Andy Hall Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 I'm sure this has been covered a thousand times before (sorry) but would tissue paper, dope and a spray on colour be a good alternative to Solarfilm ? I find working with Solarfilm difficult/frustrating/awkward and don't always get the finish that would like. I recently built the Tequila Sunrise from the 1992 Radio Modeller plan by Peter Millar and have a few wrinkles, loss of colour where the covering has moved, sharp edges etc. As I've made it electric, I'm not concerned with fuel proofing. Is there a reason to use Solarfilm (or similar) instead of tissue/dope ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 You don’t have to use covering film, we never used to! If painting just watch the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engine Doctor Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 2 hours ago, Andy Hall said: Is there a reason to use Solarfilm (or similar) instead of tissue/dope ? Solarfilm is defunct now and was not that good IMO as it sagged in the sun an colour came off if not careful. It was however tougher than tissue and much more puncture resistant. Modern polyester film is far superior. As a far cheaper alternative have you thought about using laminating film ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Hall Posted November 21, 2022 Author Share Posted November 21, 2022 I thought Solarfilm had stopped. Never seemed to find it difficult to get the colours I wanted though. Havn't tried other covering materials, not sure what to try. My next build will be the Vans RV-4 from RCM&E Feb '21. It feels like I should be covering with something that can be sanded and sprayed. Did look up SIG Koveral but that seems to be difficult to get hold of. I've kept away from spray because of the weight concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 I covered my SFM SE 5 in painted, doped tissue. Looked great but was really delicate and consistently needed patching so needs careful handling. It's now getting a painted tissue over laminating film finish but that's going to add some weight. I've seen some nice finishes where the balsa has been coloured, and then covered in laminating film. Laminating film is VERY cheap, easy to work with, easily obtainable and comes in various weights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 A lot of our members are using the covering from 4 Max. Maybe worth a try!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Hilton Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 24 minutes ago, SIMON CRAGG said: A lot of our members are using the covering from 4 Max. Maybe worth a try!. It is good but he has just put the price up by about 50% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis 2 Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 I have used Solarfilm, Profilm/Oracover and Toughlon which I bought from Steve Webb. Solarfilm is no longer available or if it is, it's available in only limited colours and lengths, and its limitations have already been noted. Oracover is very good but expensive. I found Toughlon more difficult to use than either Oracover or Solarfilm and the instructions weren't very helpful. I found that I had to use much higher temperatures than were recommended. As for tissue, I would suggest using doculam first to make it more puncture proof. Some have stuck the tissue to the doculam using water based polyurethane floor varnish but I have no experience of finishing a model in this way so can't offer an opinion based on experience. Your Tequila Sunrise looks fine to me, if it were mine I'd finish the fuselage in yellow Oracover and not worry if it was not exactly the same shade. Pictures of my Fun Fly finished in Oracover and of my DB Sport & Scale Sky Rider finished in Toughlon below, my partner chose the colour scheme! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 Sorry Andy, I'd forgotten that the Sky Rider's images were not stored on my laptop. Heaven knows why I have two persona depending upon whether I'm using my PC or my laptop but I'm not very good with computers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 24 minutes ago, Alan Hilton said: just put the price up by about 50% Ermmmm £19.99 - £22.49 🤔 Closer to 25% and at £4.50 per m still cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outrunner Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 1 hour ago, GrumpyGnome said: I covered my SFM SE 5 in painted, doped tissue. Looked great but was really delicate and consistently needed patching so needs careful handling. It's now getting a painted tissue over laminating film finish but that's going to add some weight. I've seen some nice finishes where the balsa has been coloured, and then covered in laminating film. Laminating film is VERY cheap, easy to work with, easily obtainable and comes in various weights. GG, I think you will find tissue over laminating film is lighter. No need to apply sanding sealer and only one coat of dope over the top to finish is needed. I don't use dope though, just the cheapest water based varnish thinned with water. Very light and puncture proof. Cheapest covering method by a country mile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 Eh? It was tissue, thinned dope, paint. Now it will be lam film, tissue, thinned dope, paint. That's got to be heavier? Unless I'm missing something.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 2 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said: Eh? It was tissue, thinned dope, paint. Now it will be lam film, tissue, thinned dope, paint. That's got to be heavier? Unless I'm missing something.... Probably that the laminating film seals the structure airtight, so you don;t need as many coats of dope as you would to get a normal tissue and dope finish airtight - less dope = less weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Wolfe Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 2 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said: Eh? It was tissue, thinned dope, paint. Now it will be lam film, tissue, thinned dope, paint. That's got to be heavier? Unless I'm missing something.... 