COREY'S COVERING PROCEDURE

The following is how I painted my fabric surfaces on my 3/5ths scale 1915 Voisin airplane. I began in September of 2004, and completed the covering in the spring of 2005. No spraying is necessary. The only toxic chemical is the MEK and it isn't absolutely required. The result is not a show quality finish, but it is very acceptable for an authentic WWI look and looks REALLY good from 20 feet! 

BE SURE TO READ THE DISCLAIMER AT THE END. 
IN FACT, GO READ IT NOW!

I would encourage you to obtain other instruction manuals and videos on fabric covering. The procedure I used was a combination of two different systems. 

1. PREP SURFACES
	Wood - 	Apply a high quality one part Polyurethane varnish sealer according to the
			directions on the container.
	Aluminum - Clean with high strength non residue detergent. Rinse thoroughly. After 			aluminum is thoroughly dry, apply high quality etching primer purchased 			from auto-body supply store. I used 501DX by PPG. 
			RINSE THOROUGHLY WITH CLEAN WATER.
			After water dries, a 2 part epoxy primer can be used to make the glue 
			adhere a little better. It is also good for corrosion protection.
				NOTE: I did not use the epoxy primer.
	Steel -		Must be thoroughly clean and oil free and primed. Primer should be 			fully cured before covering. Any previously painted metal should be 				cleaned and have an epoxy primer applied.

	All sharp edges should be sanded and/or covered. I use cloth hockey stick tape.

2. CUT FABRIC TO SIZE
	All edges have at least a 1" overlap/overhang to the opposite side.

3. ATTACHING FABRIC
	Option A: 	Using a 1” foam brush, apply a bead of 30NF no wider than the brush to 			the surface where the fabric will be attached. Let the cement tack up to the 			touch. Approximately 10-15 minutes depending on temperature and 				humidity. This can be accelerated with a hair dryer. 
	Option B:	Lightly spray a thin bead of 3M Super 76 contact cement to the surface 
			where the fabric will be attached. Fabric must be attached within three to 			five minutes. This method is very messy and only used when extremely 			fast tack times are necessary.
	THEN:	Press the fabric to the cemented area being careful to keep wrinkles out. 			You can lift and reset to get positioned as desired. After fabric is 				positioned, run a 225° iron along the bead. This will firmly tack the fabric 			to the glue. If you are going around corners, use the iron to form around 			them. At this point brush additional cement down through the fabric to all 			the surface area wiping excess cement away with a damp towel while at 			the same time smoothing the fabric down. 
			Caution: Use only a damp towel, excess water will wick the 30NF out 
			of the fabric. 
			The cemented area should show an even blue/green color indicating a 
			complete bond to the substrate. Drying time will be up to four hours 
			depending on temperature and humidity. The cement can be force dried 
			with a hair dryer. NOT a heat gun. The cemented area will turn fully green 			when dry.

			When installing inspection rings or reinforcing patches, use 30NF as a 			contact cement: apply to both surfaces, allow to become tacky, and then 			press the surfaces together. 
			NOTE: Be sure to wipe away excess cement ridges and bubbles before it 			dries. It will save you ironing time later.
			When applying fabric over plywood surfaces,  the 30NF to the 
			plywood and allow to just get tacky. Carefully apply fabric to cemented 			area being sure that fabric is smoothed down. When fabric is laying flat, 			brush additional cement down through the fabric and wipe away excess 
			cement with a damp paper towel while at the same time smoothing the 
			fabric down. 
			NOTE: Be sure to wipe away excess cement before it dries. 	

30 NF is thermal active, meaning that if necessary you can insure a good bond or reattach cemented surfaces by applying 225° heat to the area.

4. SHRINK FABRIC
	1. Set iron at 250° and smooth all wrinkles out of the edges next to the areas that were 	    just glued. Move quickly to keep the glue from gumming up. Then smooth out rest 	    of fabric.
	2. Increase iron to 275° and go over fabric again making sure structure does not 
	    distort. 

