Dual STI build log

[Shadowrider]

Good idea. I may just do that and cover it with plastic as I am little messy🙂

[efwd]

Sorry Dustin, getting my Utah Pilots mixed up.
Nevada Silver.

[Shadowrider]

No worries. So you feel the poly paint doens’t adhere to metal very well? Wonder if spraying with adhesion promoter before would help?

[colospace]

I found that bonding Oratex to a solid surface was a real pain because the Oratex and the solid surface trap air. Took a lot of effort to work out the inevitable air bubbles. If you are intent on using the Oratex there, you might try only bonding the edges while leaving an exit point for air and then shrinking it.

[Shadowrider]

Good tip. Just trying to figure out the best way to have it match the rest of the aircraft. Sometimes I see a kitfox and the tail access panel stands out because its not a perfect match. Sometimes can't even tell its there. I was thinking if I cover the access with same material it would blend in.

[rv9ralph]

Shadowrider,
When the time comes, use some scrap Orotex and some scrap aluminum to practice/test your technique, it may work.

For technique, think about how upholsterers cover a solid panel for trim. Similar process.

For releasing trapped air, use the method that vinyl covering uses... pinhole and work the air out through it. The pinhole is not noticeable when done.

Ralph

[efwd]

You saw how good the paint looks on my wing then on the flapperons. I have no confidence in the paint looking good on the metal surface after some time. You have to prime, allow to dry 24hrs and before color coat you apply primer once more and allow it to go to tacky then apply color. It is supposed to melt together. I did that on my engine cowl but I have hangar rash on my cowls already and it doesn't look like it will last long. Im pretty sure if I used my finger nail I could remove paint. I got no air bubbles in my paint anywhere. Poly Tone goes on easy and patching is smooth as glass as well. Can't even tell I touched up the wing stripes. If I were to do Oratex on those panels I would apply glue around the back side edges about one inch wide as well as the entire front side. I would apply the fabric and heat adhere the fabric to the back side after folding it over. Of course you are going to activate the glue on the front, around the edge as well. Now that you have all the fabric in the middle loose, don't push it down or touch it. Use the heat gun and shrink the fabric if you want if it has wrinkles or loose material. My concern would be it warping up the perimeter. Now that the fabric is smooth and you have it warm, use the felt pad and your heat gun and press the fabric down tight. Now you will be left with cutting out the crescent slot and cutting the slots where the parts meet up. Of course you could do the parts separately I suppose. You will use the window edge technique around the fuel tank as well. I secured my fabric around the tank edge and ended up noticing that the fabric was bunching up as I went around. It is OK because using the heat gun to shrink the fabric will tighten it up provided you don't touch the fabric and force it to lock down until it is all shrunk to smooth.

[aviator79]

Poly-Fiber's manual acknowledges that Poly-tone is a poor choice on non-fabric surfaces. They give you some pointers on how to try to make it work, but basically suggest that you use a different product. If you're pretty confident about the color, get PF Enamel or Aero-thane instead of Poly-tone and it should adhere to the panels just fine after a shot of epoxy primer.

If you really want the right color, you could get a single stage automotive paint color-matched to a fabric sample. That's probably what I would do.

If you do cover them with fabric, I'm sure many builders to come would be interested in you results.

[Shadowrider]

Thanks for all the info. I have some sample oratex that I will try covering a couple scrap panels I have to see how it comes out. I will start having my local paint supplier start mixing me some paint to try and get a match for the cowling and flaperons and other various parts.

[jrevens]

For me it was generally easier to paint those kinds of parts than to cover them with Oratex. The only smaller metal parts that I did cover with Oratex were the closeouts between the butt ribs and fuselage on the underside of the wings above the doors.