Applying Jap tissue

[Mike Griffin]

A previous thread about Esaki made me think of this.  Do you apply Jap tissue just like you would Silkspan?  The process being doping the airframe, wetting the tissue, using dope to stick it to the airframe , letting it dry and shrink and then sealing with several coats of thinned dope?  I have never used the stuff so was just wondering.

Thank you
Mike

[Bill Little]

Hi Mike,

As Ty says, apply it dry to open bay areas, it is VERY fragile when wet.  Just pull it taught and get out all the wrinkles you can, dope around the edges and shrink with rubbing alcohol.  I do the same thing Ty does on solid areas except I also apply it dry.  Shiny side out.  I do use shrinking butyrate for a couple coats after it is applied just like silkspan.

Bill

[Dave Harmon]

I've used this tissue for a long time as most of you have but.....I've always shrunk it with straight water.
Why is 50/50 alky/water used these days??
Any advantage?

After shrinking I spray 4 coats or so of nitrate and let it gas off for several days then spray 2 coats of butyrate non-tautening clear.
If there is colored dope to be applied...I spray the butyrate color (after the first 4 coats of nitrate) then spray clear butyrate overall.

[Mike Keville]

. . .Why is 50/50 alky/water used these days??
Any advantage?

===========================================
Because isopropyl alcohol evaporates quicker than straight water....decreasing the chance of warping.

See my comments below on the "Jap Tissue" thread.

[John Park]

I've used Esaki extensively on small free-flight models, and prefer to shrink it using steam from a boiling kettle or a pan of water on the hob.  If you've got one of those hand-held steam generators, that would be a better option for a large surface like the wing of a big stunt model.

Regards
John

[Joseph Patterson]

 Now Ty dat's funny!!

[GGeezer]

I use rubbing alcohol to shrink my Esaki tissue on my rubber powered free flight models. Rubbing alcohol is 30% water and 70% ISO-Prolyl.
Since the mix contains only 30% water, it is easier to control the warp-inducing shrinking process on delicate structures. I prefer this method to steaming which can also be used to control the amount of water that is applied.

Orv.

[Tim Wescott]

Why is 50/50 alky/water used these days??

Because straight water is too much, and the tissue doesn't respond to alcohol.  I use 90% isopropyl and apply it with a cotton ball -- the alcohol flashes right off, and leaves just the right amount of water behind.

Alternately, with a really good spritzer you can spritz straight water into the air and wave the part through the moist air.  I haven't found this to be reliable, however.

Esaki tissue has excellent wet strength for tissue; if I'm trying to put it onto highly contoured solid balsa then I'll put it on wet.  It's frustrating to try this with other tissues.

[Balsa Butcher]

Thoughts: Bob Hunt use to offer a CD on how to apply tissue on models. Emphasis was on stick and tissue FF models but the techniques are universal. I recently covered a stunter fuselage using tissue in stead of silkspan. A pain but it came out OK. Lighter than a silkspan covering and still filled the grain. Tissue used was domestic tissue put on dry and shrunk. It is more porus than Esaki. The dope would not reliably penetrate the Esaki, even thinned to "Nth" degree which caused some bonding and wrinkling issues. On an open structure I would only use Esaki. Mileage may vary.

[Tim Wescott]

Thoughts: Bob Hunt use to offer a CD on how to apply tissue on models. Emphasis was on stick and tissue FF models but the techniques are universal. I recently covered a stunter fuselage using tissue in stead of silkspan. A pain but it came out OK. Lighter than a silkspan covering and still filled the grain. Tissue used was domestic tissue put on dry and shrunk. It is more porus than Esaki. The dope would not reliably penetrate the Esaki, even thinned to "Nth" degree which caused some bonding and wrinkling issues. On an open structure I would only use Esaki. Mileage may vary.

When I apply Esaki to solid I run dope underneath the tissue to get complete coverage.  I don't know why it doesn't penetrate -- that's great for open-structures, but it does complicate covering solid structure.

[Balsa Butcher]

Yes, I figured it was probably my technique but rather than waste good Esaki experimenting till I got it right I decided to reserve it for FF models and just go with the more readily available domestic tissue applied dry then shrunk. Since then I have acquired some light silkspan (the good stuff) so next time it will be business as usual. 

[Norm Faith Jr.]

Ha ha. I tried the steam kettle shrinkage method...once.  It seems the flame type (gas) stoves are too hot and the plane burst into flames for about two seconds. Then no more covering, just a black frame work. My wife said the look on my face was priceless.  Live and learn.

I would of paid to of been there to see that!

[Balsa Butcher]

Thanks for the correction Bob, not CD but DVD, that's what I meant to say. I do have it, highly recommended. 

[Lauri Malila]

...which caused some bonding and wrinkling issues. On an open structure I would only use Esaki. Mileage may vary.

Hi.

Since we are talking about FF models;
I use Esaki LiteFlite for some details in my wings, and I have found out that you manage with less dope for good adhesion if you put the paper shiny side facing down, i think it has more contact area that way. Mine sticks well after brushing 2 coats of thinned dope on the carbon or thin Modelspan surface.

Lauri