How To Cover Model Airplanes!!

[@freed6343]

Getting back into the hobby after 25 years... and I thought I knew everything about covering; I always used to get nice comments at the field. But one can always learn... I've never "sealed" my control surfaces in, but now I'm going to give it a shot with a Goldberg J3 Cub I have- still in the box after all these years. Your hinge sealing method looks easier than what I have done for years, and more efficient aerodynamically. Picking up this one tip was worth my watching the entire video, and I certainly appreciate your taking the time to teach us old dogs unlearned tricks. Two irons is also a great idea as well as the wood burner "pencil" technique. Thank you again, and may God bless you to keep flying for many years to come.

[@martinkolm1796]

Well thank you so much for the kind words hope you like the technique on your cub and may you fly many years too my friend and God bless

[@djinn201]

First covering I've ever seen. I'm a foamie flyer did a bolsa build years ago got up to finishing the wing build and was my mother was having a cabernet moved in to the spare room I was working in job was on the floor on huge wooden board and it got stood on as they walked backwards into the room and cruched it. I threw the towl in had not purchased engine servo's or controller so I cut my losses. Now I have 2 foamies, to my point so many balsa build guys kind of look down on the foamie side of the hobbie I get it after watching this my word the little tricks and skills that take years to learn and develop, and us foamie owners come walking into a club saying I built this took me a couple hours 🤦‍♂️ I feel a little foolish, great video I have new found respect for builders and I will state I assembled my foamie planes from now. Great vid awsome skills👍

[@scottstump7208]

Getting ready to build my first balsa plane in 30 + years. I really appreciate videos like this one.

[@charlesmyers9765]

I wanted to learn this my whole life, and I'm a little long in the tooth but finally have a chance. I think building is a dying art, and it's an honor to watch an elder do it. Thank you!!

[@longhaul007]

Thank you for the tip with wood burner tool. Best covering vid on KZbin.

[@paulc99]

Great aileron covering tip. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@mbmrc5241]

Thanks! Anything else you would like to see let us know!

[@frez777]

Keep this content coming over the winter if you guys have time. We need Marty's expertise!

[@RC-Flight]

Guys, just wanted too thank you so much for taking the time too make these videos!! I really appreciate your unbias opinions on the aircraft that you own and fly. There are way too many people on you tube who get free planes too review and you can tell they are only in it for the free stuff!!! Those people do not offer an unbias opinion and only say good things about the plane that they are reviewing. I really trust your input and the value your family gives back too this great hobby!!!!!!!!!!

[@markgurney8725]

Great show, I've been doing the ailerons all wrong. You guys are the best!

[@martinkolm1796]

I didn’t mention in the video but I do elevators and rudders the same thanks for your kind words

[@BubbaandBilly]

Thanks for the covering video. I definitely struggle with covering jobs. Alot of good tips and tricks of the trade.. I have a wing to cover now, Glad I saw this video before I started... Thanks again.

[@stevebarr9604]

I'm getting ready to recover a sweet stick 40 and I'm going to try your method of sealing the hinge gap so I don't have to cut the hinges out and rehinge it!

[@martinkolm1796]

Well I will be curious to know how it works for you drop a line and let us know

[@turbinematt3646]

Very good covering video. Lots of great tips! Thanks!

[@stevehuskey1758]

Coming here from your fb post. Thank you for this. New guys like me need this kind of content. I am very thank full. even build videos would be great. Us new guys sure could use a push into the deep end of this hobby to on aspects of building too. Again thank you. Subscribed.

[@stevebarr9604]

I can tell by all your videos that you do a great job of covering! I've never tried that with hinging first and then covering it! That's a good idea!

[@mbmrc5241]

Thanks Steve!

[@LawernceSimmons]

Impressive technique! Beautiful result! Thank you for sharing! :)

[@dradden1556]

Absolutely beautiful work !! 👍

[@shakes313]

This is a great video. Thank you so much for making and sharing it. I'm making a Kadet LT-40 and am new to this (first balsa kit for me). After watching this I'm stuck debating on whether to glue in the easy hinges before or after covering. The way you do it looks so awesome, but from others I've asked at the field (and also made a redit post on this), all say 100% cover first and "the hinges will get in the way". Though, doing the hinges first and covering after as you've shown looks so much simpler and elegant.