38 micron Doculam laminating film, tissue of your preferred colours and a few coats of thinned dope is lighter and stronger than a traditional doped tissue finish. Also, because of the Mylar covering, it is easy to position the coloured tissue strips in any pattern to suit your tastes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outrunner Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 And don't forget with laminating film there is no need to seal the balsa with sanding sealer first, just put it straight on top of the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, Outrunner said: GG, I think you will find tissue over laminating film is lighter. No need to apply sanding sealer and only one coat of dope over the top to finish is needed. I don't use dope though, just the cheapest water based varnish thinned with water. Very light and puncture proof. Cheapest covering method by a country mile. Be aware that if using WBV instead of dope any paint applied to the tissue must not be cellulose based. Edited November 22, 2022 by PatMc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 I have never used laminating film so a couple of (probably daft) questions 1. Why tissue cover it? why not just paint it? 2. is it the same stuff as the A4 pouches used in laminators? Can it be used instead of proper pouches? 3. Could one laminate plans with it to protect them before building? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outrunner Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 2 hours ago, kc said: I have never used laminating film so a couple of (probably daft) questions 1. Why tissue cover it? why not just paint it? 2. is it the same stuff as the A4 pouches used in laminators? Can it be used instead of proper pouches? 3. Could one laminate plans with it to protect them before building? KC, as they say there are no daft questions so I will try and answer... 1. You don't have to cover the film in anything but tissue gives the look of old fashioned tissue covering that I rather like. It can be painted after rubbing down with scotchbrite or similar. Some people paint the underside of the film first and I've heard of the wood being painted before covering. Whatever takes your fancy but I dislike painting. 2. It might be the same as laminating pouches but it's much lighter, the stuff I use is 38 microns thick, probably not heavy enough for pouches. 3. You could try laminating plans with it but it shrinks when heated so will probably end in tears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 You could laminate a plan. Test pieces on scrap paper, until you get a temperature that activates the glue, but does not shrink the film. The skill of using all the films is knowing at what temperature it sticks, when it starts to shrink, what temperature it is fully shrunk. Mind, I protect plans with cling film. Just easier, making tape to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 8 hours ago, leccyflyer said: Probably that the laminating film seals the structure airtight, so you don;t need as many coats of dope as you would to get a normal tissue and dope finish airtight - less dope = less weight? Yeah, maybe...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 9 hours ago, leccyflyer said: Probably that the laminating film seals the structure airtight, so you don;t need as many coats of dope as you would to get a normal tissue and dope finish airtight - less dope = less weight? 49 minutes ago, GrumpyGnome said: Yeah, maybe...... No, the weight builds up from all the puncture repairs. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris collis Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 I’m probably being a bit of a dinosaur but can anyone remember using nylon and dope?Very light and strong and fairly easy to use with a good resistance to puncturing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lumsdon 2 Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 Nylon is far superior to tissue and extremely strong and puncture proof. Really depends on size of model, nylon too heavy for small lightweights but great for larger IC models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis 2 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 (edited) 7 hours ago, chris collis said: I’m probably being a bit of a dinosaur but can anyone remember using nylon and dope?Very light and strong and fairly easy to use with a good resistance to puncturing. I used nylon quite a lot as a youth, I'm seventy-four now, and I covered the fuselage of my first successful r/c model, a Junior 60, in Olive Drab parachute nylon. The flying surfaces were covered in Neutral Solartex. It was the drabbest looking Junior 60 in the world! My abiding memory of using nylon is that it absorbed lots of dope and each coat penetrated the coat below. On a wing for example, it can apparently penetrate the top surface and pool on the lower covering making the final result rather heavy. Polyester dress lining or chiffon is often used these days and can be applied over doculam or mylar. The doculam prevents the dope from penetrating the material and produces a lighter finish. I've never used doculam on a model though I have made up a few test pieces and applied tissue over the top. It seems to work as does tissue doped over fully transparent Solarfilm or Oracover but I have considerable stocks of Solartex to work through first and I'll probably die before they're exhausted! 😉 There is that little Sharkface to finish off mind. Picture of a model covered in polyester dress lining attached. Edited November 23, 2022 by David Davis 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 9 hours ago, PatMc said: No, the weight builds up from all the puncture repairs. 🙂 There were literally dozens of puncture repairs on my SE5 after a season. Coupled with differing shades of paint over the repairs, it looked like it had been used for target practice.... I remember nylon and dope - seemed to need endless coats of dope to seal it. Makes a nice self-contained bag to take the inevitable broken airframe home in though 🙂 Someone asked why not paint the lam film..... I've tried that and I can never get the paint to stick well enough, even after extended sessions with a scouring pad to make it nice and matt. The cost of lam film makes it so attractive. I have 100m by 0.8m on a roll that cost under £15 delivered...... Anyway, once I complete my Thunderbolt (very close now), I can get back to the SE5 and see what progress I can make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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