Covering a wood and composite airplane

[wally6800]

#6536

I have a Marske Monarch “G” flying wing that I am finishing. It is constructed of composites and wood. How do I prepair the wooden parts of this airplane before covering it??

Thanks.

Wally

[jason gerard]

#11065

Just make sure the wood has some type of sealer on it like varnish or what ever you prefer to use.

Cover it like anything else. Apply a bed layer to the perimeter of the structure and attach the fabric. If you have large areas of plywood that need to be covered with fabric then dilute the glue about 5% with water and brush or roll out a layer of glue on top of the plywood. After you have attached the fabric to the perimeter and locked it in with a hot pass of the iron then you can brush the glue through the weave along the perimeter only. Do not brush glue over the entire plywood surface until you have shrunk the fabric to 250 deg. As you shrink to 250 deg push on the fabric with the iron over the plywood so that the fibers of the fabric get smashed into the bed layer of glue on the surface of the plywood. You can then use the diluted glue to brush or roll glue down through the weave of the fabric into the bed layer below. Make sure you move quickly and wipe off any excess glue that is on the surface of the fabric. It is not necessary to get a heavy wetted out glue joint. The strength of the glue is amazing and unless you want to pull the plywood apart when you remove the fabric don’t go crazy with the glue. Just don’t leave any glue residue on the surface of the fabric since you can not sand the glue.

Jason

[wally6800]

#11066

Thank you for your comments. I have just started working on the Monarch again after several months of suspended activity.
I have researched several covering systems besides Stewart Systems during this time frame and I am pleased to conclude that my first choice, Stewart Systems , is the best way to go for covering this Flying Wing.

[Author]

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