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Author Topic: Fully Sheeted Wings  (Read 2360 times)

Offline Mike Griffin

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Fully Sheeted Wings
« on: September 16, 2018, 09:04:57 AM »
Fully sheeting a wing with balsa sheeting is something I really have not tried.  After the wing is fully sheeted and sanded, how have you finish the wing?  Example:  Prime and paint over the balsa?, cover the balsa with something like Mono or Ultracote,  Dope and polyspan over it?  Just looking for some tried and true ways.

Thank you
Mike

Online Will Hinton

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2018, 10:56:19 AM »
Mike, I've always used dope and silspan over the fully sheeted wings I've done.  Poilyspan would also work I'm sure.  Monokote, yes, several ways to fill that grain.  The one time I did monokote I did a couple of coats of dope to make the grain disappear before the iron on, otherwise the grain will likely show after the covering is ironed down.
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Online Brett Buck

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2018, 11:25:25 AM »
Fully sheeting a wing with balsa sheeting is something I really have not tried.  After the wing is fully sheeted and sanded, how have you finish the wing?  Example:  Prime and paint over the balsa?, cover the balsa with something like Mono or Ultracote,  Dope and polyspan over it?  Just looking for some tried and true ways.

  Dope and silkspan, or dope and carbon veil. There have been many attempts to do away with the silkspan, etc, but it usually doesn't work out too well, with the grain coming back in a few months.


    If you are going to use heat-shrink like Ultracote, DO NOT dope it or put anything on the surface. Sand it smooth, vacuum and blow off every speck of dust, and then just put the covering down. Treat it just like an open-bay wing, pull/stretch it smooth, adhere at LE and TE by diagonals working your way from the root to the tip. Tack it at the root and tip, then shrink it with a heat gun to get all the air out. Then, take a soft cotton cloth with a very smooth surface (like an old t-shirt wadded up, but a smooth working surface, and then heat and gently rub the covering down to adhere it all over. Then make a complete attachment at the root. Use the loose material and heat and stretching to cover the tip, then stick that. Never ever touch the middle of the surface with an iron, the heat gun and pressure will stick it everywhere to the balsa. This is critical to avoid both leaving marks where the glue has adhered heavily vs not, and to keeping it from wrinkling in the sun later.

    Monokote will last about 5-10 years before it starts to become brittle from UV, after that, anything might happen, but it generally will start to crack or powder up. I don't know about Ultracote. Do not use monokote if it is not soft on the roll. The outer turns tends to get "crinkly" just sitting on the roll, it is supposed to be pretty soft.

    You don't need any of the "heat-sealing" adhesives, etc. The adhesive on the covering is fine as long as you get it hot enough to flow and the surface underneath good and clean.

     Brett

Offline Randy Powell

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2018, 10:24:40 AM »
I rather like Coverlite.
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Online Steve Berry

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2018, 11:22:49 AM »
Has anyone tried sheeting with 1/32" basswood instead of 1/16" balsa? I'm wondering if there would really be any advantage to doing it that way. I'm thinking the weight difference between them is negligible, with the basswood likely being a few grams heavier, but needing less finishing materials (dope, paint, etc) to fill & hide the grain, so....a wash, but iwth more strength?

Also, what do y'all think about the way Al Rabe finished his planes, with fully sheeted wings covered with .5oz fiberglass & finishing resin, then sanded, primed, & painted (with epoxy paint)?

Online Brett Buck

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2018, 11:32:21 AM »
Has anyone tried sheeting with 1/32" basswood instead of 1/16" balsa? I'm wondering if there would really be any advantage to doing it that way. I'm thinking the weight difference between them is negligible, with the basswood likely being a few grams heavier, but needing less finishing materials (dope, paint, etc) to fill & hide the grain, so....a wash, but iwth more strength?

Also, what do y'all think about the way Al Rabe finished his planes, with fully sheeted wings covered with .5oz fiberglass & finishing resin, then sanded, primed, & painted (with epoxy paint)?

    The weight difference *is not negligible*, it's huge and basswood is pretty weak for it's weight. Balsa is pretty good stuff, and for sheeting you would use 5 lb wood. Basswood is at least 4x that, so half the thickness is twice the weight.

     Brett

Offline Trostle

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2018, 02:11:31 PM »

Also, what do y'all think about the way Al Rabe finished his planes, with fully sheeted wings covered with .5oz fiberglass & finishing resin, then sanded, primed, & painted (with epoxy paint)?

Al is/was meticulous with his finishing methods.  He used careful wood selection, his molded shells saved considerable weight, he carefully applied and sanded his finishing materials, all to keep weight within reasonable limits.  The result is that he had airplanes that still looked good and performed well after 2,000 flights or more.  There is a lesson there somewhere.

Keith

Offline Air Ministry .

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2018, 09:18:03 PM »
Think its advisable to block sand the sheet before fitting . Also two coats of dope or so and flat of , before fitting .

If your ribs are good itll lay on in line & need little other dressing even .


Offline Mike Griffin

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Re: Fully Sheeted Wings
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2018, 09:34:41 AM »
Thank you for all the input.

Mike


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