Wing covering options

[Paul Joslyn]

I have a Pat Teakle ASW17 and I want to restore the wings as they are getting a little tatty – basically sound but need re-covering.
Due to the cost / supply issues of heat shrink covering on a 4m+ wing, I was wondering what other options are there??

I don’t have spray facilities, well not indoors, so would have to wait for summer and would rather get it done in the non-flying season.

I recall in the ’60 minutes with Pat Teakle’ video, he used to glass them, then paint with several coats of enamel, rubbing down and finally T cutting, so might go with this option.

But wondered if there were other methods I had not considered??

Regards
Paul

[roo Hawkins]

Hi Paul I use vinly the stuff you use on vans signs.I get it from zoom signs on eBay my fox build as more information. Look at page 9 of the4.4 fox Covered my 6 meter dg 800 .dg202.Slingsby t53 and ash 31 with no problems .

[chris williams]

All my E-Assist gliders have their flying surfaces covered with HK film. Excellent stuff: inexpensive, and more importantly...NO PAINTING!

[Jondon51]

Hi Chris sorry for the change of topic. If you are using brass box and steel joiners. Do you have to have the steel all the way through the fus, in one piece , and then put the wings on into the steel. Meaning the steel is sticking out of the port and starboard sides, and the wings then connect to each side of the fus. Or can you have the steel joiner meeting in the middle of the fus. I mean can you have the left side of the wing so that the steel meets world n the middle of the brass box section. Could do with a photo really.

[chris williams]

A lot depends on the amount of dihedral that needs to be built into the wings. On most gull wing gliders there is too much dihedral to allow for a straight through joiner. (The Petrel being the exception). Larger models might need two (or even three) sets of joiners, which also limits the options.
There are two options for a wing joiner box: one, in which the joiners overlap for greater length, and which are appropriately offset in the wings (as per the old Pat Teakle kits), and two: where the joiner bars meet in the middle, with no offset required (Not quite as strong as the former, but which works quite adequately on, for instance, my 3.5 scale MO2a Minimoa)
The pics show the 3rd scale Habicht and the MO2a joiner boxes...

[Jondon51]

Ok thanks Chris for the info

[glideher]

would TowerKote work from towerbobbies? seems light enough for your application at 0.2 oz/sq ft ?
my gliders are under 100 grams and these are extremely heavy since they discontinued microlite.