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| SteveM, Comment for image # 8079 | 29 Apr 08 12:15 |
| The Doculam has heat activated adhesive on one side. Before use it has a frosted appearance (see the scraps at the top of the picture). But once the glue has been activated it turns clear. I have noticed that I need more overlap than what I am used to. A 1/16" wide edge is not always enough like it was with tissue and dope/glue.
If you would like a sample to try, I will gladly send you enough for a plane or two as the 500'x1' roll is more than enough for my lifetime. |
| poppy, Comment for image # 8079 | 29 Apr 08 03:23 |
| You have probably said b-4, but how does the Ducolem adhere? Super covering job so far! |
| SteveM, Image # 8079 | 29 Apr 08 02:28 |
Horizontal stabilizer and ailerons covered with Doculam. Thinking about covering the fuse and wing leaves me aprehensive, but I guess it just requires lots of time and care. |
| SteveM, Comment for image # 7218 | 20 Mar 08 13:27 |
| I don't want to use Monocote or any of the other plastic films as the color selection is limited and you can't paint them. The exception is Doculam, which as James says is fairly light and can be painted.
The reason I find Koverall and Airspan appealing is that I can purchase them from regular hobby shops and you can apply them with dope and seal and paint just like with silkspan. But since these products need heat to shrink I could end up getting an iron for that and by then I might as well try the Doculam. Since Doculam doesn't need sealed with dope it would probably be the lightest in the end. So no, I haven't ruled out Doculam.
If I get Doculam there will be so much of it that I'll be gladly giving it away to people that want to try it. |
| jgood, Comment for image # 7218 | 20 Mar 08 11:27 |
| Did you rule out Doculam, Steve? I always wanted to try that - doesn't weigh much more than Solite, but takes it paint. $20 for 500 feet of it! Doculam vendor. |
| poppy, Comment for image # 7218 | 20 Mar 08 08:39 |
| Have you tried Monocote? Iron on, all colors, heat shrink, no dope or paint needed. I used on my Stearman, and several R/c models. Seems mighty lite to me, but I am no expert in lightweight models. |
| SteveM, Comment for image # 7218 | 20 Mar 08 01:38 |
| Depending on who you talk to, these products may be called iron-on tissue. |
| SteveM, Comment for image # 7218 | 20 Mar 08 01:23 |
| After searching RC Groups for some time I have decided that the polyester based iron-on fabrics are what I need. On the light end is Airspan at 25 gsm and on the heavy end is SIG Koverall at 46 gsm. I estimate the fabric to cover the Hellcat would add 8 grams and 15 grams respectively.
Both the Airspan and Koverall are unsealed, can be attached with heat activated glue or nitrate dope, are shrunk with heat, and can be sealed with dope and painted. The Koverall is said to be quite resilient but is usually used on much larger planes (50" to 60" wingspan or larger). Airspan doesn't shrink as much, is twice as expensive, and I can only find it from Peck-Poly. So while I haven't found a covering yet, I am converging. |
| SteveM, Image # 7218 | 19 Mar 08 21:22 |
All of the electronics and geared parts were removed for sanding. Sanding went quickly as all of the parts fit very well and I had already shaped the LE and TE. This one goes into the hanger till I sort out the covering options. |
| sweetwillie, Comment for image # 7211 | 19 Mar 08 18:44 |
| Good looking work! |
| SteveM, Image # 7211 | 19 Mar 08 02:56 |
The obligatory lap about the floor under power. About all that remains is to sand and cover, and I am in limbo about what to cover it with. |
| SteveM, Comment for image # 6981 | 16 Mar 08 18:02 |
| Thanks for the info and advice. I also PMed Mike and he thought the Hellcat would be fine but that I couldn't go wrong with the Tyro either. He also suggested I get your input, which you have provided. I guess it is up to me now to decide how I want to proceed. Presently I am leaning towards getting the Tyro (I'm not a foam fan) and reusing as many components as possible from the Hellcat to reduce the cost. |
| jgood, Comment for image # 6981 | 16 Mar 08 07:43 |
| The Hellcat is a good first aircraft, except for the fact that it's made of balsa. I normally recommend foam aircraft for the fact that if a wing breaks, it's a 10 minute fix, rather than a full day (or more). The MM Hellcat is so stable with all that dihedral, I don't think it's any harder to fly than a Slowstick or Tyro, even though you have ailerons added into the mix. It would still be a good idea to have someone 'buddy box' your radio, or even just have someone there to step in if you need help. ANd definitely get the hang of the FMS first. Thats my 2 cents. |
| SteveM, Comment for image # 6981 | 16 Mar 08 02:55 |
| I got a cable to hook up my radio Tx to my computer and just tried out FMS. It took me a while to get the hang of it and quickly found that the high winged Cessna flew slower and was more stable than the low wing, high performance models. It's got me thinking if I shouldn't go ahead and get the MM Tyro and learn to fly it before the Hellcat. Though I did see one suggestion on RCGroups that the MM Hellcat would be an ok first flier. |
| SteveM, Comment for image # 6981 | 09 Mar 08 19:36 |
| Zero RC experience, but I did just stick an electric FF plane in the top of a Douglas fir! My plan had been that after flying it today I would add an ESC and rudder control and slowly start to build RC experience. But now it looks like the Hellcat will be my first RC flier. I know the Tyro would be better, but I think I'd rather rekit the Hellcat than build and fly a trainer type aircraft, though it would be a good candidate for AP like James does.
Could you elaborate on why silkspan is not a good idea, too fragile? I think doculam is the best alternative, though it might show brush strokes. |
| mikemolt, Comment for image # 6981 | 09 Mar 08 19:23 |
| The weight is good Steve, she's a floater for sure. How much RC experience did you say you have? I think I read you have some free flight experience, which is excellent. |
| SteveM, Image # 6981 | 07 Mar 08 23:25 |
All of the bones weigh in at 5.6 oz. Not included is the radio, landing gear, covering, plastics, and the part of the fuse that extends below the wing. |
| SteveM, Image # 6980 | 07 Mar 08 23:23 |
Tailfeathers ready to be sanded and covered. |
| SteveM, Image # 6979 | 07 Mar 08 23:23 |
The lower "hs3" part in the picture was not notched on the end, but the other part served as a pattern to correct the error. |
| SteveM, Image # 6978 | 07 Mar 08 23:21 |
Wing skeleton ready for sanding and covering. |
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