Plastic/Vinyl letters

So if you cover your glider with self adhesive vinyl
sheeting, the gel coat will last for ever!

When we refinished a Nimbus 2 I used to have a share
in, it was also found that the gel coat was still perfect
under the red conspicuity markings painted on the wingtips.


Derek Copeland

At 16:06 12 February 2006, wrote:

If you've ever removed painted-on contest numbers from
an older
gel-coated glider to find a perfect surface below (instead
of the
crazing surrounding it), you'll know what I mean. I
suspect the decals
protect paint from oxidation, weathering, and fading
just as they do
gel coat.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 'JB'

So, I wonder what a manufacturer would charge a customer to take a
finished glider and cover it entirely with white (or any other color)
Monokote?

http://www.monokote.com/



Derek Copeland wrote:
So if you cover your glider with self adhesive vinyl
sheeting, the gel coat will last for ever!

When we refinished a Nimbus 2 I used to have a share
in, it was also found that the gel coat was still perfect
under the red conspicuity markings painted on the wingtips.


Derek Copeland

At 16:06 12 February 2006, wrote:

If you've ever removed painted-on contest numbers from
an older
gel-coated glider to find a perfect surface below (instead
of the
crazing surrounding it), you'll know what I mean. I
suspect the decals
protect paint from oxidation, weathering, and fading
just as they do
gel coat.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 'JB'

Just in case your comment was not tongue-in-cheek:
Monokote is a filament used to cover model airplanes.
You couldn't cover a wing with it because the overlap
of the panels would alter the airfoil.

The best answer might just be a thin coat of white
epoxy enamel paint made for automobiles. I have a
Discus that had the gel removed completely and was
painted in this way. Painting on top of the gelcoat
would certainly add to the weight and make it tail
heavy.

YMMV, WISIWIG, MTFTD (My thought for the day, and all
that, and all that)

At 21:01 13 February 2006, Mark Zivley wrote:
So, I wonder what a manufacturer would charge a customer
to take a
finished glider and cover it entirely with white (or
any other color)
Monokote?

http://www.monokote.com/



Derek Copeland wrote:
So if you cover your glider with self adhesive vinyl
sheeting, the gel coat will last for ever!

When we refinished a Nimbus 2 I used to have a share
in, it was also found that the gel coat was still
perfect
under the red conspicuity markings painted on the
wingtips.


Derek Copeland

At 16:06 12 February 2006, wrote:

If you've ever removed painted-on contest numbers from
an older
gel-coated glider to find a perfect surface below (instead
of the
crazing surrounding it), you'll know what I mean. I
suspect the decals
protect paint from oxidation, weathering, and fading
just as they do
gel coat.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 'JB'

Monokote is just the model airplane brand of a heat shrinkable plastic film
which is probably avialable in widths and thicknesses that are big enough
for glider wings. I've wondered if somethng like this woldn't make an
inexpensive refinish process.

bildan

"Nyal Williams" wrote in message
...
Just in case your comment was not tongue-in-cheek:
Monokote is a filament used to cover model airplanes.
You couldn't cover a wing with it because the overlap
of the panels would alter the airfoil.

The best answer might just be a thin coat of white
epoxy enamel paint made for automobiles. I have a
Discus that had the gel removed completely and was
painted in this way. Painting on top of the gelcoat
would certainly add to the weight and make it tail
heavy.

YMMV, WISIWIG, MTFTD (My thought for the day, and all
that, and all that)

At 21:01 13 February 2006, Mark Zivley wrote:
So, I wonder what a manufacturer would charge a customer
to take a
finished glider and cover it entirely with white (or
any other color)
Monokote?

http://www.monokote.com/



Derek Copeland wrote:
So if you cover your glider with self adhesive vinyl
sheeting, the gel coat will last for ever!

When we refinished a Nimbus 2 I used to have a share
in, it was also found that the gel coat was still
perfect
under the red conspicuity markings painted on the
wingtips.


Derek Copeland

At 16:06 12 February 2006, wrote:

If you've ever removed painted-on contest numbers from
an older
gel-coated glider to find a perfect surface below (instead
of the
crazing surrounding it), you'll know what I mean. I
suspect the decals
protect paint from oxidation, weathering, and fading
just as they do
gel coat.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 'JB'

The automotive refinish industry has looked at this option. About the
only thing keeping us from using it is public acceptance. We don't
like to buy "new" things.

