wing covering

[KFKoberg]

A few questions before i get started on covering the wings to my '97 KF V.

Noticed on some of the 7s or SS's that there might be a Cap strip on top of the wing tanks which would be the # 2 rib location.

Is this to hold the fabric off the tank after shrink or just a mod done by some?
Any details would be helpful.

Plus, any thoughts on pop riveting instead of rib stitching.

thanks

Lance

[Dorsal]

No cap strip on the top of the tank on my 7, I coated the top of the tank with poly-brush put the fabric straight on top.
Rib stitching vs other methods is discussed in several threads on the site, I did the stitching, like many of the tasks in building it was easier than I expected once I got into it.

[avidflyer]

I'll reply to the ribstiching part, I looked at every other option when I covered my Kitfox 4. In the end I bit the bullet and ribstiched. It was not near as bad as I expected and ended up being kind of fun. I would not hesitate to do it again. Take care, Jim Chuk

[egp8111]

I went through the same process recently recovering the wings on my KFIII, rib stich, staple,glue etc. Most all the advise was to stich and in the end I stiched and glad I did. It really doesn't take much more time, kinda enjoyable in a way. Search "rib stich" on You Tube, there is a nice tutorial on how to do the "Beechcraft Staggerwing stich". It's easy and fast.

EG

[KFKoberg]

Thanks for the comments guys. Will post some picks when I get done!

[War Eagle]

Couldn't resist replying to this one.

Riveted the fabric on the wings of 13 KF 7s and I wouldn't do it any other way. I liked it better than the effort it took to do rib stitching.

Looks good and works very well.

However, from a historical perspective, we may likely find there are far more tube and fabric planes that have been rib stitched rather than using rivets, glue staples etc.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.