TAPE COVERING FOAMBOARD - For RC Airplane Construction

Here is a step-by-step demonstration of the simple method used to pre-cover foamboard and Depron with thin colored packing tape. This covered foamboard forms the basic raw material for the Experimental Airlines construction technique for scratchbuilt RC airplanes. Also shown is the method for pre-covering for two-tone colored wings.
This method requires only a blade, a ruler, a marker, a gift card, a cloth, and a smooth working surface at least the size of the foamboard, preferably with a edge drop-off at one or both ends. Some builders modify the process using tape dispensers and pressure rollers but the method shown can be done with basic materials most guys already have.
Tape pre-covering gives a shiny, water-resistant, durable, high tensile strength finish to Readi-Board (aka Dollar Tree foamboard) and other foamboards so they are better suited to RC airplane construction. It adds only 20 grams (0.7oz) per 20"x30" foamboard, which amounts to only a 17% increase in weight if using Readi-Board. A 100m (110 yd) roll will realistically cover 9-10 foamboards of this size on one side.
The original tape covering video is here: • the Armin Wing: part 1...
Experimental Airlines buys all tape for this procedure from TapeBrothers.com
www.tapebrother...
Depron is available in most of Europe and also in the Americas - but at a price!
KapaLine manufacturer page is here: www.display.3ac...

[@alex8527-w1q]

You have taken something "simple" ..... And removed a lot of headaches, tossed materials, and made my plane more aesthetically pleasing. You have a great demeanor for teaching this stuff. Thank you for all these tips!!

[@creativephotographie]

I miss Ed’s videos. His stuff is bar-none, the best.

[@SachinKumar-ww5xi]

You are real guru. Explain is very clear and practical language. Focus on the tiny but imp points. U inspired me.

[@philipfwilson]

Great Job.. very clear video

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

Great generosity with another awesome video. You point out all the usual mistakes and think that comes only with experience (aka failures!). Thank you so much!

[@RCFlyer007]

Great video ! to the point with no obnoxious music or dancing. Thanks!

[@michaelwatkins3842]

Thanks Ed. Your videos are both intellectual and practical. I had much trouble and mixed results with colored tape but this video drastically improved the process. Before, I was getting tons of wrinkles and not a covering I could be proud of. Thank you for providing information on best practices when applying colored tape. When it works, it’s a beautiful thing.

[@richie1317]

Thank you Ed. You have helped hundreds of people with your techniques, they are so cheap and practical. You are a huge contributor to the hobby! Thanks once again for your informative and professionally presented videos.

[@cjb9754]

I have been watching your videos and you're either a teacher, a professor or a engineer of some type. I've NEVER heard anyone as articulate as you with smooth continuity to make each point. Maybe you should make a video on how to make a video - seriously. And thanks for the info.

[@travispratt6327]

Using a piece of cloth is a great idea to make it stick, I've covered half a dozen planes but never really found a good way to get it to adhere perfectly, a card scratches the hell out of the tape, your hand squishes it and makes divots and weak points, cloth works perfectly. It's an important step too cause it makes the color look richer and reduces the chance of delamination. Thanks so much for your contributions, you're a legend :) Now I just need a good way to cover the cut edges without it looking like a preschool project lol

[@sailorjohn2224]

I'm glad that ED goes back to basics and updates technics because there are a lot of my friends are just starting to build and some thing we've been doing for a while, if you can clamp the opposite corner of the I find it's easier to do. Boy does he have a nice working surface.

[@renanbernardes6545]

Your videos are very instructive and rich in details! I'm learning more every day! Beautiful your daughter ! Congratulations !

[@thomaslewis7883]

cute little girl, always fun to get the kids involved, great job.

[@Dan-qp1el]

Great video Ed. I learned a whole bunch !!

[@WillieBeard]

You should do a tutorial on how to do tutorials. Excellent! This is a lesson to all those people that have to constantly say "Umm", or "Ahh" or the worst one "just go ahead and.." Thanks for keeping proper speech and grammar alive!

