OLD Timers covering question (70's-80's)

Turbojoe

Elite member
Way back in the dinosaur days (late 70's- early 80's) when i built my first Telemaster 40 I covered it with a "fabric looking" plastic film. I can't remember the exact name but I remember the magazine ad for the product as they showed an almost fully covered tennis ball with the product. It was a "tex" product. Maybe WorldTex? It was expensive even back then and quite heavy. It applied and looked like no other covering I've used since and if it's still out there I want to use it again on this present day Telemaster 40. What will set it apart from all the other coverings is that very old magazine ad with the mostly covered tennis ball. I'm not in any way interested in any copy cat coverings. The Tennis ball picture tells all......

Joe
 

Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
No idea who's covering that was, but I remember the same ads! That was way back when I read the magazines and dreamed of being able to build & fly RC planes. :)
 
There isn't much available that I know anymore that are iron on fabrics. I know of three lines. Balsa USA's Oratex has a fabric look. There may still be some rolls of Solartex. They've ceased production but are still selling off the remaining stock. Then there's Super Coverite, but that's been out of production for a good while now.

Edit: Found a few forum posts of people talking about Solartex advertising it could cover a tennis ball. Maybe that was it but a cursory search didn't bring up the ad.
 
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Turbojoe

Elite member
What I used wasn't a fabric as such but a "plastic fabric weave look". I'd swear it came from World Engines (long since out of business). I could be wrong though and it could be a SolarTex product, again long since out of business but just re-branded and sold by World Engines. I just don't know. It was simply the easiest to apply film I've ever used. It was virtually impossible to make a mistake with it even for an at that time 40 years ago neophyte like me. I wish I had NEVER sold that Telemaster 40! I hope to fly my second Telemaster 40 some time in the future. I'm just not sure what covering and electric or maybe even gasoline power plant will have her in the air this time...... She's been sitting fully built and ready to cover for close to ten years now. Maybe it's time to finally let her spread her wings........

Joe
 

Turbojoe

Elite member
Boy, the old days were really the good old days. 72 mhz radios. (I still have MANY 72 mhz TX and RX). Electric power back then was looked on as total heresy. Kits were die crushed and we were ecstatic just to get our hands on them. We simply finished cutting them out and sanded them to the point that they became useful to us. I honestly wouldn't trade those builder days for these laser cut days for one single minute. I honestly felt like a builder back then rather than just an "assembler" now. Guys in the hobby today just don't know how good they have it.

Joe
 

Turbojoe

Elite member
I'd recommend giving the Balsa USA Oratex coving a try - it's a new formulation from a full scale fabric covering maker in an iron-on format at RC scale weight. Personlly I loved how it went on - handled very easily - and took paint very well too. Pictures and comments in my build thread over here when I first used it:

https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/elder-60-restoration.36931/page-4#post-479772

First off my condolences for the loss of an awesome plane.....:cry:

The covering looks great but I wasn't prepared for the cost. No way $65.00 per roll fits into a fixed income budget especially when I'd like to do three colors. I'm sure it's worth every penny though. As much as I hate Monokote is still have a box full of the stuff and when I get around to finishing the Telemaster I'm afraid that's probably where it's going to end up. (n)

Joe
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
First off my condolences for the loss of an awesome plane.....:cry:

The covering looks great but I wasn't prepared for the cost. No way $65.00 per roll fits into a fixed income budget especially when I'd like to do three colors. I'm sure it's worth every penny though. As much as I hate Monokote is still have a box full of the stuff and when I get around to finishing the Telemaster I'm afraid that's probably where it's going to end up. (n)

Joe

Thanks - I still have one wing half and the dog house hanging up in the workshop in remembrance. :cry:

Yeah, the price change on this stuff is a hit for sure. I've only purchased and used the one roll so far. Pretty much reserving this for big projects where I know I'm going to want a paint job with mixed colors and masking. Hoping that I can get doculam working good for small planes with paint jobs - will be trying that on my next build.
 

Keno

Well-known member
I believe they called it Solartex
Just check it out on google it still available
 
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Piotrsko

Master member
Boy, the old days were really the good old days. 72 mhz radios. (I still have MANY 72 mhz TX and RX). Electric power back then was looked on as total heresy.
Joe

R. "Bob" Bouchier & Astroflight had a pretty big fanboy following back in the 70's. I know, I was one and thoroughly fed up with 2 stroke aviation.
 

Bricks

Master member
Might want to check out Super Super Coveright I have some and it looks like the dope and silkspan covering. comes in color irons on and no real reason to paint except to put one coat of clear just for dirt and stains..