More stuff for users of film...

As no one retched over the thread on poking holes in MonoKote for finishing adjustable leadout guides, here's another one. Even though I must admit to being stupid about it in years past and so exposing my sterling reputation to considerable damage.

Like a lot of you I have always covered the model with a base layer of film, adding stripes and stuff the second time through. Poster board has served a lot of us well in that one can buy it in colors at least approximating most colors offered in MonoKote and it is easy to lay out features intended to tart up your model, cut them out with sharp knife in order to create a pattern.

Once happy with the "decorations," (Rush terminology) the patterns were then placed over a big hunk of film, a new N.11 used to carve around the pattern.

Stupid, so stupid!

To back up a bit, none of my finishes are very involved. For example, I would never besmirch the memory of von Dutch by attempting to do a flame job with film. And I kinda like trim-and-stuff which can actually be seen with model in flight as opposed to a whole bunch of squiggly little lines and patterns. Anything even approaching the appearance of panel lines is viewed as just plain dumb.

So if one were to come by my shop it is pretty easy to see where trim features came from: Three or four different straight edges, a shelf of paint cans and a couple fr**ch curves. All of these pieces are used by placing them upon poster board and cutting around them. Simple and easy.

The stupid part came in abandoning items above once a master pattern had been created. Because one can *never* use this pattern to prefectly cut out every single piece of trim. Not a big deal if it is something small, but I tend to like one-piece stripes which extend from fuselage to wing tip and may even have a 90-degree bend in them, stripe extending to trailing edge of wing. Just a couple slips of the knife can render large sheets of film useless.

In trimming the Skyray 20 I finally realized that the hot tip was lay film on a large table and then to use the master pattern in determining the location of, in my case, four identical stripes, two left, two right.

**Outlining each stripe with a quick run-around using a Sharpie "permanent" marker.**

(These are not actually permanent when used on MonoKote; clean with methanol or acetone.)

With four stripes thus outlined it is a simple, repeatable, nearly goof-proof deal to use the **same tools, templates, curves and paint cans used in creating poster board master** to make the cuts on our sheet of film.

Unlike past experiences, this time not a single shred of film was wasted. Plus I am going to have the coolest red-white-and-blue SIG Skyray 20 on the planet...

Scotch now makes a tape that is basically 2-sided post-it-note adhesive. You might find a couple of patches of this stuff on your patterns will make life even easier!

You,ve got to be a real "Gomer"to botch up a Monokote job!!--Jethro

Where are you coming from? Perfect Monokote jobs are a real rarity!! Yes, they all shine, but VERY, VERY few are totally wrinkle free, and stay that way through all kinds of weather. Then, getting the deco on without bubbles is a challenge in itself.

I have had the pleasure of seeing several of Fay Stilley's models at the Toledo show, and ALL else pales by comparison. He could get a 21 point finish at the Nats.

Faye's books from Model Airplane News tell how it is done, I have used his techinques, and they work. The key is that these are NOT shink films, they are Stretch-on films. Shrinking is the final techinque to save what you couldn't get by stretching. Read the books, grasshopper, and learn!

>I have had the pleasure of seeing several of Fay Stilley's
>models at the Toledo show, and ALL else pales by comparison.
> He could get a 21 point finish at the Nats.
>
>Faye's books from Model Airplane News tell how it is done, I
>have used his techinques, and they work. The key is that
>these are NOT shink films, they are Stretch-on films.
>Shrinking is the final techinque to save what you couldn't
>get by stretching. Read the books, grasshopper, and learn!

OK, Mr. Stilley's covering techniques work to make a nice looking plane...but what about structural strength? The ONE thing that dismissed his techniques to me was the fact that he recommended to NOT seal/iron-on the film to the entire structure rather to simply wrap it and seal the seam. Pardon me but a significant amount of a wings strength comes from the covering and I would imagine the same applies to other parts of the plane, too.

Eugene S. Chernosky
AMA 639635

Ok Ok your right!! A stellar points award winning MonoKote job as to control line standards is pretty rare indeed. But for the average shmoe like me who fly,s for fun with nuthin fancy, I find films like monokote are very easy to work with, and to get a decent wrinkle free finish,- with only an iron!!-- Paul

I will note here that Dan does some truly beautiful finishes with Monokote. I've even heard a local notable asking Dan what sort of "paint" he used.

