I decided to open this thread because I have been informed that Silkspan tissue is no longer made. This is a terrible disaster. I suggest all fellow modellers to state here if there are any news about a company tackling once again the manufacture of this covering material. It would be nice to get all us gathered and perhaps a paper manufacturer can find a market for this material. I called K&S and the chap who answered me said that he was desperate receiving lots of calls for this material. He also told me that there is definitively a big market for this most traditional and excellent covering material. The late Ed Manulkin of Sterling Models once told me this paper was the same used for tea bags due to its inherent water resistance. So perhaps we must look this way.

Edubarca,

Try Aerodyne:

http://www.freeflightmodels.com/

It will indeed be a problem for the larger rubber models and smaller electric and internal combustion-powered models. We can still get silk.

Geoff

Have you checked the price of model silk?

Edubarca, here is another. Easy Built Models Very nice people to deal with and fair shipping rates not like that Control Line place on the net that wanted to charge me $12 shipping for 2 sheets of paper weighting less than an ounce. My order was shipped the next day and arrived three days later. $2.50 for shipping and I got three times the amount of SilkSpan for 1/4th the price at the Control Line place.

The British equivalent, Modelspan, is still available in lightweight and heavyweight grades from Mike Woodhouse at www.freeflightsupplies.co.uk. The snag is it is only in white - however, this tissue is easy to dye any colour you want using fabric dyes, cold water method, something I did many times in the past. The red, yellow and purple tissue in the photo below are all lightweight Modelspan dyed with fabric dyes.

Thank you very much for all your information, and possible places to obtain silkspan. K&S told me that perhaps those companies offering the material is from stocks they still have. If this is true, when their stock depletes, that will be it. Let's see if somehow we can convince a paper manufacturer to make the material. Any luck, fellow modellers, with tea bag paper manufacturers? Here in Colombia, nobody makes the paper, They import it and I will try to convince them to tell me where they get it.

"Have you checked the price of model silk?"

Try this. 5MM is what I have used, and cannot really tell the difference between it and K&S big bucks stuff.

http://www.thaisilks.com/product_inf...products_id=11

Les

Originally Posted by LesUyeda

"Have you checked the price of model silk?"

Try this. 5MM is what I have used, and cannot really tell the difference between it and K&S big bucks stuff.

http://www.thaisilks.com/product_inf...products_id=11

Les

I'm referring to "Silkspan" which is a tissue paper especially made for model airplane covering. Silk is a cloth and cannot usually replace Silkspan because silk requires much more dope thus coming out much heavier. Also, Silk has a strong pull when shrinking so it cannot be used on light weak structures. Silkspan used to be made in three different grades, one was very light for small models and the heaviest for big "gas" models. I do prefer the medium grade for general model covering.

Eduardo, the bottom line is that you can still obtain good tissue from specialist suppliers. Mike Woodhouse of freeflightsupplies has the highest of reputations and he's been reliably supplying tissues/silks and stuff for around 50 years. If you want good traditional covering materials, for me, it's not possible that you won't find something suitable on Mike's site.

Originally Posted by brokenenglish

Eduardo, the bottom line is that you can still obtain good tissue from specialist suppliers. Mike Woodhouse of freeflightsupplies has the highest of reputations and he's been reliably supplying tissues/silks and stuff for around 50 years. If you want good traditional covering materials, for me, it's not possible that you won't find something suitable on Mike's site.

That's so Brian - see my post #6. As I said there both light and heavy white Modelspan suitable for colouring with dye is there, or if you want ready coloured the various grades of Esaki. Trouble is, people seem to be hooked on it having to be called "Silkspan" for some reason.

Is K&B the source for Sig's, Aerodyne's and Brodak's? If so, then I assume they will run out and it will be gone. But right now they all have silkspan.

Modelspan is surely fine, but most of us in the US would rather be able to get it without shipping overseas.

"I'm referring to "Silkspan" which is a tissue paper especially made for model airplane covering."

I understand that. I was replying to the individual that asked about the price of silk .

Les

Originally Posted by LesUyeda

"I'm referring to "Silkspan" which is a tissue paper especially made for model airplane covering."

I understand that. I was replying to the individual that asked about the price of silk .

Les

Sorry for my misunderstanding!!!

Originally Posted by buzzard bait

Is K&B the source for Sig's, Aerodyne's and Brodak's? If so, then I assume they will run out and it will be gone. But right now they all have silkspan.

Modelspan is surely fine, but most of us in the US would rather be able to get it without shipping overseas.

I don't know if K&S is the source for SIG, A2Z etc. I just know that the chap at K&S told me that the tissue was no longer made and that he was desperate receiving phone calls from modellers all over the world inquiring for silkspan.

For us South Americans is no big deal having to order abroad in these days of free trade agreements and globalization. I'm sure for our American friends is as easy as it is to us.