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| Construction Ideas, Hints and Tips For all the builders out there. Ask questions, make suggestions, trade tips. |
Topic Review (Newest First)
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| 06-01-2016 07:14 PM | |
| cicopo |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover Thanks. I think I've got a pretty good idea on how to do it now but have a couple of other ideas to try that may speed it up a bit & reduce some of the potential mess. For right now I'm bogged down editing photos from Huckin in the Valley & need to get that done before this Sat's event. |
| 05-28-2016 11:19 PM | |
| Trumpetman |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover Dave Platt's method is to scrape off as much of the resin (he recommends Z-Poxy) as you can with a credit card. I've never tried the toilet paper roll approach but I'll bet that works well. When the first coat of resin has set you give a very light sanding and then flow on a light coat of resin which pretty much fills the weave. Another very light sanding and some primer and you have a great surface to apply all of the details: panel lines, rivets etc Sounds like your first shot at this process turned out great. |
| 05-27-2016 06:38 PM | |
| cicopo |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover This morning I took the plunge into my first glassing job to a model. I used the bomb bay door & the cloth I have on hand, Z-Pozy Finishing Resin, a small roller designed for laying up fiberglass matting in the boat / car repair industry but I covered it with 2 layers of shrink tubing to re purpose how it worked. Dribbled the resin on, rolled it out, squeeged it with a credit card style tool, & used pieces of toilet paper (which I've been collecting as rolls end) to blot up the excess which went surprisingly well. It's not a big piece but I'll do the control surfaces, stab & fins etc before getting into doing the wings. The weave isn't filled but a layer of primer or maybe 2 will complete that job. i'll experiment with a few of the different automotive primers I have on hand but suspect I'll end up using an epoxy based primer. |
| 05-24-2016 11:34 PM | |
| pep |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover You should have a look at the Wing West products, nice stuff to work with. Kevin is a super nice guy to deal with. Phil |
| 05-24-2016 08:36 PM | |
| cicopo |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover I have 1/2 oz or 3/4 oz on hand plus a Z Poxy kit & will be trying it on the bomb bay door very soon to see how it goes. I have a piece of glass cloth that's just about the right size left from other uses so it's the test piece now. . |
| 05-24-2016 08:23 PM | |
| mwavesdave |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover I've always removed excess with the tops from cigarette packs, nice rounded edges, no scratches, toss as they get resin soaked. 1/2 oz cloth, but prefer Z-Poxy finishing resin, no thinning required, and if done carefully, a very light sanding after one coat, and prime. Leeann did her TF Cessna 182 this way, her first fibreglassing effort, no fill, a coat of primer, sanded 90% of that off, second light coat, then colour. Came out very nice, and very light. As Mike mentioned, ding resistance is the main benefit with 1/2 oz cloth and resin, and a great base for paint. |
| 05-22-2016 03:53 PM | |
| cicopo |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover You have a very good point about needing to re shrink it from time to time. That said I have 3 models done with Solartex and 2 are Buzzard bombshells which I wanted to look old school. One is about 80% the other the full size the plans call for & the smaller one was built about 4 years ago. Just after covering it I had mixed up a bit too much clear coat for a car I was painting so I decided to spray that model to see how it looked knowing it would be easier to keep clean. Now it hasn't seen much use nor much sun but it's still perfect as far as the covering being tight. The other one was finished 2 years ago & has several wrinkles that need re shrinking. Nothing scientific about that & the clear is no longer available so I couldn't use it to fill the weave if I wanted to & haven't checked just how well 1 coat did. The clear coat was a Dupont Premium product that no longer meets the low VOC rules that became mandatory a few years ago. |
| 05-21-2016 09:08 PM | |
| cessna180 |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover In my opinion I would not use Solartex to cover sheeted structure and then paint it. It does not adhere all that well even when using (dulux cover grip) which I think is best. There are always some areas that need re-ironing or re sticking.I would use a system like glass or dope and dacron or dope and silk. Using this method the fabric will never release from the structure. Michael |
| 05-21-2016 07:20 PM | |
| cicopo |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover Thank you. I've read about the idea to suck the excess off but not in such a tidy (& easy) way like that. |
| 05-21-2016 07:15 PM | |
| RAMJET |
Re: Thoughts on using Solortex rather than fiberglass to cover 1/2 oz glass cloth /west system epoxy mixed down with 50% alcohol , apply the glass and epoxy but before letting it dry take a roll of paper towel and roll it over the wing to draw out the excess epoxy. as the paper towel gets wet keep removing outer sheets until you can no longer remove the excess epoxy. this will also pull the glass tightly to the wood giving a nice uniform finish |
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