Oratex is like Yoga Pants

[CanadianSheepHunter]

Ken
That is my dad with his PA-12 in Anchorage in 1948

Thats Cool Dude !

[CanadianSheepHunter]

Ken
That is my dad with his PA-12 in Anchorage in 1948

Thats Cool Dude !

Yes you bet...thats why its so darn cool !...ive gone through this ENTIRE thread and copy pasted all the stuff i wanted and printed it so i can refer to it without a computer...THANK YOU EVERYONE !

[CanadianSheepHunter]

Quick question typically how long do you "leave the glue dry" when first applying it...i know it says in the "Tips and Tricks" until clear but typically how long is this?

[BDA]

I think the book says 24hrs
Lars told me overnight...
Depends on temp and humidity -
I noticed in the winter when its really dry (-20), it will dry in 4 hrs.

I have an overhead radiant heater in my shop and it drys the glue faster when it kicks on.

[BDA]

Questions:

Why blue tape?
Lars said white/tan only- blue works too. But I guess some tapes leave a residue that glue wont stick too.

Why Oratex fabric bagage?
Because moose horns are pointy.
It is lighter than aluminum.
Its tough as nails.

Sharpie on Oratex is like playing with fire at the gas station.
It can goof up a glue joint
It can also show up when the sun shines through - even silver shows the dark spots.

[Clark in AZ]

Anyone here have scraps of Silver Oratex 600? Not 6000. Looking for a small piece 6" x 48".

Thanks,
Clark

[CanadianSheepHunter]

Questions:

Why blue tape?
Lars said white/tan only- blue works too. But I guess some tapes leave a residue that glue wont stick too.

Why Oratex fabric bagage?
Because moose horns are pointy.
It is lighter than aluminum.
Its tough as nails.

Sharpie on Oratex is like playing with fire at the gas station.
It can goof up a glue joint
It can also show up when the sun shines through - even silver shows the dark spots.

Thx, if I put Oratex on insides of baggage area like you did do you think it can be fully shrunk before the Oratex is put on the outside of fuselodge or would it bend any structure?

[Clark in AZ]

I finished my interior with Oratex a few weeks ago. Shrunk it just fine before doing the exterior. Just don't get crazy with the heat. You can always go back and do another pass after getting the fuselage done, if needed. It adds protection to the exterior fabric from "stuff" in the baggage compartment. Plus, it looks nice too!

Interior Covering - 1025x576.jpg

Oh, others cover the top of the baggage area too, I did not so I would have access to the cross braces to use as tie downs if needed. Your choice. However, the top is usually the first piece to be covered so you need to make up your mind before you start. I don't think it can be done later, or not very well.

Clark

[CanadianSheepHunter]

Thx

[BDA]

I dont think Oratex will shrink enough to bend the tubes,
I have tried

[Clark in AZ]

It can. I made the mistake of doing a final shrink on the top fabric behind the turtle deck when I only had one side done. It warped (scalloped) the center longeron that goes from the middle of the turtle deck back to the vertical stab. I didn't realize it until I rotated the fuselage to start the other side.

I tried to straighten it out after I set the other fabric in place did a final shrink on it. It straightened a little but you can still see the scallops if you look. Another side affect was that my attempt to straighten out the center longeron warped the longeron above my cargo door. I had to rework the top of my cargo door to account for the warp.

So, be careful with the heat and pay attention.

Clark

[FlyerChief]

BDA wrote:
Sharpie on Oratex is like playing with fire at the gas station.
It can goof up a glue joint
It can also show up when the sun shines through - even silver shows the dark spots.

Has anyone tried a soapstone marker? It doesn't mark as clearly as a Sharpie of course, but it cleans easily with a soft damp cloth. It likely wouldn't affect the glue, but I'm interested in whether anyone has tried it. It marks in white, so it obviously wouldn't work on the back or on white Oratex.
Thanks,
Dan

[CanadianSheepHunter]

Covered my right wing yesterday - no tapes yet

It took 10 hours plus around 2 hours for putting glue on ahead of time.

Had a helper for a couple hours

I think 2 people with 2 heat guns could do it in half the time.

On page 9 of this thread the pic "filling in the flap cove" i read on another page after you installed the fabric in flap cove the leading edge fabric wrapped down and over this...but what about the trailing edge...did you tack the trailing edge of the fabric that goes over top of wing BEFORE installing the chunk that filled in the flap cove?...or did you make the trailing edge top piece simply flush with the rear edge of trailing edge aluminum ?

[CanadianSheepHunter]

Ya Ed I did that too, its hard to look at those big wrinkles and not do something about them right away!

Going back to inspection rings...
I had to add one I forgot for the tailshock - so I used the thick gel superglue because I was afraid of runs, did not use near enough because I did not want it to ooze out all over. So there was a visible void all the way around the ring inside and out. I let that cure then I went around the inside edge with the Super thin super glue I got from spruce and it worked perfectly!!!
And this is vertical!

I wish I had used the super thin stuff from the beginning, it wicks right in, then travels around the ring, doesnt run out unless you just get stupid with the amount.

So - lesson learned, use the super thin stuff!

How much of this does one need for the whole plane?...i ordered two of the two ounce bottles today from Spruce...that should be more than enough ???

[CanadianSheepHunter]

BDA wrote:
Sharpie on Oratex is like playing with fire at the gas station.
It can goof up a glue joint
It can also show up when the sun shines through - even silver shows the dark spots.

Has anyone tried a soapstone marker? It doesn't mark as clearly as a Sharpie of course, but it cleans easily with a soft damp cloth. It likely wouldn't affect the glue, but I'm interested in whether anyone has tried it. It marks in white, so it obviously wouldn't work on the back or on white Oratex.
Thanks,
Dan

The back side of back coated Silver Oratex is black