Best covering for p40

[cory colquhoun]

Not sure what to cover  brodak p40 with. I Use monokote on most of my models, and have done a couple with sig koverall ,wondering what  silkspan is like as I have never used it, is it puncture resistant to a degree and can you sand it. Any help appreciated 
Cory

[gene poremba]

 Cory, I use all three of the coverings you mentioned above in addition to silk. Slikspan is not as tough a covering as Monokote, Koverall, or silk. However, some of my lightest, best finishes are with silkspan and dope. Silkspan can be sanded after a coat or two of dope has been applied, but care must be taken not to sand thru on high spots like wing ribs. I usually only use Monokote on my models for a fast and easy finish that's quick to repair. I fly off a grass field and have used Sig Koverall or silk on the undersides of my wings as an option with silkspan on the top of the wing. It gives me a tough underside to help from getting grass, stick, punctures and still have a light good looking finish with silkspan on the tops of the wing.I have not encountered any problems with twisting of my wings doing this. Each covering has its pros and cons. Good quality silkspan is tough to come by these days. I also cover my fuselages with silkspan and dope. It does add strength with a minimum amount of added weight.......Gene

[George Albo]

Cory, I use all three of the coverings you mentioned above in addition to silk. Slikspan is not as tough a covering as Monokote, Koverall, or silk. However, some of my lightest, best finishes are with silkspan and dope. Silkspan can be sanded after a coat or two of dope has been applied, but care must be taken not to sand thru on high spots like wing ribs. I usually only use Monokote on my models for a fast and easy finish that's quick to repair. I fly off a grass field and have used Sig Koverall or silk on the undersides of my wings as an option with silkspan on the top of the wing. It gives me a tough underside to help from getting grass, stick, punctures and still have a light good looking finish with silkspan on the tops of the wing.I have not encountered any problems with twisting of my wings doing this. Each covering has its pros and cons. Good quality silkspan is tough to come by these days. I also cover my fuselages with silkspan and dope. It does add strength with a minimum amount of added weight.......Gene

the silkspan issue has been solved: 

https://stunthanger.com/smf/open-forum/world-shortage-of-silkspan-ended-frank-d-nominated-for-'hero-of-the-reich'/

https://stunthanger.com/smf/open-forum/butt-tissue-paper-question/msg498075/#msg498075

[Avaiojet]

Cory,

I use nothing but silk now. That's my choice.

My use of it is in all my build Threads. You might want to check them out, especially the Gee Bee Z and the Gee Bee R3 builds. Plenty of photos.

I also have silk on the ARGO and the ARGO 2 and my Mig-3. I believe all these detailed build Threads are at CFC Graphic's vendor's corner.

I don't build competition full blown stunt ships, so I don't mind a tad more weight. My interest is having the model for the long haul, and I believe silk gives me this.

Tough decision you'll have to make on your own.

Here's my Gee Bee R-3 wing covered with silk.

Good luck.

Charles

[Tom Niebuhr]

Polyspan for sure.

I tried the "new" silkspan from Brodak and it is the worst stuff I ever used. I ended up using thinner to totally strip thr airplane back to bare wood.

(I am not blaming Brodak for the problem, the  silkspan suppled to Brodak is not worth a dime.)

I have not tried the medical stuff.

The original silkspan was easy to use and we used it for 30  or more years.

[john e. holliday]

My suggestion is go to the finishing section of this forum and really confuse your self.   Larry Renger put me onto the new way of doing things.   The examining table silk span is totally new and I have learned to put it on dry.  The first time I tried to put it on wet was a disaster.   You will also see pics of various planes over there.  As with any thing it takes patience and a learning curve.

[gene poremba]

 Tom, I have not tried polyspan yet. I have a lifetime supply of silk and silkspan to use up That said I just finished up one of your designs, (HOBO), I scratchbuilt it and covered it with Sig Koverall. It is the fastest and toughest stuff for me to apply. And it looks good with dope on it. By the way the HOBO flies great! A while back I obtained silkspan to try from the taxidermist industry. They seem to have endless supply of it. It is on the heavy gas model side of silkspan and found it can be used in areas where the good stuff doesn't have to be. It has the occasional small holes that have to be delt with. I have watched UTUBE videos of polyspan being applied, just have not bought any to try for myself....Gene

[cory colquhoun]

I'm thinking a dope finish would be better for painting options ( camo pattern ) and maybe some added strength as a profile with a fair wing span, I've had no problems with koverall ,just fluffed up a bit when I sanded it and warped the wing when I heated it too much ,my second attempt turned out better once I thinned the dope,  can see improvement in each new model , will consider trying polyspan ,weight is not a real issue ,  building and sport fun flying , but still like em to look and fly good ! Helpful input thanks all.
 
 Regards cory

[Steve Thomas]

Cory, I've tried Polyspan with a couple of models recently, and have been pretty happy with it - quite easy to use and good to work with. Another option is to use laminating film (ironed on then shrunk) on the open bays, with tissue doped over the top of it. That way you get a traditional tissue finish - painted, doped, whatever - but with a lot more strength and puncture resistance.