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Author Topic: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote  (Read 4465 times)

Offline Colin McRae

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Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« on: December 08, 2023, 11:01:13 AM »
I picked up a roll of white TowerKote (Tower Hobbies product) at a recent swap meet. Still in original shrink wrap.

I have been using Top Flite MonoKote on most of my builds which has served me well. But I have never used TowerKote.

The covering design is a little different between the two. Example, MonoKote suggested iron temperature is 275F. TowerKote is 225F. So at least the adhesive is somewhat different.

I would like to understand how other modelers have perceived the TowerKote covering. Good, bad, no real difference.

I am about to recover a wing as a result of a repair.

Thanks in advance.

Offline kenneth cook

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Re: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2023, 04:39:11 PM »
              I personally dislike it. I've never found it to stay put and the seams begin peeling. Unlike Monokote, Towerkote is like a two part film. A clear film over the color. When it peels, the clear comes off leaving a difficult if not impossible to remove color product on the balsa. It goes very slack in the sun . In addition, if you try to shrink further by using a heat gun, it pulls back rapidly unlike Monokote. You must be very careful around the wingtips for instance as it will just come undone if you apply too much heat in that area. I feel it would be much better suited for foam like Top Flite Econokote due to it's low temp.

Online Dan McEntee

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Re: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2023, 08:29:59 AM »
   Tower-kote is most likely the same crap that they covered the Top-Flite ARF models with, or more commonly referred to as "China-Kote."   Genuine Monokote is made the same way, just to a lot better quality level. The color is on the bottom and is the adhesive. I have had the covering on just about every ARF that I have had in my possession delaminate over time and sometimes not a very long time!! As good an airplane as the SIG Primary Force is, the covering was terrible. The same with the Hanger 9 PT-19. The "genuine Monokote" on my Top Flite Score faded terribly on the red color and the white would never stay stuck and delaminated. it's scheduled for recover this winter. I had to make some repairs to the airplane and did that with the real stuff and the difference is astounding. If what you have is for a project that may be short lived, it's worth using it on that I guess, but i would leave yourself an avenue to remove and replace it in the future.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee
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Offline Colin McRae

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Re: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2023, 08:46:20 AM »
Thanks Ken and Dan for the heads up on TowerKote. I know Tower Hobbies does not sell it anymore as they now sell MonoKote. But I could not resist it at a local swap meet for $2.

The model I have in mind is a 25-size stunt trainer that I have crashed and repaired a few times as I learn new pattern maneuvers. I will probably just try it out and keep an eye on it. Can always just cover it again if needed. But I won't but anymore if I come across it. I have been relatively happy w/ MonoKote on my other covered models.

Offline kenneth cook

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Re: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2023, 05:55:18 PM »
           Collin, your Tower covering would be very adequate for your trainer. No point in investing good covering into something that might possibly crash. As Dan mentioned, this stuff can come off at any time. One thing that I do with stuff like this is that prior to wrapping the covering for the overlap, clean the underlying covering with alcohol real well prior to ironing the rest over it. You can also further assist peeling by applying clear packing tape carefully across the seam and then iron it down with the iron. I don't use it full width, I lay it onto a piece of glass and cut it. I use a piece of jalousie glass to lay the tape onto. I mist a spritz of Windex onto the glass to prevent it from permanently getting stuck on it and I slice it with a straight edge and razor blade. When I remove it, there's just enough Windex still on it to enable me to place it onto the covering and position it easier. No worries, it will eventually stick. This is why I also iron it as it assists sticking it down.

Offline Colin McRae

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Re: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2023, 07:03:14 PM »
           Collin, your Tower covering would be very adequate for your trainer. No point in investing good covering into something that might possibly crash. As Dan mentioned, this stuff can come off at any time. One thing that I do with stuff like this is that prior to wrapping the covering for the overlap, clean the underlying covering with alcohol real well prior to ironing the rest over it. You can also further assist peeling by applying clear packing tape carefully across the seam and then iron it down with the iron. I don't use it full width, I lay it onto a piece of glass and cut it. I use a piece of jalousie glass to lay the tape onto. I mist a spritz of Windex onto the glass to prevent it from permanently getting stuck on it and I slice it with a straight edge and razor blade. When I remove it, there's just enough Windex still on it to enable me to place it onto the covering and position it easier. No worries, it will eventually stick. This is why I also iron it as it assists sticking it down.

Thanks

One thing I will do is use the brush-on heat-activated adhesive Cover Grip at critical locations. It can be used on wood areas as well as overlap areas. 

Offline Marty Hammersmith

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Re: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2023, 02:07:03 AM »
You'll probably find TowerKote to be thinnner than Monokote and the adhesive as mentioned is not very strong. It is definitely not the same as Monokote. I agree with others that it'll work fine for your application but that I'd probably brush on some Sig Stix-It or similar adhesive to help keep the covering stuck. Unless you get a super deal on it in the future, I probably wouldn't buy more.
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Offline Dennis Toth

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Re: Tower Hobbies - TowerKote
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2023, 08:37:08 AM »
Coln,
If you google "TowerKote covering" you will find lots of information. Seems like all products some have had great success and other hate it. Alot depends on how you apply it. It seem to go on better with an iron rather than heat gun. Ong guy did a recover of a bipe with glow engine and still is good after 6years. For all films I like to apply a single coat of Balsarite for film (it is Balsarite thinned our a lot). I brush it on then let it gas off a week or so then apply the film. I have ships that are over 15 years old done this way with no lifts.

Best,  DennisT


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