Jeffrey Hall Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 This is probably a really stupid question but here goes. I have a tissue covered glider finished with Ezy Dope which is looking a bit sad so I am planning to cover it in Hobbyking film. To avoid all the hassle of stripping could the film be applied over the tissue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engine Doctor Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 It could be applied over tissue but might stick to it and ruin the finish . Plus the tissue is added weight with no benefit . Its lock-down so bite the bullet and strip it , You know it makes sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 It can be difficult to strip tissue dry without ruining a balsa structure. I have achieved this by making up a large polythene bag out of film backing and putting the airframe and several layers of kitchen tissue soaked till dripping in cellulose thinners all in the bag together and sealing it up. This will soften the dope assuming it was a solvent based dope and not a water based type. The tissue should just slide off after about an hour or so of this treatment. A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Yes, no problem. The wings of my RelaxE were covered with tissue, given a single coat of thinned dope then covered with Solarfilm. The tissue gives more torsional stiffness than film alone, the film protects against hanger rash & punctures. Together I think it's a lot torsionaly stiffer than the sum of the two covering materials for very little extra weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Unfortunately Jeff did say Ezy Dope which is water based. It is possible to dry strip but it is a very labour intensive process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Hall Posted January 17, 2021 Author Share Posted January 17, 2021 I was thinking I could tear off the tissue but not worry about the bits left stuck to the balsa. However after Pat's comments I think I will go for his method. I had already stripped the fuselage so that can be film covered in the normal way. I will probably start by covering the tailplane (less work to redo if I run into trouble). Thanks for your replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Hall Posted January 18, 2021 Author Share Posted January 18, 2021 Just a thought Pat, did you shrink with gun or iron? I wondered if the iron might cause the film to stick to the tissue as per comment from ED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 I used an iron to apply & shrink the film. In fact after the initial shrinking process I deliberately went over each between rib area and ensured that the film had stuck to the tissue in order to get the strongest torsional stiffness. This also gives the finish a slight texture taking away some of the, IMO, unsightly over-glossy plastic look. Note that the black covered spar to LE area is sheet covered (including the bumpy looking outer sections) but the lower wing surface is completely un-sheeted. The wings of ASK 14 motor glider in my avatar is also covered with Solarfilm over tissue although it has a full "D" box LE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Hall Posted January 18, 2021 Author Share Posted January 18, 2021 Thanks Pat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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