5. APPLY REINFORCING PATCHES
	1. Lay out some already shrunk to 275° fabric on wax paper. Coat with 30NF. When 	    dry, cut out patch to size needed. 
	2. Make sure surface to be reinforced is smoothed well with iron then apply coat of 
	    30NF. Let it tack up. Hair dryer may be used.
	3. Apply patch and smooth out with fingers.

(Alternatively, lay out bare, already shrunk and cut to size, fabric over area. Apply a dab of 30NF through both layers at the center only. Allow to dry just to tacky. Apply 30NF over rest of patch through both layers. This allows smoothing without the whole patch moving around.) 

	4. After all reinforcing patches have been applied, set iron to 300° and go over the 
	   fabric surface twice. Allow fabric to cool between ironings. Then twice again at 350°.

 	NOTE: On my plane I did not go over 325°. You can go up to 375° as long as 
		    the structure does not distort. Do not heat cemented edges or patches.

6. RIBSTITCHING
	I used the hidden knot method which can be found, for one, in the PolyFibre 
Covering manual. Can also be found in other manufacturers manuals and on the internet. 

7. SURFACE TAPES
	I cut my own tapes	, patches and ring covers. For an authentic look on WWI and earlier aircraft, use straight scissors, cut your tapes an extra half inch wide and fray the outer 1/4”. You must be certain you are cutting in line with the grain of the fabric to allow for even edges. Cut across the grain for a bias tape that can be used around corners such as a rounded wing tip. Unbiased will work too by using your iron to form the tape around the corner. Takes practice, but can be done.

	1. Using a 1" foam brush, anchor the middle 3/4” of the tape along the length with 		   30NF. Let tack up or use hair dryer. Be sure to keep excess cement to a minimum. 	    Wipe with damp cloth as in step 3.
	2. Use the iron to form around curves where necessary working from the middle to the 	    edge. When the tapes are formed, apply 30NF through the tape to the underlying 	    surface. Keep cement within the width of the tape and spread from the center to the 	     edge. If you are using frayed tapes, be very delicate to keep your fibers even. 	  	    Alternate top and bottom of tape as you go along the length.
	3. Small imperfections of the glue line can be flattened with 225° iron after it dries.

8. INSPECTION RINGS AND DRAIN HOLES
	When marking locations for inspection rings and drain holes, use a soft lead pencil 
only. It is very important that you have a good bond between the inspection ring and the 
fabric and between the inspection ring and the inspection ring patch. 
	1. Place the inspection ring on the fabric where it is to be located, trace the 
	    inside and outside diameters of the inspection ring onto the fabric surface.
	2. Apply 30NF to the area on the fabric where the inspection ring is located then 
	    apply 30NF to the bottom (flat) area of the inspection ring. Place the 
	    inspection ring on the cemented area of the fabric (flat side down) and apply 
	    pressure while twisting the ring slightly to lock it into place. NOTE: when 
	    applying the ring to the fabric excess glue may seep from the edges of the ring, 
	    wipe this away with a damp towel.
	3. Cut a patch 1" larger than the outside diameter of the inspection ring. (See
	    step 5) After the inspection ring is securely cemented to the fabric, apply 
	    cement to the inside fabric area of the inspection ring, place the fabric patch 	       	    centered over the ring and apply cement to the patch covering the inside 
	         fabric area. Apply slight pressure and wipe away excess cement being careful 	    
	    not to cement to the ring itself. Make sure your patch is cemented right up to 
	    the ring and there are no air pockets between the patch and the ring. Let that 
	    set up.
	4. After you have let the inside of the patch dry to the touch, iron the inside area 
	    with a 275°F iron paying special attention the area against the ring itself.
	5. Apply cement to the ring. Apply cement to the top of the patch pushing 
	    cement through to the ring. Wipe away excess 30NF with a damp paper towel 
	    being careful not to cement the patch to the outside area of fabric surrounding 
	    the ring. Let that set up.
	6. Iron with a 275°F iron to smooth down the outside area of the patch and to 
	    secure the patch tightly around the ring.
	7. Apply cement to the fabric outside of the ring where your patch is located. 
	    Push cement through the patch to the fabric area of the patch and again wipe 
	    away excess with a damp paper towel. Make sure there are no air pockets 
	    surrounding the ring where the patch is attached to the fabric.
	8. Drain holes are applied in like manner.