BTW boat shrink wrap comes in a few colors and is plenty large enough
to cover a wing, or a whole glider. Heat set adhesives are available
to turn it into a heavy duty version of Monokote. Several ultralights
have used similar covering materials and methods, Tedlar on the
original Lazair being the most notable. I have tested the shrink wrap
method on some ulatalight control surfaces and am satisfied enough that
it is a viable method, below 80 knots or so, that I may try it as a
replacement for the 1.7 oz Dacron the next time I cover an
experimental.
==============
Leon McAtee

Bill,
I would be very difficult to apply this kind of finish on a larger scale.
You would need a clean room not unlike a chip manufacturer.
The smallest dust particle, if trapped, magnifies the imperfection.
It is difficult enough to do it on a smaller scale.
Regards
Udo

Monokote is just the model airplane brand of a heat shrinkable plastic
film which is probably avialable in widths and thicknesses that are big
enough for glider wings. I've wondered if somethng like this woldn't make
an inexpensive refinish process.

bildan

Yes, but you wouldn't need it for long.

bildan

"Udo Rumpf" wrote in message
. ..
Bill,
I would be very difficult to apply this kind of finish on a larger scale.
You would need a clean room not unlike a chip manufacturer.
The smallest dust particle, if trapped, magnifies the imperfection.
It is difficult enough to do it on a smaller scale.
Regards
Udo

Monokote is just the model airplane brand of a heat shrinkable plastic
film which is probably avialable in widths and thicknesses that are big
enough for glider wings. I've wondered if somethng like this woldn't
make an inexpensive refinish process.

bildan

If you do find a bump under the film you could always cut out that one
little area and put a small patch over it.

Udo Rumpf wrote:
Bill,
I would be very difficult to apply this kind of finish on a larger scale.
You would need a clean room not unlike a chip manufacturer.
The smallest dust particle, if trapped, magnifies the imperfection.
It is difficult enough to do it on a smaller scale.
Regards
Udo

Monokote is just the model airplane brand of a heat shrinkable plastic
film which is probably avialable in widths and thicknesses that are
big enough for glider wings. I've wondered if somethng like this
woldn't make an inexpensive refinish process.

bildan

Yes, but you wouldn't need it for long.

And it wouldn't need to be as - clean - as implied. Any modern paint
booth is good enough. Even my 30 year old one works well enough. I
don't buff paint jobs. In fact the buffer hasn't been out of it's box
in years. Automobile manufactures turn out fairly good paint jobs.
Other than much better prep work their booths aren't all that much
better than the good refinish industry booths. The only advantage of
paint over plastic film is that the paint defects can be sanded and
buffed to be cosmetically acceptable. If you can do a cosmetically
acceptable traditional paint job with out the need for rework then the
same is possible for plastic film. But who knows what future
technology might bring. It may be possible to sand and buff plastic
film as well?

Most of the finish contamination comes from the article your
refinishing, not the surrounding area. Properly cleaned and sealed
this isn't a huge problem, and a glider is far easier to clean/mask
than a road vehicle. They are generally cleaner to start with as well.

Other benefits of plastic film over paint:

If you need to rework a plastic film it's far easier to remove than
paint.
Less toxic materials
Less flammable working environment
Less environmental impact - far fewer VOC's and heavy metals
Material is recyclable - try that with paint :-)
Plastic film is probably lighter for a given mil thickness as well
Applicator skill required is less.
Fewer tools needed
=====================
Leon McAtee
Painting my Duster with PPG - no plastic film

Monocote is extremely difficult to put on sheeted surfaces and get a
finish that resembles paint. I have used Econocote (similar, but
thinner than Monocote and requires less heat to activate the adhesive
and shrink the film) to cover many scale R/C gliders with wood sheeted
wings. Wrinkles and bubbles are a problem, plus you can always see the
grain of the wood. The amount of heat required for Monocote is more
than Econocote needs, and will definately melt/delaminate a foam
core/sheeted wing. Then, changes in temperature can make it bubble.
These coverings are good for open bay structures and add strength to
them. Considering the labor involved in an iron on covering vs. paint,
the paint will look nicer longer.
I have been looking at removable paints for contest IDs and found
this - http://www.mobile-colors.com/autohome.asp Alcohol based and
no bleeding or staining (so they claim-will test myself next week).
I've always used "Lift Off 2" for getting adhesive residue off of
gelcoat with great results on composite model, with both foam and balsa
core layups. I believe the problem with using solvents lies in the
foam used. Styrofoam is the worst, but is not used in female
mould/hollow construction by anyone in the model industry.
Bill