Remarkable.

I am going to have the coolest
>red-white-and-blue SIG Skyray 20 on the planet...
>
>Dan

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Sorta like havin'the coolest grey Volvo Station Wagon.

Ron B.

P.S.:Agree on everything else.

LAST EDITED ON May-04-04 AT 06:54 PM (CDT)
 
>Scotch now makes a tape that is basically 2-sided post-it-note adhesive. You might find a couple of patches of this stuff on your patterns will make life even easier!
>Larry Renger
>think S.M.A.L.L.

Larry,

I may not have been clear. The problem is not patterns shifting around, there are many ways--including your suggestion--to keep them in place.

My problem instead is in trying to run a sharp knife blade up against a paper pattern without going inside or outside the desired line. But using a metal guide, whether a long straight edge or the bottom of a quart paint can is in fact something I can do without screwing up acres of MonoKote.

I am going to have the coolest
>red-white-and-blue SIG Skyray 20 on the planet...
>
>Dan
Ron B.
F4Fguy

Sorta like havin'the coolest grey Volvo Station Wagon.

Ron B.

P.S.:Agree on everything else.

Ron,

Good point, one I had not considered. Still, the model has been flown recently and I think it's pretty neat.

Yeah, your right Dan, I use patterns. But seldom do I have the throw away problem. Once I have the pattern cut out of poster board. I CA the edges so they are hard. Then I sandpaper the edges to my liking. I then take the pattern and tape it down on the monocoat with double sided tape which is already taped to a flat surface or table and cut around it. On the straight patterns of which you speak. I do the same as you with out patterns using only straight edges etc..

Have you tried folding your monocoat accordian-wise so as to cut all four identical stripes at once, producing two pieces for the upper and two pieces for the lower?

>Have you tried folding your monocoat accordian-wise so as to
>cut all four identical stripes at once, producing two pieces
>for the upper and two pieces for the lower?
>
>Jim

No. While I can readily see how this would work well in some applications, most of the stripes I am cutting are nearly 1/2 span in length, a 90-degree bend and then a tail running to TE of wing. As I refuse to make these in two pieces it is easy to see how much film would be required for above technique.

On the other hand, using a single pattern to layout a series of stripes does allow for maximum use of material.

I refinished my old Belfrey Bound before VSC this year and I cut all of the pieces with the templates that I tape to the MonoKote with Scotch Tape when you cut out your stripe you also cut all of the tape. I used the first time and it came out as good as the first time. I only over lap the colors on the wing about 3/4 of an inch and on solid wood 1/4 inch. I lay up wing panels on a sheet of glass, I get out all of the air bubbles and then I iron them together then I cover the bottom first and then the top. I also make all of my lettering out of MonoKote so it matches. The first one is the old covering and the second one is the new covering.

Carl,
How is the lettering cut?

This is just too cool to be relegated to the back burner.

And I'm not so sure everybody here gets it. Carl is assembling a multi-piece sheet of MonoKote from at least two different colors and then covering the *entire* upper and lower surfaces with *one* piece of assembled film.

While it's not clear to me--and while writing this I can't double back and check--it appears as if his pre-covering work includes the graphics.

I have known of this technique for years, even used it once on an all-wood RC Pattern model. Never again have I had the courage to try it, even though my single attempt turned out fine. I am not so sure this trick would be tried on one of my CL Stunt models; too many ways to screw it up royally.

Carl, my man! I am **very** impressed, bowing to you in my most sincere "I am not worthy," fashion.

>I refinished my old Belfrey Bound before VSC this year and I
>cut all of the pieces with the templates that I tape to the
>MonoKote with Scotch Tape when you cut out your stripe you
>also cut all of the tape. I used the first time and it came
>out as good as the first time. I only over lap the colors on
>the wing about 3/4 of an inch and on solid wood 1/4 inch. I
>lay up wing panels on a sheet of glass, I get out all of the
>air bubbles and then I iron them together then I cover the
>bottom first and then the top. I also make all of my
>lettering out of MonoKote so it matches. The first one is
>the old covering and the second one is the new covering.

by any act, error, or omission, I have, intentionally or
unintentionally, displayed any breedist, disciplinist, sexist, racist,
culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, localist, ageist, lookist, ableist,
sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist,
phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other violation of the rules of
political correctness, known or unknown, I am not sorry and I encourage you
to get over it.

