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Oracover Easycover Sold As Seconds


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I'm building a vintage scratch built Kloud King modified for RC by Doc Mathews.

To cover it, I bought a few rolls of Easycover widely sold at the moment as ' seconds' by a number of online suppliers for £9.95 for a 5m roll - a bargain considering the normal price. I had no problems covering the fuselage, but covering the wing has got me tearing out what little hair I have left.

There are two problems, getting it to shrink properly, by that I mean having to go over areas previously taught because they've gone slack again. I'm using a digital iron set at the recommended temperature. Second, if I need to move a section previous tacked, it tends to leave the colour and adhesive behind.

Not happy, I've removed it more than once, with the result that I need to order more. Has anyone else encountered similar problems with this discounted covering?

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Like Tony I didn't like the stuff. I used it for my Nijhuis Sabre but after Solarfilm and Hobbyking films I found it very problematical.

One of these being the adhesive seemed to be over sensitive to radiant heat from the iron. As you applied the film and sealed the edges i found the excess film started to get sticky and started to adhere to both itself, and areas already covered before you had a chance to trim it off.

Plus as you finished off a piece, then if you were not careful the adhesive would soften and in getting rid of a final crease an edge would get soft and pull away or shrink.

Come back Solarfilm - all is forgiven!

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Hi all

Oh dear is all I can say I have just ordered some of this only yesterday as other outlets were out of stock of the colour I was after. this does not bode well guess I can only try and see how it goes .

Will let you know how I get on.

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Colin,

You've described almost exactly another problem I had, but didn't mention because I didn't want to turn my post into War and Peace. I just wasn't sure if these problems were a characteristic of the product or a manufacturing fault and the reason it was discounted.

I'm committed to the colour now so I'll play safe and order a roll of the slightly heavier Oracover at the normal price.

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I have just refurbished a cub for a club mate and recovered with Easy cover /coat "seconds". While it shrank and adhered ok it was lousy for double curves like wing tips and tail plane as colour came off when stretched around the tips . Fine as it was just a user model but would not use for any decent model as areas where colour /adhesive is removed from the clear film look like darker marks . As its a polyester base I found that a final goi g over with a hot air gun left it good an drum tight.

Edited By Engine Doctor on 27/07/2019 10:24:32

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Who'd have thought there would be any issues using something sold as "seconds"?

Hobbyking film is £9.18 for a 5m roll and gets universally good reviews on this forum. I've used it and it's OK, I just don't like the bleed of white goo from the edges. Other than that it's easy to use!

This is my Herr Aquastar covered in HK film:

25157942_10214698293721328_5820055215132107931_n.jpg

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As I said earlier, I've never seen/used it but with it leaving coloured adhesive attached, it sounds rather like the dreaded Solarfilm (which I've hated since first discovering the art of making holes in it in the 70s - unlike the greatly lamented Solartex/Glosstex) so I'd always opt for either Profilm/Oracover or Hobbyking polyester unless weight was a paramount consideration.

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Posted by Martin Harris on 27/07/2019 12:53:39:

As I said earlier, I've never seen/used it but with it leaving coloured adhesive attached, it sounds rather like the dreaded Solarfilm (which I've hated since first discovering the art of making holes in it in the 70s - unlike the greatly lamented Solartex/Glosstex) so I'd always opt for either Profilm/Oracover or Hobbyking polyester unless weight was a paramount consideration.

Agreed . The only upside to most of the modern offerings is that the film used is a polyester based material which doesn't melt like the old polypropelene based solarfilm.

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For info if anyone is interested, I've done a test sample on blue Hobbyking covering to test for wrinkling in the sun. Having scrapped models because of using Solarfilm in the past with continual wrinkling in the sun (before polyester came out) I didn't want any more models ruining.

Sample is about 8" square. A third is onto sheet balsa the rest open structure all on a rigid frame. Shrinkage with the iron is good but I would advise that when shrinking that you avoid the iron passing over the fixed edges and heating it. I managed to pull the covering back from the edge by about 3mm as the edge was inadvertently heated.

After 3 months sitting on the windowsill in the sun, including the record hottest day, it has not sagged or wrinkled at all, so I'm now happy to use it on a model.

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I've had some sagging on a model covered with HK film when it has been in the car boot in a hot day. Less so than solarfilm however.

Solarfilm did not melt if you shrunk it with the iron set to medium. It also wrinkled less when not exposed to excess heat (easy to do with a heat gun). Moot point now though.

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Found that hobbyking film is really good to use. Strong, goes round compound curves well and is exelent value for money. Also discovered in the recent heatwave that unlike Solarfilm it does not sag in the heat. As others have mentioned when covering over there can be a small white bleed on the edges however this can be easily cleaned with solvent.Ballerina

.Picture of My Peter Miller Ballerina covered with Hobbyking film

Edited By Richard Acland on 27/07/2019 22:54:44

Edited By Richard Acland on 27/07/2019 22:58:25

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