[@martinkolm1796]

Providing you are not using pinned hinges such as Robart hinges they will not be in the way. You will have a hinge line that is clean and protected and free of flutter not that that is a huge concern on the LT. Most people who knock this method has never tried it

[@shakes313]

@@martinkolm1796 Thank you. I probably should have held off trying this until I had a cover or two under my belt. It was looking very good - until I used a bit too much heat gun. Ended up just slicing it down the middle along with hinge line and burning the covering into the wood. Still ended up flying great so that's good :)

[@aa7jc]

Wow. What a beautiful job!

[@roadstar499]

Great video..but you did not show how the entire coating was made nice and flat on bottom..was big iron used? THANKS.

[@martinkolm1796]

The big iron was used on the bottom also probably used the heat gun as well.thanks for the comment

[@jasonleblanc2589]

Hey now that had a lot of info thank you so much I learned a lot. Great job

[@robertgordon5562]

I really enjoyed your covering video! Could you please do a video on construction tips?

[@martinkolm1796]

We would love to have many tricks up our sleeves is there anything in particular you would like to see

[@robertgordon5562]

@@martinkolm1796 Are you using a jig to build everything straight? What glue do you use to laminate balsa and ply on a doubler?

[@martinkolm1796]

I have an old a-justo-jig that I will often times use for tapered wings or even more complex symmetrical. Flat bottom or tabbed ribs are generally built on my bench using a nice flat piece of drywall. My son does the fuselage and tail feathers using a center line over or on the plan. Depending on the build most often ply doublers are put down with a thin coat of epoxy. Sometimes we clamp in place and use thin c/a to wick in the wood then reinforce by brushing wood glue around edges such as lightning holes and so on this makes for a great surface weld if you will

[@robertgordon5562]

@@martinkolm1796 Thank you!

[@stevebarr9604]

You guys are the best at building and covering that I've ever seen! I wish I could get that quick and good at it! I've built a lot of planes but it always took me a good while! What's the secret? Lol

[@mbmrc5241]

Having Two, Sometimes Three family members working on it. My Brother and My Father spend almost all of their free time building!

[@stephenrobinson4018]

What is on the bottom of your sealing iron and name of the iron usine topflite good job

[@martinkolm1796]

That particular iron was a sealector I purchased on e bay the coating is some type of Teflon type coating. I am currently using a alien iron that works very nice.

[@thercbarn5001]

I cover in much the same way. I really dislike sealing the hinge line. I just put some clear tape after covering if necessary.

[@mbmrc5241]

Thanks for comment mike! What’s your dislike against sealing the hinge?

[@thercbarn5001]

@@mbmrc5241 I don't really think it's necessary. I've only done a few of my airframes and it didn't make a difference. I just get a nice tight hinge line.

[@JKinFW5775]

Is the top and bottom both sealed? Or just one side? Thanks for the great info on your channel.

[@jasonbowers8486]

Just an fyi. Those wings are absolutely great on a seniorita. I built a seniorita and had a twist in the wing some how. Replaced it with lt25 wing.

[@martinkolm1796]

Never owned a seniorita but would love to have one as far as the twist in your wing it can easily be fixed by laying it with the straight panel flat on a table twisted side out have a friend twist the wing straight while you re shrink the covering top and bottom and it should come out pretty respectable

[@jasonbowers8486]

@@martinkolm1796 I did try to twist and heat. It helped but still took a lot of right rudder to keep the plane level. It would have made a great free flight airplane. It would fly a circle about a quarter mile across. Lol

[@martinkolm1796]

Lol we have all been there thanks for your comment

[@wrstew1272]

Iron heat for both low temp and high temperature?

[@martinkolm1796]

Unfortunately I don’t have temperature indicators on either iron I just experiment on scrap pieces until I find what works best then I mark the setting on the iron because inevitably I will bump it at some point

[@eduardoserrano5453]

Sir, my respects to you. Great job

[@jonathanrubin3603]

What tempatures would you recomend for monokote and ultrakote ?