The technique that was used here was first described by Dan Santich in MAN in the 80's when he was editor. Shame that MAN is such a completely useless magazine anymore.
Used to see Dan S at the giant Scale meets and he did nice work.
Dennis

Dan, Thanks for the the complement. I add the lettering after it is covered. A few years back I made a video of how I cut the MonoKote lettering if any one is interested I will post the details in the right forum.

Yo! (and I'm not even from Philly)

Many moons ago I tried a 2 color MonoKote scheme on an open bay wing. I overlapped the seams about ¼", sealed it up with a trim iron then applied the covering to the panel.

Naturally, I hit it with the heat gun and the seam pulled apart and then shrunk to a wrinkled mess.

If you've looked closely at the TF Flite Streak ARF I believe this is how it's done.

>Dan, Thanks for the the complement.

>I add the lettering after it is covered. A few years back I made a video of how I cut the MonoKote lettering if any one is interested I will post the details in the right forum.
>Carl

Carl,

Hmmm, not much response. However, I am certainly interested in knowing how you are cutting MonoKote lettering, as it is hard to believe we can't learn from someone who does such beautiful...never mind, I already sucked up to you once, way over my yearly quota.

Put it in this forum.

Thanks,

I'm interested in how you created your letters, as I'm about to do it for the first time and would like it to work half as good.

I simply print whatever I want from a computer, enlarge at a commercial copier place.

Beginning with a fairly solid surface, layer one sheet of paper poster board, MonoKote (regular, I do not like the "trim" stuff; too thick), art work. All layers best taped securely in place. Remove backing from MonoKote prior to taping in place.

Run a sharp knife around images. Remove, apply to model. Iron in place.

Details: I generally use "Brush Script" font, as there are few pointy ends to come loose later. The #11 blades of today are clearly coming from the low bidder. Toss them frequently, as in use one fresh blade per letter, or learn to sharpen the things (too much trouble, although I am open to suggestions/techniques). Using an extra copy of art work, position sheet on covered surface. Tape in place. Poke jillions of holes through art work and underlying film. I like to go for 1/4" or less spacing on these holes, will run 'em out to within 1/8" of border. Remove paper. Pretty clear where all the letters and numbers should be applied. Where there is a pointy end that will sooner or late come loose, giving your model that fragged look, nail it down with a small piece of clear MonoKote. I cut strips 1/8" to 3/16" wide. Length as required. Cutting to length will leave square corners. Remove with nail clipper. Iron in place. When you realize that in all the screwing around, dropping the little 1/8" x 1/4" piece on the floor a couple times, you've now got the adhesive side up, think kindly of me and do your work over again.

Dan try "Excel" blades. They are made out in New Jersey someplace. Actually I remember Bob "Bear" Bearden telling me that he bought blades from the same manufacturer that made them for Exacto and he was told they bought the cheapest ones made. Excel's logo is " the difference is the edge" most certainly true!

>Dan try "Excel" blades. They are made out in New Jersey
>someplace. Actually I remember Bob "Bear" Bearden telling
>me that he bought blades from the same manufacturer that
>made them for Exacto and he was told they bought the
>cheapest ones made. Excel's logo is " the difference is the
>edge" most certainly true!

Steve,

I have received that advice before and should probably act on it. But the 100-pack pieces from Tower or Central Hobbies are so cheap, and effective, albeit for only a very short period of time, that I keep putting it off. And having just recently ordered 20FP parts, the slick chick bumped me up to the $200.00 level, with resulting $20.00 discount, with stuff on special pricing. Yes, including *two* 100-each packs.

In any case, my method involves cutting not only blade-dulling plastic film, but the underlying art board as well. Few blades will stand up that sort of treatment.

Ya know, I've still got a bunch of Uber Skiver handles from back in my Model Builder days. I wonder if the blades are still available? They were *by far* the best for work with MonoKote.

I have recently looked at Carl Shoup's video detailing how he adds film-based numbers, letters and trim to his MonoKote finishes.

It's really excellent, and there is a product review over in that section of this web site.

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Dan:

This is what happens when you don't do it right!