Skyloft

[Pat]

Hi all,

 I saw on the dave brown site something called "Skyloft" that is touted as a replacement for silk span. Does anyone have any experiance with it? If so what did you think? I am always looking for new stuff to try. Thanks!

Pat

[Kermit Payne]

Pat,

I have been using Skyloft for about 30 years.  Held up to the light it looks like spun nylon, is as light as silkspan, and tougher than nails.  It is virtually untearable (well, if you try hard enough you can tear anything but this stuff is tough.)  I apply and finish it the same way as silkspan, too.

Hope this helps!

Kermit

[Pat]

Thank you Kermit!

 I believe I will give some a try.

Pat

[Bart Klapinski]

Does any one know what Skyloft is actually made of?

                                 Tempest

[Paul Taylor]

How does it apply?
Same as Silkspan?

[Steve Helmick]

Does any one know what Skyloft is actually made of?

                                 Tempest

I've not used Skyloft, but know some folks who have, and liked it. The following is copied/pasted from the Dave Brown Products website. Since it's nylon, I would expect it would not absorb water, so you wouldn't "cover wet", and like PolySpan, you wouldn't want to sand into the fabric, lest you get some sort of "fuzzies".

"Skyloft is a revolutionary covering material to replace silk and silk-span. It is light, tough and unaffected by common solvents or finishing materials. Skyloft is a continuous filament spun bonded nylon. It has been specially treated to fill completely with just a few coats of dope. (3ft. x 9ft.)"    Steve

[Phil Spillman]

My newest Ringmaster was finished in 1992 using Skyloft! Put it on wet just like silk and doped through the fabrick.Over the ensuing years it has been torn, punctured, abused and still survives! Not as pretty as was in '92 but still strong and durable! I had the most trouble getting it to go around the wing's tips because I didn't slit it and overlap to get it to lay down. It went down eventually and in addition needed high shrink dope to tighten up.

Plane and its covering is still in service!

[Mike Keville]

Sounds like some of that material I used many years ago on the wing of a Starduster 600 Free Flight.  Very tough, yet a bit heavier than silkspan.  Worked okay though, since the 'duster maxed-out at Elsinore on a couple of occasions (OS .20 power).

[Pat]

I have already used  some stuff called "interfacing" from the local "JoAnne fabrics" store, which has the same weave as silk span, but is polyester so you can heat shrink it. Always on the look out for new stuff to try and use..

[Kermit Payne]

My experience with it has been to apply wet and it will shrink a little.  Apparently, there is more to it than just nylon.  I echo Phil Spillman's comments about wing tips and compound curves in general, although due to its strength you can tug at it much more than silkspan and it won't tear.  Just be careful not to "cover in" misalignments or warps

[Jim Kraft]

I used it a long time ago when it was being sold by Southern R/C Products. What I remember is that it is heat shrinkable and shrinks a lot. It is very tough but will warp structures very easily. Go very easy with the heat as this stuff shrinks more than anything I have ever used.

Now that I think about it I think it was a product called Fabricoat that was the hight shrink stuff. Not sure if Skyloft is even heat shrinkable.

[Mike Griffin]

I am going to try a little and see how it does.

Mike

[Mike Lauerman]

Mike, this may be one of the most important threads for us 'stubborn coverers' ever.
Recall the flurry we were in when we found the 'real silkspan' was mfd. by the tea bag mfrs...

That resulted in a dead end, I wasn't really frantic, but severely disappointed.
I had discovered Esaki silk, so stocked up on some. Nice stuff, but "IT AIN'T SILKSPAN!"

I just now ordered a package of this new Skyloft. I'll try it out with Nitrate and Butyrate both.
Floyd showed me a caution about extreme shrink with Butyrate, on silk...now I am much more cautious.

Skyloft seems to be the best of both worlds.
Another GREAT thread! Thanks, guys.

[Pat]

Mike,

 Please let me know how you find it to work with. I have a project coming up that I am thinking about using it on.

Pat Maset

[Mike Griffin]

My order of Skyloft came in today from Tower.  I am making some test frames so I will let you guys know how it comes out.

Mike

[Jim Scott]

I covered a Buzzard Bombshell with Skyloft in 1983.  I no longer remember if I heat shrunk it; I probably just followed whatever the instructions said.  It was finished with nitrate dope and (probably) a coat of clear Hobbypoxy.  The wing tips overshrunk and warped immediately.  Over the years it has held up extremely well.  The tips remain in the warped condition they were from the beginning.  It does puncture fairly easily now, possibly from the nitrate.

Jim