[@HuylerBrooks]

Your attention to detail is amazing! The thought you have put into every aspect of your planes is truly wonderful. Thanks for all of your videos

[@woodstoney]

Took your advice on Tape Brothers! Ordered their special assortment of a variety of colors on 2" rolls (12 rolls total) for a very reasonable price!! The order arrived in something like 2-3 days (not counting the weekend). What a perfect way to build some impressive wings! Thanks for your tips and recommendations! First rate!

[@danielhreno9582]

AWESOME!!!!! Heard about you on Flite Test. Wonderful techniques. You solved a half a dozen headaches of mine in just 1 video. Subscribed and "liked". Can't wait to check out the rest. Thank you. Dan

[@mr.fredricklawngtawnghedav5094]

Excellent tips! The one that helps me the most was the static prevention method.

[@bluznbeers]

Hey great video. I just went out to the shed and did up a few sheets in no time. They turned out great! Couple ideas I figured out along the way: 1. Tape the razor blade right to your squeegee card to make a nice little multi-tool to save on the constant picking up and putting down of the card and the knife. 2. A clamp attached to the table on either side of the foam board keeps it nicely in place so it doesn't slide around on your when you're trying to align the tape.

[@michaelwatkins3842]

Thanks for sharing your experience

[@oldasa]

If I were to get back into the hobby this would be my starting place. I'LL never be happy with over the counter ready to fly. I'm an old RC glider guider that flew competition. I'd be happy with a rugged take off and landing bush type electric plane that can also capture a thermal or two. 2 or more guys like me competing using rounds certain measured time tasks and a bonus for landing closest to the head of a 20 foot tape on the ground adds immeasurably to just plan fun. Oh and Thanks ED. I hope others apprecial how your system saves a lot of mistakes and miss starts into the hobby. Also ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,WHAT A CUTIEPIE. LOL

[@mellowrama9546]

Didn't know Jack Johnson likes to build rc planes. Great work!

[@lem1165]

I never thought to precover the foam before building. I will definately try this in the future to save time and improve the finished quality. Thank you!

[@MSBFlite]

Dude! Great video! Thank you so much! Anglenous… never heard this word before. But I love it!

[@vidis7544]

i can imagine this guy teaching physics....just perfect! thank you!

[@wordreet]

Great instructional vid as usual Ed. Thumbs up and added to faves.

[@MrJavipli]

Eccellent job.Cheap,clean and good finished.Thanks

[@charlesklein7232]

your an artist at this!

[@dukejet6997]

Great video Ed. Funny kids of that age do that with their tongue when seeing themselves on screen.. haha adorable

[@MrLafti]

Wow , man you r the best , my all respect and appreciation to u for supporting us the hobby lovers and thanks for what u did and ur doing for the hobby , u r great , keep it up , god bless u .

[@kutulchana]

nice tutorial.....little angel is added bonus.

[@pattygamblin6433]

Outstanding Video Sir. Great Ideas here and practical information.

[@maxboulter]

Ed,thanks much for your videos! GREAT!!!!

[@stevecraignet]

Ed, you keep getting better and better! Excellent video! ...So now... we meet the inestimable Ansley...! Sorry, Ed... she's cuter than you... keep up the great work!

[@Ricky28269]

I just did some testing with removing paper and then applying tape. As warned, the tape peels off pretty easily from the foam. However, I used my clothes iron on the "silk" setting (medium-low) and ironed over the taped foam, and then the tape was very difficult to remove from the foamboard. I think I'm going to use this method to cover my boards.

[@Granite]

Have you done any testing? Is it stiffer? Lighter?

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic, man. Thanks a lot!

