Aircraft Covering Process

PROCEDURE
MANUAL 101

By Jon Goldenbaum
Procedure Manual 101
STC SA4503NM
Instruction for
Continued Airworthiness
June 2008 Revision
Original Issue 1958
 Revision Page
This manual is the June 2008 Revision.

This revision is printed and permanently bound with 132 pages. Pages are not replaceable; rather,
the whole manual is revised and reprinted when required.

Major sections are:

Chapter 1 – Getting Ready: pages 1-7

Chapter 2 – Airframe Preparation: pages 9-12
Chapter 3 – Tune Up Your Iron: pages 13-14
Chapter 4 – Attaching the Fabric: pages 15-16
Chapter 5 – Let’s Do a Wing: pages 17-49
Chapter 6 – Control Surfaces & Fuselage: pages 51-56
Chapter 7 – The Big Picture: How Many Coats?: pages 57-58
Chapter 8 – Spraying Nitrate: pages 59-62
Chapter 9 – Spraying Clear & Silver Butyrate: pages 63-66
Chapter 10 – Color Coats: pages 67-78
Appendix A: Envelopes & Sewing: pages 79-81
Appendix B: Covering Plywood Surfaces: pages 83
Appendix C: Rejuvenating Fabric: page 85
Appendix D: Dealing With Stains: page 87
Appendix E: Making Repairs: pages 89-90
Appendix F: Airworthiness Limitations: page 91
Appendix G: Inspecting Fabric and Coatings: pages 92-93
Appendix H: Product Profiles: pages 95-109
Charts, Tables, Forms: pages: pages 110-132

June 2008 Revision – A

 Product Descriptions
Appendix H, Product Profiles, has a complete description of all PMA’d fabrics, tapes, and chemicals
called for in the installation of this covering system.

Mixing instructions, shelf lives, and specific application instructions are covered in detail for each
product.

We recommend that you refer to Appendix H, Product Profiles, to answer specific questions about
products as you follow the installation instructions in the front text of the manual.

June 2008 Revision – B

PROCEDURE
MANUAL 101
for the

Aircraft Covering Process

,
By Jon Goldenbaum

June 2008 Revision – i

 Concept, design, and execution by

[email protected]

Copyright © 2008
Consolidated Aircraft Coatings
Ceconite Division
P.O. Box 3129, Riverside, CA 92519-3129
951-684-4280 • Fax 951-684-0518
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any form or by any means without permission.

June 2008 Revision – ii

 C O N T E N T S
Chapter 1 – Getting Ready . . . . . . . . . .1 Why Calibrating Your Iron is So Important .13
The Goal of This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 How to Calibrate Your Iron Correctly . . . . . .14
This Manual & 43.13-1B/2A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
The Ceconite System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Chapter 4 – Attaching the Fabric . . . .15
Certified Aircraft and STCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Cemented Seams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
The Ceconite STC Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Approved Cements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
The Basic Rules: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 The Cementing Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Amateur-Built Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
The Fabric to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Chapter 5 – Let’s Do a Wing! . . . . . . . .17
Health Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Basically, the Steps Are… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Protect Your Skin! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Handy Sawhorses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Protect Your Lungs & Body! . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Covering the Wing, Step by Step . . . . . . . . . .17
Protect Your Eyes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 First, the Leading Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Fire Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Scallops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Work in a Well-Ventilated Area . . . . . . . . . . . .3 How Tight Should That Fabric Be? . . . . . . . .19
A Practical Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Uh Oh… Protrusions! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Tools You’ll Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Next, the Trailing Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Let’s Start With an Ideal List . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Now for the Butt Rib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Fuselage Holding & Turning Jig . . . . . . . . . . .5 Aileron & Flap Recesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
About Spray Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 The Curved Wing Tip Bows . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Materials You’ll Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Now for the Top Fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Other Things You Should Know . . . . . . . . . . .7 Before You Start Ironing… . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Tautening vs. Non-Tautening Dope . . . . . . . . .7 Heat Tightening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Make Sure the Iron is Set to 250° . . . . . . . . .24
Chapter 2 – Airframe Preparation . . . . .9 Protrusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Removing Old Fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 1st Coat of Rand-O-Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Take Your Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Rib Lacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Epoxy – The Right Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 How Far Between the Laces? . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Wood Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Using the Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Steel Tubing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Marking Rib Lace Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Fiberglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 The Magic Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Aluminum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Reinforcing Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Old Aluminum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Let’s Tie Some Knots! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
New Aluminum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Other Mechanical Attachments: . . . . . . . . . . .39
Dealing with Dents and Imperfections . . . . .11 Pop Rivets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Replace Badly Damaged Areas . . . . . . . . . . . .11 PK Screws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Fill with Poly-Fiber’s SuperFil . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Fabric Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Inter-Rib Bracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Finishing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Anti-Chafe Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Inspection Hole Reinforcements . . . . . . . . . .40
Finishing Tapes and Gussets . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Chapter 3 – Tune Up Your Iron! . . . . . .13 Kinds of Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Heat Guns? No! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Let’s Tape! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
The Right Iron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 The Three Basic Steps in Taping: . . . . . . . . . .42
Avoid Any Iron With an Automatic Shutoff! .13 Fabric Gussets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

