Covering Control Surfaces With Oratex

In this video we show covering our Bearhawks ailerons, horizontal stabilizers, elevators, and rudder with Oratex 6000. We go through the process of prepping, adhering the fabric to the control surface, rib stitching, and applying all of the finishing tapes.
FYI - This is the second video showing installing Oratex on our Bearhawk. I'm trying my best to not duplicate information in the first video. Also, the iron recommended by Better Aircraft Fabric is in Celsius and the heat gun they recommend is in Fahrenheit.
0:00 - Overview
1:06 - Prepping the ailerons
2:20 - Covering the ailerons
5:52 - Reinforcing tapes
6:19 - Rib stitching
9:54 - Finishing tapes over the rib stitching
11:31 - Covering the horizontal stabilizers
15:03 - Covering the rudder and elevators
18:05 - Edge finishing tapes
20:23 - Giving all of the counter balance weight a chance to fly

[@Lemev]

Very clean construction..... Lots of Attention on the details! Great job 😉👍🏻

[@tw6896]

Nice job on the airplane. A Bearhawk 4 place is in my plans but I’m still about 3 years from getting started. I also loved how you ended the video with a bang, literally! Planes and guns are my two favorite hobbies! Can’t wait to see the next video. Keep up the good work.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you enjoy your build, and the researching you're doing now will pay off when you're building.

[@markwebb8013]

Nice demonstration. Looks like a lot of work and you and your wife doing an excellent job 👏.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks!

[@kyledellinger]

This is an absolutely amazing build series you have going here.

[@Nicky-Stiles]

Was excited to see a notification about another video! Thanks for sharing and keep ‘em coming!

[@CraigVanSickleAK]

A genuine thanks from a fellow Bearhawk (LSA) builder for all of the excellent content. You have a great style and way of showing your build. Keep up the good work!

[@ColbyOsborn]

Much appreciated! I enjoy envying your skillset and knowledge as you keep us updated on your LSA. 🍻

[@DatumAir]

You guys did a fantastic job. It becomes pretty obvious once you have a start with this system. You have to stretch the hell out of it and the rinkles will go once you heat. it conformes to any funky shapes Great work BRAVO!

[@dougkelsch]

Great video on the Oratex process. Looking forward to the fuselage covering. Nice work and production quality. Thanks.

[@KitfoxPilot]

Great how to oratex video! Really nice job.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks Harlan. I was hoping you’d like the color. 😁

[@KitfoxPilot]

@@ColbyOsborn Love the color! haha

[@Bearhawk_Life]

About time 😂 I have been waiting for you to show me how to do it. I expect to get started on the tail surfaces in the next few days

[@ColbyOsborn]

haha, I wish we could build at your speed! You're handier than I am so this probably wont apply, but I really appreciated having an extra set of hands when working on anything with a curve. That's the only tip I've got, lol.

[@Bearhawk_Life]

@@ColbyOsborn I did notice the extra hands, I will have to recruit some help for sure. I had not thought of the need to reinforce around things that poke through the fabric… hmmm

[@kr6dr]

It’s good to see you making progress. The covering came out very attractive. It’s also good to see an MEC shotshell loader in action. I used to load for my .410 because it was too expensive to buy off the shelf. My friends called my single shot .410 the “magic shotgun” because I always got more birds than they did with their 12 ga. pumps and autos.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Lol that's funny. I think my dad bought this loader almost 50 years ago. Hard to justify reloading 12 ga. target loads but still fun to put it to work on an occasion.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

Great demo/explanations !

[@kimkeam2094]

Beautiful work, the time you two have taken to lay the fabric will be a fantastic reward over the years to come. I wondered why you decided not to use pinking shears? Old fashioned but helps to prevent fraying.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks! From my understanding, pinked edges with Oratex serve a primarily cosmetic purpose. While I personally like the aesthetic appeal of pinked edges, I have heard anecdotal accounts of pinked tapes lifting over time from several individuals. Although these are subjective experiences, they ultimately influenced my decision to opt for all straight cut tapes.

[@nepaliphotography5003]

Bestup luck brother 😊😊😊😊😊🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@skyridersrc3644]

Great job my dears... And one day i will made the same... And i will fly

[@freitasn1029]

Muito grato por suas informações, que D'us te abençoe!... Do Brasil Wessiley

[@freitasn1029]

Ola bom dia, se puder por favor me passa o nome dessa tela e essa cola branca que você uza , vou procurar aqui no Brasil para comprar, gratidão. Wessiley

[@ColbyOsborn]

@@freitasn1029 It's Oratex 6000 and Oratex hotmelt glue. www.lanitz-aviation.com/

[@matthewmaxwell3845]

Excellent video, thank you! All of the oratex videos demonstrate what they're doing but they don't explain. I am currently struggling passing the trial Bond test.. I'm curious, what kind of primer did you use on your tail feathers?

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks! The tail feathers came painted from the factory. I believe they apply a mill spec strontium chromate epoxy primer and then top coat with a mill spec epoxy paint. I scuffed it up pretty well before cleaning and applying the hot melt glue. While practicing I had a hard time getting a strong bond to unprimed aluminum sheet metal. It seemed to bond a lot better if I used some good self etching primer out of a rattle can first.

