painting the suprcub

[corsair]

hi everyone,
this is tom/corsair again, and i also have a few tips on the painting and/or use of heatshrink films on the cub foam. i dont have any pictures to show yet, [cause i dont know how to get them into the computer yet] but the process is simple.
i have used an in-expensive air brush, and some white and cranberry paint left over form painting the house. [ latex paint] first, wash the foam very good with a mild dish detergent and warm water. dry as best as you can, and let it air dry so that there will not be any chance of water collected in any of the corners, interior, etc. be sure that you dont touch any parts with your bare hands, as the oil transferred to the foam will cause the paint to blister, and not stick. now the paint is ready to be put on in a normal manner. this will work if you want to brush it on also.
with the film, you can use low heat to make it stick, or a safer method is to use plenty of stuff like windex, position the film, and remove as many bubbles as possible while it is still wet. after it dries it will be just as secure as if you used a sealing iron to put it on. i also think that it is better to paint the tail group than to try and cover it. if you use the film over the entire fuselage, dont forget to open the cooling holes. give it a try and let me know how you make out. i'm having a great time with my cub, and have many, many great flights with it.....note....you may already know this, but if you land with a little power on, you will have much better control during the landing, and will be able to 'place' it where you want it. when i power up to check the battery condition, if it wont climb, then its time to land. it glides great, but it sinks fast also. a little power makes a big difference in the control of the landing....see yas...tom...happy landings!

[michael]

corsair said:

hi everyone,
this is tom/corsair again, and i also have a few tips on the painting and/or use of heatshrink films on the cub foam. i dont have any pictures to show yet, [cause i dont know how to get them into the computer yet] but the process is simple.
i have used an in-expensive air brush, and some white and cranberry paint left over form painting the house. [ latex paint] first, wash the foam very good with a mild dish detergent and warm water. dry as best as you can, and let it air dry so that there will not be any chance of water collected in any of the corners, interior, etc. be sure that you dont touch any parts with your bare hands, as the oil transferred to the foam will cause the paint to blister, and not stick. now the paint is ready to be put on in a normal manner. this will work if you want to brush it on also.
with the film, you can use low heat to make it stick, or a safer method is to use plenty of stuff like windex, position the film, and remove as many bubbles as possible while it is still wet. after it dries it will be just as secure as if you used a sealing iron to put it on. i also think that it is better to paint the tail group than to try and cover it. if you use the film over the entire fuselage, dont forget to open the cooling holes. give it a try and let me know how you make out. i'm having a great time with my cub, and have many, many great flights with it.....note....you may already know this, but if you land with a little power on, you will have much better control during the landing, and will be able to 'place' it where you want it. when i power up to check the battery condition, if it wont climb, then its time to land. it glides great, but it sinks fast also. a little power makes a big difference in the control of the landing....see yas...tom...happy landings!

Thanks a lot for this post But I have one Q if you don't mind! I am about to build a supercub from scratch and I was going to use Ultracote on the foam parts will your idea work about useing windex work with ultracote? Sorry one more Is it safe to use ultracote on the tail and other parts that are not foam? Thanks a lot for your reply Michael

[corsair]

hey michael...sorry for the delay in replying......ultracote can be used safely in just about every place on the plane except i wouldn't use it on the tail area. if you use heat, there is a good chance that these sections will warp, or even de-form, and will make them weak and useless. if you use the windex method, this will work just fine, on any type of covering, but you have to be careful with any added weight in the tail area. i hope that this will answer your question, and if you have any other questions that i can help you with please feel free to ask......tks again....corasir/tom

[duck9191]

be very careful with heat on the tail section. i left my cub in the car once and it warped the tail section down

[michael]

Corsair! Thank you for geting back to me. I DO have some more questions if you don't mind. #1 Is the windex way of putting on Ultracote just more easy or does it have any other benifits? #2 Coul you suggest a spray paint that will work with the tail section? #3 The scheme I had in mind for my plane was this (This might be a little bit winded so please try try to understand) Ultracote the fuselage black, with silver Ultratrim going around the edges. Ultracote the main wing silver, with black Ultratrim going aroung the edges. and to finish add one deep red lightning bolt on ether side of the fuselage and one on the left top side of the wing with red letters on the right side of the wing that go like this... JMJ333. I don't know what color I will do the littler things like the tail and cowl but I will find out what looks best. So from what you have heard please tell me what you realy think. Thank you very much for your time reading this and you have a good day. Michael

[corsair]

hey michael,
you can use the windex method with any type of the plastic covering films. i have not tried it with any of the fabric type films. as long as you get all of the trapped air out of each layer of film, you can add as much as you want and do any kind of patterns that you want. make sure that it is good and wet so that you can move it around, and if you need to remove it to re-position it, youll still have enough to activate the adhesive that is on the back of the film. a playing card makes a good squee-gee, and it won't dent the foam or put any grooves in it from too much pressure. you should let each layer dry for about 24 hours so that all for the adhesive has had time to be activated. if you take your time with this method, it will become part of the foam. and since you have no fuel to deal with, it should never come off. i fly r/c, control-line, and i have some planes that i still have from many years ago, and have used this method to add graphics, designs, stc, and even with the fuel they are still ok. as with any other type of covering, keep the edges of the film out of the airstream, as over time this could cause the film to lift, because of the constant pressure on the edges from the air.
as far as paints, about the best type that i can tell you about is any good quality latex paint, and krylon makes a paint called fusion, that is for plastics. i havent tried this stuff yet, but ive used left over paint from my house, and it workd great! [sherman/williams, but i guess this really is not a factor. also, be careful about weight. this will change the way the plane flies, reacts, and lands if there is too much weight added....................i hope that this answers your questions, and if you have anymore, just ask, and if i can help ya, ill do my best.......see ya....corsair/tom

[michael]

Thank you very much for helping me! Michael