Building Tips and technical articles. > Paint and finishing

Monokote versus silk finishing

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Christian Patrickson:
Hi,

I am Chilean and been away from control line for many, many years..... In fact, I have been (and still am) an rc glider guy. Now, I would like to try (aerobatic) control line flying.... as soon as I have some time. I have been buying some kits (electro P40 and electro Tercel from RSM Distribution, Jetco Shark (ebay)) and am a little doubtful about the finishing method. On one side, I would really like to try the traditional dope and paint finish..... on the other side, I think I should go for the more economical Monokote finish.... particularly considering that most likely (or "surely") I will crash the model regardless of my very best efforts.

Question: Is the traditional silkspan + paint finish covering stronger and more resilient (ie. to punctures) than Monokote? Certainly Monokote is much more practical and probably "the way to go" at the beginning. However, at some point I do want to try the traditional silk and dope finish. I do have top-notch painting equipment and I do want to use it. Besides, I have the impression that painting the model allows for a much nicer finish than Monokote.

Sorry if this topic has already been raised by the other forum members….. If so, please just point me to the right thread.

Thanks!!

PS: Does anybody knows when RSM Distribution will come back? I am considering building a Thunder Gazer or Trivial Pursuit model (electro). Eric used to sell these kits and I do not know if he will coming back….. As a glider guy, I would prefer a take apart model like the Thunder Gazer.

Rgds.,

Christian Patrickson

fred cesquim:
Hello my south american friend Christian!
you should give monokote a try for more reasons than the "economical and practical" ones.
I have been developing a f2b finish with monokote for about 10 + years and advocating the use. Most of brazilians modellers cringe when heard about using monokote until they see the results in person.
You can monokote wings and tail, paint the fuselage and trim over the monokote base and have a great looking model, as seems you have the facilities and knowleadge to do so.
The silk method although puncture resistance have a lot of drawbacks: weight a lot more, takes a lot more time to finish, itīs prone to twist wings and tends to develop cracks on the finish.
monokote itīs just a one step finish process, absolutely light, moderately puncture resistance (never happen to me) and easy to patch.
my finishing process is to apply carbon veyl with dope to the fuselage (or silkspan), color base monokote on wings and tail.
then sand the monokote with 1200 grit wet paper, 2 part primer on fuselage. Follow painting the same color base on the fuselage overlapping 1/2" over the monokote edge. Trim color applyed on the fuse and over monokote. Ink lines and 2 part clear coat.
some of my planes done that way have about 12-15 years of active flying and still look the same!
give a try, you wonīt regret.
saludos desde Brazil

Dennis Toth:
Christian,
I agree with Fred. Start with the MonoKote at least on the wing and tail. Build the wing with some extra stiffening gussets similar to your glider wings. I like to apply one coat of Balsarite for Film to the smoothly sanded wood to get solid adhesion. I also use an iron and covering glove (https://brodak.com/covering-glove.html ) to smooth and press the covering to the wood as I go. There are lots of YouTube videos on tips for film covering. One thing, once you sand the wood surface smooth and clean off the dust then go over it with a tac rag before applying the Balsarite for Film. After that dries give the whole thing another wipe down with the tac rag and apply the film.

If you want to do silk and dope there is a section in the pinned section about doing silk. I have done this also and one thing is not to do a clear finish on silk as the clear finish does not give the silk UV protection and after a few years the UV causes the silk to loose strength and rip easily. If you look on YouTube for the Using Brodak Dope series, Windy goes through all the steps. The silver block coat protests the silk from UV and also allows a smooth base for color.

Best,   DennisT

Ken Culbertson:
Cannot agree more.  MonoKote on the flying surfaces is no different than a built up dope finish base.  Sand it lightly with 1000 and it will take any paint just like dope.  Solid trim is a snap using Windex to apply it and most automotive paint stores can match the monokote colors perfectly.  Seams can be blended by light sanding and clear coat.

I do my fuselages too but that is for a different reason, and they do not rise to the beauty of a painted finish up close by a wide margin.  Concave curves like fillets are difficult.  The trick is to do them separately with strips.  The seams disappear under the clear.

Ken

I have had my best results using Balsarite of ModPodge under the monokote on fuselages and bare wood on the wings.
 It must be totally dust free and sanded smooth before applying.  I use an air gun with a glove and sealing iron to do my work. I don't do well with the big iron.

Christian Patrickson:
Hi,

Thank you all very much for your comments and advices. I think I will do as you suggest... I do like aerobatics very much..... but I am aware that flying an advanced U Control stunter after more than 30 years of not flying U Control (I never surpassed the most basic profile Midwest 049 glow powered models I flew with my dad when I was a kid....) will most likely imply several crashes..... But... anyway... I always admired the looks of U Control stunters. They just look so dam cool.... And some people who build them are just artists..... That is why at some point, I would like to build at least one of these models...

Talking about models, does anyone know if RSM will come back in business.... I would like to buy a Thunder Gazer kit or a Trivial Pursuit kit with the corresponding high end electric power plant. I already contacted Rogerio from Brazil. He gave me the following advice: "The ideal power train is a BadAss 3515-710kV engine - ESC Castle Talon 60 - 3-blade 12x5 propeller (Igor or Pavlo) 5 or 6S Thunder Power 2800mA battery and active timer." Does anyone know where to buy these items??? I mean, in case there is someone who can sell the complete package.... I know I can probably google, find and buy these items one by one.....

Thanks again!!!

Rgds.

Christian A. Patrickson

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