[@martinkolm1796]

I usually go between 300 degrees f for ultra coat 320 degrees f for Monokote

[@rbbudgies4897]

Hi, good job, how do you cut your red stripes?

[@martinkolm1796]

Lay the covering material shiny side down use a drywall square or equivalent straight edge holding it firmly with an xacto knife cut your preferred width and length. We use a piece of tempered Masonite on the bottom so we don’t damage the table or the knife

[@rbbudgies4897]

Thank you

[@elwynj5379]

Great job. Great tips. Thanks for sharing.

[@stevebarr9604]

Can you buy that cover tugger or is it a special thing you made?

[@mbmrc5241]

Yes, You can buy from Ohio Superstar Products! They're Great!

[@michaelfergusonsr.8574]

Great video thank you and the wing looks really nice

[@tonybeverley5406]

Hi there,love your covering video and I have question for you witch is what brand of iron do u use for your hot iron and does it mark the covering with no sock on it,I appriciate your comments thanks.

[@martinkolm1796]

Both my irons are old sealector sealing irons I absolutely love them I use two different shoes on them one is sort of rounded in the front the other is sort of pointy both have some sort of coating on them that for the most part does little to no damage I’m not a big fan of the sock they don’t seem to transfer the heat as well for me. The irons can be purchased on e bay pretty cheap since the company is no longer in business try one you will love it

[@tonybeverley5406]

@@martinkolm1796 thanks heaps for your reply I appriciate it I'll be looking for one soon

[@radukapu]

Amazing video. I learned a lot! What would be your advice for making vent holes in haul? Knife of hot solder tip? Thank you

[@martinkolm1796]

I would use the solder tip it will seal the edges down nice and keep them from coming loose

[@radukapu]

@@martinkolm1796 thank you. Just done that. Super easy and it really looks clean and finish around edges 👍🏻

[@phildiamond7317]

Thank you for an excellent video. How did you cut the red strip so straight or is it precut to that width? Wouldn't cutting with scissors give an inherently crooked edge?

[@martinkolm1796]

I lay the covering on a piece of tempered Masonite and use a drywall square and a sharp exacto knife. You must hold the drywall square firmly so the covering doesn’t slip when you cut it. Great question thanks

[@jimsodowsky1298]

Are y'all still out there????

[@jimsodowsky1298]

Best covering video I've seen to date. Do you use a sanding sealer before sanding on your wings before covering them? Is the Monokote process the same as the Ultracote? Your wing TE-to-Aileron hinge line covering is very similar to the Gap Seals we use on real aircraft to lessen drag. Keep'em coming MBM.

[@martinkolm1796]

No when I sand generally start with 100 grit on a block then 220 and final sand with 400 by hand

[@martinkolm1796]

Sorry second question was ultracote and Monokote are applied the same

[@davestravels2022]

What cover manufacturer are you using? Thank you in advance

[@mbmrc5241]

We use Ultra-Cote and Monokote

[@davestravels2022]

@@mbmrc5241 thank you! I’ve used something called easycote and I’m having no end of trouble with it

[@martinkolm1796]

I don’t believe I have ever seen that one. Is it some type of low temperature covering because some of that stuff can be a little tricky and in the long run it just won’t stay put very frustrating

[@angelanbrentenlowndavis2949]

Incredible job you two do covering planes. What brand do you use on most your planes? They look flawless, no sags or wrinkles. I've been doing it for 35 plus years and cant ever come close to your jobs..

[@mbmrc5241]

We use both monokote, and ultracote, dont be fooled, we do plenty of shrink work! Thanks for the comment!

[@angelanbrentenlowndavis2949]

@@mbmrc5241 I usually stretch it till it loses all stretch lol... your videos really do help. Good tips.

[@robertrent5218]

Best I've seen. Thanks.

[@rickfanger3735]

Thank you for sharing this great video. So... is it ok to put the Ultrastripe red trim right over on top of the Monocoat? I am new at using these two products. I usually use silk and dope.

[@martinkolm1796]

Absolutely and thank you for the kind words

[@adventures3699]

You sir are a Master!!!! I m learning from you!!!!

