Japanese Silk Covering

[Mister B Racing]

Has anyone tried to cover a ladder style car with model airplane Japanese silk covering. Before my dad passed away he was into building and flying model airplanes and he at times used Japanese silk and dope for the adhesive on some of his planes.

Just wondering if the silk covering is strong enough for handling at races and shipping to and from races. The covering is light and looks really awsome when its done.

Thanks!

 

[Papa V Racing]

MBR-

I used it back in the day for our U-Control airplanes they had high stress and it held up really well... I would say if done right it should be ok... I know alot of guys use mono and econo kote and some are using the labels and these are doing great...

Just an old airplane guys 2 cents..... I am working with this on a rocket project with the boys this winter... more to come of that project...

Papa V

 

[The Iceman]

I've built a few Movie Poster boxes and I would use Silk Ribbon to hinge the plexiglass. I used it because I couldn't believe how strong it was!!!

 

[Mister B Racing]

MBR-

I used it back in the day for our U-Control airplanes they had high stress and it held up really well... I would say if done right it should be ok... I know alot of guys use mono and econo kote and some are using the labels and these are doing great...

Just an old airplane guys 2 cents..... I am working with this on a rocket project with the boys this winter... more to come of that project...

Papa V

I was doing some practice coverings with the Silk covering. The dope that adheres the silk to the wood dries really fast, faster than I can position the covering and get any wrinkles out on the car.

Is there a slow drying dope available? Am I trying to cover to much at one time?

Thanks!

 

[Falcon777]

Silk is extremely Strong and a challenge to work with if you have no experience. Basically, prep your structure with sanding - 400 grit + final - then predope the structure with butyrate dope. Sand the raised wood grain and dope again. This acts not only a moisture barrier, but will also act as a glue for the silk. Mix 50 % dope and thinner. Lay your silk across the structure and mist with water. Apply the 50/50 thinned dope to the structure which will soften the pure dope and "glue" the silk to the frame. If it dries, add more 50/50 to loosen and reposition. Some use pure thinner for this as well but 50/50 is recommended. Once everything is set, allow the structure to dry. Old-timers then would apply two cotes of butyrate dope to the silk which will cause the structure to shrink taught. The structure must be clamped down to prevent this. This is the danger with silk and a ladder structure - silk will warp your frame if you are not careful. Also, use in a well ventilated area away from flames. Dope can melt certain plastics. Also, for the final finish, use regular non-shrinking dope instead of the butyrate. The same can be accomplished with Japanese tissue and a glue stick and two cotes of Krylon satin.

 

[TRE]

sounds like you will have a warped car with bad drill job after doing this

 

[TRE]

you get water anywhere near thin body and you will ruin it.. i ruined two bodys this weekend

 

[Falcon777]

As long as you seal and sand the structure well with the dope, you will be ok. Remember, this old timers technique was developed for Balsa Airplane Models not PWD cars. Balsa is much more porous and I assume holds the dope better than pine wood so results may very. Also, Monokote is the same - designed for balsa not pine - it is much easier working with balsa and these products than pine.

 

[ngyoung]

I think if you want to use this and avoid warping like TRE mentioned you will have to get everything done before drilling your holes. If the body sits flat on your block it will still be good to drill when you clamp it down. Sometimes though you have to take a step back and ask if it is worth doing vs just painting or using a printed decal. To keep my car body dry when adding a waterslide I first cut out a piece of monokote peel and stick trim. I left the backing on and added the wet decal and after it was dry I peeled off the backing to apply it to my car. Even that though seemed like more work then it was worth and I decided to pick up some shipping label paper for adding any images.