June 2008 Revision – iii

Chord-Wise Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Oh No! Pinholes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
One-piece Finishing Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 So How Do You Fix Pinholes? . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Two-piece Finishing Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Now Sand the First Two Cross Coats of
Span-Wise Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Rand-O-Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Bias Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 OK, Now Spray the Second Two Cross Coats
Different Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 of Rand-O-Fill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Aircraft with Big-Engine Modifications . . . . .47 Spot-sand Any Obvious Defects, Otherwise
Sun Shrinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Leave It Alone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Drain Grommets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 How Do You Know If You Have Enough
Heat Smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Silver on There? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Imperfections You Should Fix . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Whatever Silver You Sand Off, You Have to
Some Other Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Spray Back On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Chapter 6 – Control Surfaces & Fuselage 51 Chapter 10 – Color Coats . . . . . . . . . .67

Ailerons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Your Painting Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Tail Feathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 The Basics: Equipment, Cleanliness, and Mixing .67
Let’s Take It Step by Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Fuselage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Option One: Blanket Method . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Now the Question Is Where Are You
Sometimes You Have to Sew . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Going to Paint? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Option Two: Buy a Fuselage Envelope, Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
or Make Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Gloss, Temperature, and Drying Time . . . . . .69
Final Steps! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Thinners, Retarders, Accelerators, and
Rejuvenators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Ch 7 – The Big Picture: How Many Coats? 57 Thinners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
More Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Retarders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
What Does All This Stuff Weigh? . . . . . . . . . .58 Accelerators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Rejuvenators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Chapter 8 – Spraying Nitrate . . . . . . . .59 Do Not Use These Paints Over Fabric! . . . . . .70
Blush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Enamels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Low Solids, Multiple Coats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Synthetic Enamel, Lacquer, or Epoxy Paint . . .70
Each Coat “Melts In” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Automotive Polyurethanes or Polyurethanes
Two Coats a Day, Please . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Made for Metal or Fiberglass . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Each Coat is Applied as a “Cross Coat” . . . . .60 What About Flex Agents? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
OK, Lets Spray! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Don’t Use Clear Coats! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Fish Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 What Paints Do We Recommend? . . . . . . . . .72
Should I Sand Yet? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Colored Butyrate Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Before Spraying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Ch 9 – Spraying Clear & Silver Butyrate 63 Thinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Now Spray Three Cross Coats of Clear Butyrate Shaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
to Build Up the Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Sanding Fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Spraying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Silver Rand-O-Fill UV Protection . . . . . . . . .64 Under Yellow & Red Colored Butyrate Dope . .73
Mix Your Own? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Want Glossier Colored Butyrate Dope? . . . . .73
Now Spray the First Two of Four Cross Coats of Silver Polishing Colored Butyrate Dope . . . . . . . . .73
Rand-O-Fill. Sand After the Second Cross Coat .65 Waxing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

June 2008 Revision – iv

Taping for Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Appendix E: Making Repairs . . . . . . . .89
Painting the Metal Parts of a Fabric-covered The Rules Are Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Airplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Repairing Colored Butyrate Dope . . . . . . . . .89
Mark II for Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Major Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Surface Preparation for Mark II . . . . . . . . . . .74 Repairing Ranthane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Mixing and Thinning Mark II . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Taping and Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Appendix F: Airworthiness Limitations 91
Using Ranthane Over Fabric, Metal, and Fiberglass 75
Lung Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Appendix G: Inspecting Fabric & Coatings . .92
Before You Spray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Inspection Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Spraying Yellow or Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 The Problem Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Shake Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 The “Hang It On the Wall” Test . . . . . . . . . . .93
Straining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Adding Catalyst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Appendix H: Product Profiles . . . . . . .95
Thinning and Spraying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Common Ranthane Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Charts, Tables, Forms . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Fixing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 The Ceconite STC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
The Respray Time Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 The Ceconite PMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Taping for Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 The Ceconite Installation Report . . . . . . . . .112
Matching Gloss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 The Ceconite Approved Model List . . . . . . .113
Ceconite Covering Material Estimates . . . . .127
Appendix A: Envelopes & Sewing . . . . .79
Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
To Install an Envelope: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Envelope Pros and Cons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Sewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Hand-Sewn Seams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Machine-Sewn Seams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Make Your Own Envelope! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Appendix B: Covering Plywood Surfaces .83