[@mbmrc5241]

Wow, thanks

[@Charleston_SC]

The sun has a shrinking effect on plastic coverings. I wonder how the sun shrinking the covering (both sides) will effect that hinge line? Stiff ailerons? Minimized throw?

[@martinkolm1796]

Well I can say living in ohio isn’t the sunniest place in the world but it does shine occasionally and has not posed a problem thus far however if you try to shrink that hinge line with a heat gun what you say will come true, so it is very important that if you use this method use only a sealing iron on the hinge line and deflect the control surface as shown in the video. Thanks for the comment it could happen I suppose if your climate is warmer than sunny Ohio

[@Charleston_SC]

@@martinkolm1796 .... Good tip! When you are doing plastic covering wrinkle maintance.... stay away from the hinge line! Do you have an opinion on using Blenderm tape for sealing the hinge gap?

[@martinkolm1796]

I personally have never used that tape. Worse case scenario when using covering is in the event the hinge gap should get tight simply cut the covering on the hinge line with an xacto knife and seal that covering down with a trim iron, then cut a 1 inch wide strip of covering and re seal the hinge line making sure to give it full deflection as shown in the video. I really have had virtually no problems with this method it looks nice and with a little care taken when shrinking is necessary will pose very little problems and most importantly reduces flutter . Thanks again

[@2rthseeker]

Thank you, wonderful demonstration

[@darrenrobillard9496]

You make it all look so easy 😊

[@ThePlanefixr]

Hey guys, with Monokote discontinued and Ultracote getting harder to find, what coverings would you recommend? Thanks for the videos!

[@mbmrc5241]

We don’t seem to have much of an issue getting Ultracote. Check out graves hobby shop online. They usually have a pretty wide selection.

[@freed6343]

It looks like several brands, including Monokote are available on Amazon.

[@ToddStimpson]

Very informative, thank you!

[@soosmate]

Thanks, really informative, and nice and slow!

[@michaelfergusonsr.8574]

Re-balance after repairs?

[@CuetoRafael]

Thank you very much.... very didactic video.....🙂

[@maukgr2012]

Wonderful job.... congratulations!!! Unfortunately in Brazil we've difficulty to buy Monokote, we need to import chinakote from China that is very worst product, it's very thin!!!! Hugs

[@DontEverGrowUp]

Very nice! Any video of the airplane in the air?

[@HimanshuShekhar1]

Hi, thank you for such an educational video. My question to you is, what are the temperatures for the hot iron and the cold iron? Have a nice day sir.

[@maestrimq]

❤ Great job, sir

[@mbmrc5241]

Thank you!

[@AlexDiesTrying]

When you're doing this for the first time, testing temperatures on a piece of scrap might be a good idea.

[@martinkolm1796]

That is very true I have actually covered scrap balsa to test temperature.

[@eeromahonen7282]

Professional work!

[@mbmrc5241]

Thanks!

[@williamcrane8236]

Was gonna say you missed a most crucial step. I didn't see you poke a screwdriver, landing great, once I used a doorknob on a doped wing through a wing panel. I know it's not in the covering instructions SO I like to point it out. I have confirmed this with others. Stickers are your friend.

[@mdtidwell6095]

Y’all been a.w.o.l. for a bit, hope all is well. Looking forward to some more great content

[@jimsodowsky1298]

Have y'a;; decided to not do online content anymore?

[@les121476]

Thank you for sharing

[@mbmrc5241]

Thanks for the comment Lloyd

[@Extra300goldberg]

What ever happened to you guys? We miss your videos!!

[@RC-Flight]

I'm missing them too, their videos are very informative and not full of foam airplanes.

[@wolfiber]

👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@beatriztonybuss5129]

@😊

[@deankerr3417]

sig lt-25 wing

[@mbmrc5241]

Just got two of them! Seem like strong little planes!

[@stefanhenningsson6304]

10 to 15 minute video running 40 plus minutes:)

[@mbmrc5241]

Lol, time got away from us!

[@paulshockieuk2651]

Maybe if you stood and not have it on your knees where it is all over the place you could do a better covering

[@billjones3071]

Looks like ultacoat, pulling at the seems, I love working with monokote too bad it’s discontinued anyway great job and my favorite and first plane was sig lt25 surpass 40 awesome best plane