is this ok ? easy to work with ?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Top-Flite-Mo...item256484122f

How is it compared to oracover ?



I want a cover that is easy to attache, never done it before, want to cover a balsa build kit

Sebbe

I mostly cover with Monokote. It's not as easy to bend around corners as other coverings, and the backing is clear so sometimes it's a pain to find the edge... but that said it's tough and the adhesive never fails and it has a nice glossy finish. It takes high temp around 350-375°F to bend around compound curves and some patience, but it will submit to whatever shape you want it to take.

Monokote seems to be about the standard in the US - I've been using it since I got here in 1994, as it can be bought at about any hobby shop around.

Like all coverings, it comes with an instruction sheet that gives suggested temperatures for adhering the covering to the structure and then shrinking it. I have found Monokote to be very flexible as to temperatures, but use a digital thermometer to check the temperature of my covering iron.

I have found it to be very good at covering around areas with changes in section and direction. It also sticks well to itself, as long as it is placed over a cleaned area with no grease, fingerprints or such on it.

To shrink it over an open framework, I use a heat gun of the sort produced for model aircraft coverings. Again, Monokote appears flexible as to temperature, though you can burn the covering if you held the heat gun against one spot too closely or for too long.

Monokote is about the heaviest of the iron on film coverings on the market. While it works well on larger, stiffer structures, I would not use it on small models with more flexible structures, as it could easily warp such a model when the Monokote was shrunk tightly.

Hope that helps

ok, thanks guys, helps...

Originally Posted by Dereck

To shrink it over an open framework, I use a heat gun of the sort produced for model aircraft coverings. Again, Monokote appears flexible as to temperature, though you can burn the covering if you held the heat gun against one spot too closely or for too long.

Monokote is about the heaviest of the iron on film coverings on the market. While it works well on larger, stiffer structures, I would not use it on small models with more flexible structures, as it could easily warp such a model when the Monokote was shrunk tightly.

Hope that helps

I agree, it will basically do whatever you want it to with the help of a heat gun and some time, and great care is needed for smaller structures like you said, it pulls hard on the structure when it shrinks, so it's not ideal for light/small models.

Yea, I like the way monokote looks and cuts.

I can cover with monokote, but I always end up with a ton of wrinkles, especially on bare wings. How do I shrink the covering to solve this?

For large flat areas I tack around the perimiter and hit it with a heat gun until it's tight. Sometimes I cut the job into smaller sections for hard areas like near the tail... I'm not afraid of seams, but I do not like wrinkles. If you're bending around a wing tip or something similar, just keep heating it and pulling around the corners until the whole thing is covered without wrinkles and then I cut away the excess... it's a lot like vacuum forming, just without a mold. As with all things, it takes practice... my first several planes definitely had wrinkles in the more curvy areas.

Thanks for the tips. As is, my current scratch-build in progress is using good ole' fashioned tissue. My barely used, nice Hangar 9 iron is just sitting around. But sooner or later I will get more into film. It is a good skill. Besides, I have only tried monokote...

oops, put the pic of the ember 2 by accident