Need some help

[Chuck Feldman]

I have an excellent profile stunt ship but here is the problem. The plastic covering is pealing off. But it is coming off in a strange way. The clear sheet is coming off and the color is remaining. I thought acetone and a rag would take it right off. I am wrong, it doesn't dissolve the color coat. I really want to save this ship so I need some tips on what solvent will cut the color part of plastic covering. Thanks for your help.

Chuck

[Geoff Goodworth]

Chuck, I had the same problem where the plastic film delaminated leaving the colour and the adhesive behind.

Xylene stripped off all the adhesive and most of the colour.

However, be warned, only use xylene in a reasonably well ventillated location and wear a P2 mask at all times. I didn't for the first session and, while xylene is not especially toxic, I tasted xylene for several days. My shop is half of a double garage with a 12" exhaust fan in the ceiling and I finished the job inside while wearing the P2 mask with the exhaust fan running. I had no further problems.

If you can do the stripping outdoors, all the better, but for me, it was raining.

[peabody]

Hi Chuck
I imagine that some progress could be made using a heat gun......you may have to cut the covering with a sharp razor to "break the seal".
Have fun

[Bob Reeves]

Yes, use a heat gun to remove the covering. I striped a Score with a heat gun, almost no glue/color left behind.

[Steve Riebe]

Another vote for the heat gun method. I stripped a ARF Cardinal a while back and the blue color from the covering mostly remained behind. Did what I could with xylene and "goof off" and while it did help, it also caused some of the color to leach further into the balsa. I gave up trying to get all the color off and recovered with Ultracote cream and red which hid the remaining color to the point you could not see it. I'm sure there are other heat shrink coverings and colors that will do an adequate job of hiding the color underneath.

A more recent stripping job was a Ringmaster with paper and dope covering. The heat gun method was working really well until the whole thing went up in a ball of fire, almost as gasoline would burn. Thought I was going to burn my house down, so be careful and maybe think about doing this outside. I don't think the plastic covering is any where near as flammable.

[55chevr]

I used to use propane torch to clean off old paint on doors and window frames.  Always outside, always with a water source nearby.  There was an occasional flare up.  I was cleaning off old paint and covering from a Flite Streak that sat around for 30 years using a heat gun and I got some similar actions to propane.  The flash point of old dope with fuel soak is not high at all.   Almost have to do fire watch after for 2 hours watching for glowing embers in the air frame.  Always do this outside and leave the model outside for a reasonable amount of time after you are done.

Joe

[frank williams]

I think the "Hindenburg phenomenon" was partly due to the "doped linen" covering.  Proved to be almost explosive.

[Dave_Trible]

In my former smoking days I took a newly finished airplane out in the yard to test the engine.  A spark came off the cigarette and landed on the airplane.  It was a Veco bellcrank in a pile of ash so fast I couldn't even stomp it out.

Dave

[55chevr]

I had a Midwest Hornet go up in flames from an engine back fire ... slow at first then it went rapidly ....

Joe

[GGeezer]

Hi Chuck,
Your problem begs the question... why do you need to remove the old adhesive? It seems the old heat-sensitive adhesive is well bonded to the balsa so just iron on new covering. As long as the new covering isn't transparent, it should bond well to the tramp adhesive without the old color showing through.

[Chuck Feldman]

Geoof,

Thanks for the help. The xyleen does cut the backing just like you said. The model can now be saved. Thanks

Chuck

[Gerald Arana]

I've stripped (with heat gun) several "monocoat" jobs over the years and cut the remaining residue with "Acetone". Works great. In fact I have a TF Nobler that I stripped and am in the process of making it a "Brock" Nobler. Maybe completed by next summer................maybe not.

Jerry

[Mike Lauerman]

Dave's experience was extreme...
 I've also seen an aged paper-and-doped Ringmaster 'flare up', my partner was removing the old covering with his new Top Flite heat gun. Chris had the presence of mind to drop it into the steel 55 gal. drum outside the door...in a minute it was embers! We were surprised.

The thought of someone 'igniting' an airplane...then 'stomping' it out? I get a mental picture of counter-intuitiveness...

[Randy Cuberly]

Dave's experience was extreme...
 I've also seen an aged paper-and-doped Ringmaster 'flare up', my partner was removing the old covering with his new Top Flite heat gun. Chris had the presence of mind to drop it into the steel 55 gal. drum outside the door...in a minute it was embers! We were surprised.

The thought of someone 'igniting' an airplane...then 'stomping' it out? I get a mental picture of counter-intuitiveness...

UUUUhhhhhh....Yeah Nitrates are extremely flammable even explosive under the right circumstances...stomping on them while they're burning could possibly be one one of those circumstances!
 

Randy Cuberly

[dennis lipsett]

Chuck, I had the same problem where the plastic film delaminated leaving the colour and the adhesive behind.

Xylene stripped off all the adhesive and most of the colour.

However, be warned, only use xylene in a reasonably well ventillated location and wear a P2 mask at all times. I didn't for the first session and, while xylene is not especially toxic, I tasted xylene for several days. My shop is half of a double garage with a 12" exhaust fan in the ceiling and I finished the job inside while wearing the P2 mask with the exhaust fan running. I had no further problems.

If you can do the stripping outdoors, all the better, but for me, it was raining.

I have used a heat gun just to help remove the plastic film but for the rest and painted fuselages I use paint stripper. It works well and I don't have to work very hard to have a clean surface ready to recover