9. SEAL FABRIC
		After all patches, rings, stitching and tapes are in place, use a 275° finish iron where ever unwanted lifting, ridges or bubbles are. Take as much time as necessary. Dilute 30NF with about 5% distilled water. Using a 4" foam brush, spread 30NF over all areas of the fabric that does not already have 30NF on it. Very little is needed to encapsulate and seal the fabric. The fabric will wick the sealer from the foam brush. Take your time and make sure you have 100% coverage. Lightly brush down ridges. You may see tiny bubbles left by the pores of the foam brush. They will disappear. This is why you dilute the 30NF.

10. PAINTING 
	30NF is a latex based cement/sealer. Latex based primers and paints work very well when applied over it. On my first airplane, an Easy Riser, I used Rustoleum Chain Link Fence Silver directly over the 30NF. It lasted for 2 years before the paint became brittle and started flaking off. It was easily fixed by lightly wiping the chipped area with MEK, and repainting. That plane was destroyed, along with the hangar it was in, by a tornado in 2004. Many of the parts are still leaning against a shed and the paint is still firm. As of  Summer 2007, the fabric still withstands 15 lbs of pressure, however, I can easily rip it at the damaged areas.

Here are the steps I used to paint my Voisin wings. This was 4.5 months after step 9. The tail surfaces were painted within 10 days of sealing them.

	1. Lightly wipe clean all surfaces with a mild cleaning solution. I used an industrial 	    vinegar solution followed by 91% rubbing alcohol. Rinse with water.

	2. Using a 4” foam roller, apply a high quality primer/sealer. I used Zinsser 1-2-3
	   Primer/Sealer tinted as black as possible. I added 10% Floetrol just before applying.  
       One double coat applied span-wise and one chord-wise is all that was required. One 
       quart of primer is all I used for the whole airplane. 

	3. If any graphics such as roundels are to be painted, draw them on with a soft lead 	    pencil. To save weight, no colors are overlapped. In other words, the graphics were 	    not painted over the base color. All color coats were painted on the primer.

	4. DutchBoy Dura-Weather Premium Satin thinned with 40% Floetrol was used for 	    the top coats. Use gloss for a shinier look. I used a 3” foam brush for the graphics 	    and a 4” medium nap roller for the main color. It took me 8 tries to get it right. The 	    last side of the last wing came out the best. As with the primer, I painted one double 	    coat span-wise then one chord-wise about 45 minutes later. Have a damp, not wet, 	    foam brush handy to knock down ridges and large bubbles the roller might leave 	    behind. Do NOT try to smooth out the unevenness the roller leaves. It will flow out. 	    If you are careful, you shouldn't have to use the knock down brush at all. Do not go 	    back and forth over the same spot over and over. Use just enough paint on the  roller 	    to keep the flow even. I used ¾ of a gallon of main color and about a half quart each 	    of the three graphics colors.

Mistakes can be corrected after the 30NF is completely dry. Simply use MEK and rub the area until the paint and 30NF dissolves. Wipe clean. Repair and finish as above.

COVERING MATERIAL LIST

1.7 or 1.8oz non-certified Dacron             		Hair Dryer
3M 30NF Contact Cement 				Scissors or Pinking Shears
3M 76 High Tack Adhesive (optional)		Razor Blades
Precut Dacron Tape					Modeling and regular Iron
Cloth Hockey Tape					1" Foam Paint Brush
Distilled Water						4" Foam Paint Brush
MEK                                                                          4” Paint Roller-
Sherwin Williams A100 primer/sealer			Medium Nap and Foam 
Sherwin Williams Duration top colors			Saw Horses
Cleaner Vinegar						Wax Paper
91% Rubbing Alcohol					Paint Cups and Pan
Hand Protection						PPG 501DX Aluminum Etcher

The disclaimer-
ATTENTION: The preceding covering procedure is how I, Corey Butcher, covered my 1915 Voisin replica. It is for informational purposes only, and is not meant to be a definitive procedure for ANYONE ELSE. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!