[@kevinouellette1893]

Wow. Man you showed me some really amazing things to make my day soo much easier . Lmao. Things like cutting tape half way and pulling the rest off with fingers so it doesn’t roll back up on me and starting next strip. Good stuff . A lot of great info here. Thanks you

[@jimmyneyhart]

Ed, you do great videos! I know you haven't posted in a long time, but really appreciate your insight. Thank you!

[@MohitDewan]

That is correct. Riot Art has large sheets but they cost $10-$15 per sheet depending on size but the paper doesn't peel off unless you soak it. The best option for Australians is Depron. You can get a box with 20 large (1000mm x 700mm x 6mm) sheets for $225 delivered.

[@hobie1dog]

Very nicely done, thanks for the education today.

[@guygriffiths4950]

fantastically detailed and educational - thanks for taking the time to teach me so much :-)

[@richandlisawoods]

Thank you sir. I'll start today. Love the awesome videos. Thanks for sharing you knowledge

[@LuisRussi750]

Nice job Ed! Love your designs, plan on making a fuglyjet this some for my 1st EDF

[@mssippijim]

I love it, cat walked by right on cue when he was talking about cleaning the work surface. If you have a cat and a piece of tape, there will be a cat hair on the tape.

[@stephenvarney334]

She steals the show

[@F139]

awesome simply great. thumbs up looking forward to more nice videos

[@davidholcomb1379]

I sure wish I had a chance to meet you at FliteFest. You have some great ideas. I will use them in my future builds. Thanks for sharing...

[@stancnet]

I just happen to have a Plotter/Cutter for making decals....I found that the decal vinyl rolls work great for adding color!

[@kd4pba]

I feel like you could teach more than just RC plane construction. I honestly hope you do.

[@nemonespider]

Wow pretty cool Ed

[@Spetznatz01]

I'd like to know about removing the paper first as well. I can see that taping over it would increase the strength of the foam, but I've found that the paper covering on that "dollar tree" foam board can be peeled off pretty easily. With that being said it seems that taping over the paper would be useless if the paper is going to peel off. Anyone got a suggestion about this? By the way, excellent video!

[@DanielDzeta]

Thanks for the tutoríal man! Your Baby is so cute 👍🏻

[@ExperimentalAirlines]

Absolutely you can. The tape does not adhere quite as permanently to the foam as it does to the paper, but it's pretty good. You'll save about 30% in weight, more or less, depending on whether you leave the paper on in some places as prescribed by the bending techniques. And some durability will be lost.

[@MirekKrenc]

Great video. Thanks !!

[@StubProductions]

Great video sir

[@VideoBite]

awesome tutorial - subscribed instantly.. Will wait more tutorial on RC..

[@michael_hahnell]

Your foam board concept is very inspiring. I live in HK and use subway to commute. A foldable 0.5m wingspan acrobatic plane which will take a beating is what iam am looking for. Something I can fly in a small soccer pitch seized Field 😀

[@maqsoodakbari]

I have seen this video many times and I would like to thank you for the hard work here. That being said, I would like to know how would you laminate (with tape) the edges of the foam board?

[@ohioplanespotting1300]

Your techniques are awesome! Just subscribed! :)

[@ChrisMisMYhandle]

very detailed. thanks

[@seanmolloy9422]

i did some test build parts removing the paper and applying tape direct to foam . this improved durrability because the paper peels easy. in a crash the paper adhesion is 1st to fail and makes repairs difficult . pre-taping the foam (paper removed )and setting it with the iron seems best

[@jeanpapinou5541]

many thanks !

[@MichaelSmith-lj7nh]

I am smiling great video'

[@jrock7859]

You rule, thank you.

[@MohitDewan]

Thank you Ed, I'm looking forward to the video.

[@danielleblanc146]

Got One question. Can we remove paper and tape directly to the foam to save weight? Really great video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@thefarmall45]

Awesome Video! And to think I was going to try and use Colored Duct Tape, Tape Brothers it is...