[@Ko3n3k33]

So many great tips. It was great to see all the places that you made extra reinforcement for the fabric to glue to. Any opinions about oratex, any wishes you went with stewarts or poly? I was reading a thread about battson's weight and balance issues after a mod and someone said oratex would take 11 pounds outta the tail vs other covering+paint... that has me thinking about using it to keep my cg as forward as possible. but i'm undereducated in every realm so I'm just searching for other opinions.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Jonathan would know better than I, but I think most agree that it'll save a bit of weight off your tail. Maybe we could get one of the other Model Five guys to get an accurate weight on their finished tail feathers so we could compare. It's a little bit compounding because you need less counter balance weight in the elevators. (The current kits come with enough counter balance weight installed for Oratex but you need to calculate and add some if going with a heavier fabric) It's really difficult for me to say if I would've been better off going a different direction because the tipping point for me was thinking the fabric would be in better shape in 10 years vs covered in something else that would be chipped and have ringworm. So I really need to wait and see how it holds up to UV and gravel to know. I think if I planned to operate off grass and pavement 99% of the time, I would've went a different direction mostly because of the price and lack of detailed comprehensive instructions. I still fully expect to be happy with going the Oratex route, but I'll weigh in a little more after finishing the fuselage. Long winded reply and I didn't even really answer you question, lol. Always appreciate what you have to say about the videos.

[@Duball01]

Finding your videos very informative. You dipped your rivet in a black substance before fixing…is that silicon or is it a primer? Thanks

[@8311XHT]

I started covering my cub style rudder yesterday in oratex and that pointed front part was pretty tough to figure out. Today I will put on the other side; heating pulling and stretching to the glue line made by the tape. I was wondering about making my own edge tape but the stuff they sell looks alot better. And you don't need to hassle with another glue-line and masking tape when doing the edge tape, right?

[@ColbyOsborn]

I believe that’s correct. Hope the second side goes smoothly for you!

[@markolarsch7506]

Is this the same Oratex that I use for my RC Model Airplanes? It says on the label: not for use on full scale airplanes. Rated for model use only.

[@dirkgrobler2179]

Nice job! Do you have the name/make of the heat activated adhesive?

[@checkmatekid1400]

Yeah - whats the name???

[@pravisankar8177]

Which type of fabric you used to cover it sir, is that dacron polyester

[@freitasn1029]

Ola bom dia, se puder passa o nome dessa tela e a cola branca que você uza ai, vou pesquisar aqui pra comprar gratidão. Wessiley

[@willykrupp441]

Great job guys...¡! But the Oratex, he is not my friend... 😄

[@sirnewton6874]

How much material did you need?

[@Ko3n3k33]

Or how much did you buy so far :) :)

[@ColbyOsborn]

I ordered 33 meters of the 180 cm wide Oratex. I don't know exactly how much I have left but I'll certainly report how much I end up using once I finish the fuselage.

[@sirnewton6874]

@@ColbyOsborn thanks for the reply. Sure love your videos. 👍🔥

[@srnunan4783]

So when covering tube you did two coats on tube and two coats on fabric, what about the finishing tapes at the edges? Did you just have two coats under the tape and nothing on the main surface/just a fillet line of clue to hide the edge of the overlap? Or did you have four coats total betwiin the top of the fabric and the underside of the finishing tapes?

[@ColbyOsborn]

When using the finishing tapes I only put 1 thick coat of glue right on the seam. The glues only propose was to keep air from being trapped there. The finishing tapes come pre-glued and according to the documentation I received don’t required any additional glue.

[@johnwhitford6408]

How much time do get each week to work on your project?

[@ColbyOsborn]

I have not been keeping track but I would guess I average around 15 hours a week.

[@russellesimonetta9071]

Kind od dumb question but I assume thats the heavy oracover . 6000 ?

[@ColbyOsborn]

That’s correct

[@russellesimonetta9071]

@@ColbyOsborn you re doing a great job with the covering! Uhh, I think the oracover s fantastic! It,s finished ,,all you need to do is fight through the frustrations of applying it. With the traditional process every stage can bring disaster and the stages are many. I have been following a build by an English guy called Algy Yates. He,s doing a Fisher Youngster. Really interesting. An old school craftsman. He is covering with Oracover 600. Check him out ohh the rib stitching looks really tedious. How many hour does that entail on say just the elevator??

[@yudirc0132]

Dimna sya bisa mendapatkan bahan seperti kain tersebut ?

[@tlcasey1002000]

HOW DOES THE PRICE OF ORATEX COMPARE TO POLYFIBRE?

[@tonta332]

hi colby osborn, i'm in vietnam please tell me how much is rotax 912is engine i want to buy it have a nice day

[@ColbyOsborn]

Hello. Unfortunately a 6 cylinder Lycoming will be used on this plane, so I'm not really in tune with what the Rotax 912 is currently brining.

[@rustusandroid]

Shouldn't you be poking your lacing holes through TWO layers of fabric? Then the finishing tape on top?

[@ColbyOsborn]

There is a second layer of Oratex over the ribs next to the holes. So it’s doubled up in the direction the lacing cord would want to tear through the fabric. But not doubled up directly underneath the holes. I haven’t noticed anyone using two layers of Oratex past where the holes are poked and it wasn’t a method covered in the instructions I received.

[@rustusandroid]

@@ColbyOsborn Okeedokee... Just asking :)

[@sirnewton6874]

How much weight did you use?

[@ColbyOsborn]

Simon reported a final weight of 2340 g for each counter balance tube balanced his ailerons perfectly so that’s what I used. The kit elevators come with counter balance weight already installed for Oratex, so I’m not sure how much weight was used for those.

[@plantpower3048]

you have to build parts!!!!

[@freitasn1029]

Colby bom dia,voce pode prestas uma consultoria? Se puder quanto cobraria, e se poderia comprar algumas coisas ai e enviar para mim.Poucas coisas eu mando o valor e você me enviá as peças.Se puder eu mado meu e-mail para você ok shalom grato Wessiley

[@freitasn1029]

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[@freitasn1029]

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