Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / February 2004

You need to use a cutting board and rotary (OLFA) cutter as the dressmakers
use.  You can purchase at a crafts store or dressmaker store.  If you are
going to do a lot of covering this way, get the 24 " plastic ruler as well.
For trimming once it is in place, buy an OLFA box cutter and get a pack of
the LBB blades.  They are blue colour rather than silver and are, by far,
the sharpest blade I have every used incl. #11 blades.  A couple more tips:
Let's say you are covering the horizontal stab. Cut the material a little
oversized.  Iron it flat to one side of the stab.  Now take a piece of
spruce as long as the stab length and about 3/8" square.  Lay this flush
along the edges of the stab and use it as a guide to run your rotary cutter
along.  This will give you exactly the length (flap) of material you need to
fold over and iron down.  So far, no pulls, tears or loose threads.  Now for
the final trick.  As you use your iron to stick this flap, use a rolling
motion over and around the stab edge.  If you use the customary iron down
sliding movement of the iron, you will pull all kinds of threads off.  Using
Koverall with iron on adhesives is not the easiest thing but a bit of
practice will give it to you.  BTW, I am not sure where you are, but you
might check at your local Home Depot or Canadian Tire store for some
LePage's green contact cement.  This is a water based product.  No smell and
goes on like water.  Use this in place of Stixit.  Works much better.
Unfortunately, I don't think this product is available in the US but you
could ask.

Any other questions, drop me an e-mail and I will try and help.
Gord Schindler
MAAC6694

That's because Coverite and *-Tex are mylar film material.  Koverall is real
fabric.  Use thin CA to wet the edges of the material.  When it is dry, you
will be able to cut a nice smooth edge.  Same with sanding, fill it with
CA/paint/dope/filler and sand away.
Dr.1 Driver
"There's a Hun in the sun!"

On 2/23/2004 8:34 PM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these
great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

Thanks guys.  This was giving me fits.

Don't worry about it, Ted...  The "fuzzies" will sand off after the primer
coats...

Bill

What Paint you using? What I have found with Koverall and dope is, I use very
thin dope around the edge I want to cut. Dries quick and cuts nice and clean
with a good pair of shears. Then I iron that edge of fabric down, it will stick
to the dope already on the framework. As with the fuzzies and a stray piece of
fabric here and there, it will sand off with the primer coats as has been said.
rick markel

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