[@germocane7025]

YOU ARE GREAT MY FRIEND THANK YOU

[@353flyer]

you're so awesome! subscribed

[@tombouie]

Well-Done

[@ExperimentalAirlines]

There are, and I will include in a future video, but briefly it is to generously emboss the inside radius of each fold, be very gentle while folding, and don't overbend.

[@Zajebancije]

Thank you! Great tutor!

[@jompon3676]

Nice little tutor.

[@R_Alexander029]

I find that if you iron the packing tape at 90 degrees Celsius or so, it sticks really well to foamboard/Depron.

[@alexandrpetrov1110]

step-by-step demonstration of the simple method used to pre-cover foamboard and Depron with thin colored packing tape. This covered foamboard forms the basic raw material for the Experimental Airlines construction technique for scratchbuilt RC airplanes.

[@SabrinaBraden-n7n]

Thanks for sharing.

[@kylebower2715]

Good tips!

[@newventure4747]

Tips: The paper comes off much easier if you mist it with a water spray. The paper should be removed from both sides, then the tape applied, then bend. The results are better. If you leave the paper on, it will NOT be waterproof and even high humidity could cause it to peel off.

[@Skydive4ever]

Excellent video as usual :-)

[@wlouisharris]

Great instruction. I used polyurethane and spray paint on my nutball. It turned out ok but this method seems like it would add some good reinforcement to the foam board.

[@manjeetthakur9078]

as i m a beginner, i live in india and i don't know which foam to use. please tell me great video

[@steve-rw7ty]

thanks for sparing words. refreshing. how do feel about generic laminate . I'm new to your channel, so i don;t know if you've discussed this..

[@MRJOELFORCE]

Thank you so much for this video

[@ExperimentalAirlines]

The word is that Riot Art has something close, though it costs more, harder to peel off paper facing, and weighs a little more.

[@denywest844]

He’s Magic teacher amazing details wow I’m impressed thank you

[@Hadee03]

Great video :D and thanks for the tips

[@ExperimentalAirlines]

Either of these planes is pretty easy to fly, but they really need ailerons. You would need dihedral to fly 3 channel only, and honestly the trouble of getting dihedral is more effort than just going ahead and committing to ailerons. I would go with an Axon and use ailerons and you'll not regret it.

[@richandlisawoods]

Thanks ed. Is there any chance that the noob tube or petros could be flown using only rudder and elevator? I am new flier and unsure with ailerons. Thanks for the great videos

[@maddogrk1]

Do you know if the tape will stick to just the foam without the paper? I'd like to remove the paper. There's a great video on how to do this easily, and I think the tape alone would add strength without adding too much weight.

[@Shawn494949]

Do you take the paper off the foam before you tape it??. Or do you tape the paper?

[@mikbacitube]

Thanks this is really helpful

[@JC-lh1pj]

Thanks.

[@theexodus284]

is it better to tape cover or use spray paint?

[@ExperimentalAirlines]

Well, it usually comes out straight enough after the bending procedure, so the warpage doesn't make much of a problem.

[@ExperimentalAirlines]

You will have to look around. I am sure there is something for your needs, but I am unfamiliar with the choices in India. It should be light and the paper should come off easily. Usually the less it costs the better it will be for building.

[@indulademel2041]

Your Baby is so cute

[@DROY2004]

Nice vid, Thnx!

[@sonex413]

Nice vids!

[@wordreet]

Info for people who are used to European type measurements. 2 mil, in the US means (2 thou) 2/1000ths of an inch or 0.002" and as Ed pointed out 0.05 millimeters. Yeap, we can get the Adams foam core board here in the UK, usually from art shops, so it's not a dollar a piece. ;¬) But I can buy it locally from a shop called The Range for £3.99 for one A1 size sheet. So that's $6.08 for just one paper covered foam board that's approx 3" bigger bigger in length and width. :¬( Oh well. :¬)

[@richandlisawoods]

Can the photon or axon be flown as three channel. Still scared of ailerons. Thanks