If you are using white tissue and clear film, you can cut decorations out of colored tissue and stick it to your tissue before film. I would use a very light spray of adhesive (3M makes a good spray adhesive for this) on the back. Just enough to keep it in place while film covering. The free flight guys used to do all their decorating with tissue cutouts.

Make a sandwich (from the bottom) of wax paper, colored tissue, another layer of wax paper and your artwork on top. Tape it down well to prevent slippage. Use a brand new blade to prevent tearing.

Toshi Matsuda was a master at this. Sadly, they didn’t have polyspan and mylar, so it needed multiple coats of dope to get a gloss finish. His models were a work of art and, flying, beat the socks off his  competitors. I have seen his Zero do a five minute max in early morning dead air. Of course engine runs were longer then.

I think he also got factory selected Holland Hornets. The good ones were as good as the best TeeDees.  There just wasn't the consistency Cox achieved.

Also Hollands seemed to have fragile crankshafts if you ran high nitro and small props. But of course, who would do that?

Sadly, mine landed in a cornfield and I never saw it again. Sal Taibi Starduster high thrust design and never had a better free flight. VTO launch, pure vertical climb, quick roll into glide. Probably couldn't make a new one do that.

🤠

Remember not to seal the open areas of the silk span.   

I am not sure if Phil is still selling his material.  I recently saw this source of very thin .6mil doculam material.  https://jhaerospace.com/product/0-6-mil-doculam-16um-6ft-roll/

Also a link to video on applying tissue on top of doculam, which is backwards from Larry's methods.  Cool to see additional methods in use.  This channel has some interesting stuff to watch.

The one thing I would do that he doesn't address on the video is that I like to put several pin holes in each rib and at the wing tip edge.  If you don't when the sun hits it it will balloon up on you.  If you look at some of my planes in which I put the tissue or silk span down first is that once the doculam is applied it looks like a dope finish,.

Phil Cartier's wife is sitting on a large amount of SLC that she would like to unload. He had just purchased a huge amount prior to falling ill. If at all possible it would be great if an individual/contingent could take this off her hands as she could use the money for his care.

Tom

   If anything happens toward that end, I would order at least a 100 ft roll. I assume that he can't take orders for it himself at this time? I would hate to bother him or his wife if he's that sick.
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

I just discovered this thread. I have a few questions.
Are you guys buying the gloss ModPodge or the matte ModPodge?
Do you thin it down before applying it on the plane?
Does ModPodge have a strong odor like paint?
Has anyone tried using thinned-down white glue (instead of the ModPodge), letting it dry, and then using a heat iron to "activate" the white glue to stick the silkspan or polyspan to the plane? I have not tried this but I saw a picture of a wing done like this and it turned out great.

Just asking questions and buying supplies at this point. Thanks.

I used the gloss ModPodge, straight from the bottle. I found that one coat didn't adhere as well as I wanted it to, So I used two coats. Very low odor. Excellent results.

I have been using two coats for the same reason.  I may have not let it dry long enough before sanding.  When I MonoKoted it bubbled up (the ModPodge) in spots when used the heatgun.  Too much heat.  Looked like toad skin. I was able to slowly iron out the bubbles with lower heat but you can't match the smoothness of the heat gun with an iron, at least I can't!

Ken
 

Has anyone following this thread used Doculam over Polyspan on a full-sized PA.  I am planning just that, and I want to know any downside that I may face.  I was impressed with the tests on three removable parts of the plane, especially with its ability to take Rustoleum spray and sanding.  What most concerns me is the Texas Sun.  Will having a layer of Doculam in the middle of the finish cause problems.  Putting it under the Polyspan is pointless for saving weight.  The film is like 4 coats of dope for the weight of one.  Has anybody tried it with a sandable primer?

Ken

Thanks Ara, I have had some silkspan/dope finishes separate in those conditions.  It looks like the Doculam over the silkspan held though and that is my major concern.

ken