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Working with Diacov 1000

Anything to do with gliders & gliding.
Nigel Argall
Posts: 138
Joined: 20 Mar 2015, 18:26
Location: Cornwall

Working with Diacov 1000

Post by Nigel Argall »

I’d be interested to hear about anyone’s experience of working with this covering and any hints, tips and advice. The story is… in a moment of pilot stupidity I manged to prang my Grunau Baby a week or so before Christmas. It was covered in ‘natural’ solartex so after the internal spar fixing session, I had to find something else. Diacov seemed the obvious alternative so I ordered 3m from Sarik.
First, the good news:
1) At £9.99 per meter it’s not cheap but than not silly money either. Incidentally postage is not cheap at £9 so order whatever you might need in one go.
2) It’s slightly wider than Solartex at 73cm on a roll. This might be good news for big models – a strip cut from the roll will actually go all the way round the wing of my Grunau baby (despite the 12” chord) so if I was starting from scratch I’d only need 3.5 metres for a 3.5 meter wing (if you see what I mean).
3) Goes on pretty much like solartex – nice to work round compound curves and wing tips etc.
4) I did a not-very-scientific test and reckon Diacov is slightly lighter than solatex (but maybe only 10%) and shrinks slightly more than solartex - again , maybe by 10% but both those figures are rough!
Now… the not so good:
1) Like any covering, you can get air bubbles which need sorting out – not a fault but easy to do.
2) It has a very ‘unfinished’ feel to it – it is very easy to get pen/pencil/dirt marks in the silk like weave – these will then not come out so work in a clean area.
3) Likewise, you are going to have to paint/lacquer it or something – it’s going to get very grubby. Again, probably not an issue on a large-scale model.
4) Biggest problem I had was that when I sprayed paint and then later, lacquer on the wing to seal it, the covering seems to absorb the liquid, sag and the edges came undone (it felt like the old tissue and dope days!) Most of this seems to have rectified itself and you can always go back over with the iron to stick things down but it was a bit frustrating.
5) I probably need to experiment with the iron and will admit I’m using an old domestic iron not a pukka modelling one.

Well that’s it but as I can see myself using this stuff a LOT in the future I’d love to hear any advice you more experienced folk have.
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Keith

Re: Working with Diacov 1000

Post by Keith »

Hi Nigel, i used Diotex on my 1/2 scale K3, when i did mine i had to use the glue first on the airframe then put the covering on and used an activator to secure into position, it gave ypu time to pull it taut then one it was dry i used a heat gun/ iron to shrink i didnt have any problems as it does shrink quite alot. I know now that you can get it as an iron on so must be easer to apply.

Keith
Roger-Spragg
Posts: 33
Joined: 23 Mar 2015, 14:29

Re: Working with Diacov 1000

Post by Roger-Spragg »

Hi Nigel
I used Diatex 1000 to cover the 1/3 scale PIK-5 featured in the Nov RCM&E. I really like it. It sticks better than Solartex - no need to pre-glue (solarloc) bare balsa/ply areas but you do need a very much hotter iron to melt the glue backing than you do for Solartex. I use a cooler iron for shrinking rather than a heat gun. I then sealed the fabric with2 coats of thinned non shrink dope before completing with my finish if choice - 2 part polyurethane yacht varnish for the PIK-5.
Diatex 1000 will be my covering of choice on anything that isn't small!
Hope this helps
User avatar
chris williams
Posts: 1549
Joined: 10 Mar 2015, 10:50
Location: Blandford Dorset

Re: Working with Diacov 1000

Post by chris williams »

Excellent! We have a substitute for Solartex; all we need now is a substitute for balsa...! ;)
catwok
Posts: 134
Joined: 24 Apr 2015, 12:15
Location: Rugeley

Re: Working with Diacov 1000

Post by catwok »

I have just recovered a 6m Phoenix K8 in Diatex 1000 but it was necessary to paint the wood structure with adhesive before ironing on. Not too sure if Diacov and Diatex are getting mixed up.
Barry Atkinson
Posts: 22
Joined: 20 Mar 2015, 22:33
Location: Darkest Gloucestershire

Re: Working with Diacov 1000

Post by Barry Atkinson »

Hi Nigel

I'm the one at Sarik who sent you your Diacov1000 (not to be confused with sister product Diatex, which isn't iron on) and pleased to see that you got on reasonably well with it.
Clubmates Roger Spragg (below with Pik 5) Frank Skilbeck and myself have used it on a couple of projects now and loved it.... which was the impetus for me bringing it into Sarik Hobbies.
You'll be aware that it doesn't come with instructions and that's largely down to the fact we didn't get any either! There is a little on the their website, but not much other than the basic facts and figures and they say it likes PU (PUR) paints.
I'm keen to build up enough user info' to make a user guide sheet to supply in due course....
I'd add the following to your observations:
If you've used Solartex or Oratex in the past to cover .... use exactly the same techniques for ironing on.
I reckon it needs a slightly hotter iron ...120 ish than 'tex, as Roger mentions and I fully agree - I think that might help you with the 'unfinished' feel you mention. Don't be frightened be run over it til really taught.

It's the various finishes that we need to build experience with and I'd love to hear from anyones success and failures for my future guide sheet.
Roger seems to have got on well with his varnish choice and I can add that I have covered a 1/4 scale Cub in it and used Klasskote epoxy paint (from FighterAces) with great success. Another thing that impressed me was that said Cub sat in my workshop throughout this last hot summer and not the slightest sagging appeared in the covering, which made me very happy as it was "seriously B****y hot" in there...

Look forward to hearing from others as it gets used more. Email me at: barry.atkinson@sarikhobbies.com if you have questions on it or want to share how you got on with the very many paints etc on offer to us.

Wish you all a happy 2021 .... lets hope for a full season of thermals .... and in my case, finding them!!!

Barry A
Mike F
Posts: 114
Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 14:08
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Working with Diacov 1000

Post by Mike F »

Thanks Barry, very useful.
Regards
Mike
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