example of a laminated model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuey Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I have used heavyweight covering tissue and poly-c to cover smaller parts of my polystyrene foam edf models like tailplanes etc. It gives a better finish and will be lighter than using light glass cloth as there is no weave to fill. Maybe not as tough as the glass though?? Care should be taken to avoid warps too. I covered one side of a fin once, added a slight bow... Best if possible not to overwet or do both sides at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noba Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Hi am thinking of using laminate film to cover a foam model so rather than start new thread am bumping this one. Would anyone please be able to tell me if there is any weight difference using laminate film instead of strapping tape and coloured tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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