Prepare the Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Varnish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Pre-Coat With Rand-O-Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Apply Fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Heat Shrink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Rand-O-Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Tape and Spray Clear and Silver Dope . . . . . .83

Appendix C: Rejuvenating Fabric . . . . .85

What Rejuvenation Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
What Rejuvenation Doesn’t Do . . . . . . . . . . .85
The Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Appendix D: Dealing With Stains . . . . .87

To Remove Stains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

June 2008 Revision – v

 Notes

June 2008 Revision – vi

 A Better Manual
We’ve all been frustrated by instruction Throughout this manual you’ll see some
manuals that don’t instruct, so we tried special little sections that stand apart
very hard to create one that instructs, from the main text. They will look like
inspires, and entertains. these:

Whenever there’s an important point How Tight Should

that needs to be discussed before going That Fabric Be?
on with the job, we’ll pause and take Let’s talk about how tightly
a Coffee Break… you should be attaching
the fabric. How taut you
pull the fabric as you…
etc etc.

Whenever we need to make a short The only authorized heat source

point of information during the project, for accurate control of the tem-
you’ll see this Note… perature transferred to fabric
is a CALIBRATED CLOTHING
This means, “Take notice of this!” IRON. Period.

If there’s a point that’s really important

or that deals with basic safety, you’ll NEVER APPLY AN IRON
see one of these Warnings… HOTTER THAN 250° TO A
CEMENTED AREA. DOING
It means, “Read and heed, Jim! This is SO COULD RELEASE THE
MAJOR important!” SEAM OR THE BOND!

June 2008 Revision – vii

Meet Cyrus…
You know Cyrus. He lives someplace out
near the airport, and he likes to come
around and share his wisdom about cov-
ering tube and fabric airplanes. He does
this with the greatest of ease, because
he’s an expert. Just ask him!

There’s a Cyrus at just about every small

airport. Why, he’s been covering airplanes
for years, and he knows all there is to
know about it. He’ll show you his own
secret recipes and shortcuts. Shucks, it
was good enough for Wilbur and Orville,
and that gangly kid from Minnesota… I
guess it’s good enough for you. Right?

Wrong!

You MUST follow the Basic Rules to

the letter! Maybe Cyrus used to use
his old blowtorch to tighten up his fabric,
or maybe he liked to add a little castor
oil to his cement before he slathered it
on… but you’d better not!
CYRUS SAYS you need to buy at
least a gross of sandpaper to have
You’ll see Cyrus from time to time through- a good dope and fabric job. NOT
out this manual. He’ll show up whenever SO. You can do gorgeous work in
we hit a point where there have been preparing your Ceconite covering
some off-the-wall “short cuts” suggested job for a big trophy at Oshkosh
in the past. with an iron, and skip lots of sanding.

Look for Cyrus… but DON’T LISTEN TO

HIM!

About the Other Cartoons…

Here and there you’ll see cartoons like
this, rescued from pilot training manuals
of World War II. For those of you who were
there, we think they’ll be delightfully
nostalgic. For younger builders, they’re a
humorous glimpse into what was perhaps
the richest, most patriotic part of America’s
past.

June 2008 Revision – viii

 1 – Getting Ready
The Goal of This Manual The Ceconite System
We hate to see builders shy away from fabric- Certified Aircraft and STCs
covered aircraft projects because they don’t The Ceconite STC (Supplemental Type Certifi-
think they can handle the covering and finishing. cate) SA4503NM allows you to replace the origi-
They’re depriving themselves of a very satisfying nal covering that was on your aircraft when it
experience, and for no good reason. Fabric cov- rolled off the assembly line, probably Grade A
ering is not hard to do. Today’s methods and cotton and cellulose dope, with the Ceconite /
materials are huge improvements over what was Randolph system. It does not license you to get
creative and depart from this manual in any way.
available back in the ’30s. All it takes today is
careful work and some patience. There’s no
The Ceconite STC Number
magic required. Really.
In the past, Ceconite had a specific and different
STC number for every fabric style we offered.
This manual can take even a complete novice Ceconite now uses only one STC number,
through the entire process of covering a newly- SA4503NM; this one number applies to all cur-
constructed homebuilt or re-covering a restored rent fabric styles. Use this STC number for log-
classic. The steps are the same. In either case, book entries and 337s.
we’ll assume you’re familiar with the construc-
tion of the aircraft you’re covering. If you don’t In order to fly a safe and legal aircraft,
really know your way around your aircraft, we you must follow these Basic Rules.
strongly suggest you get some experienced help
before you begin. The Basic Rules:
For certified aircraft, you must follow these
rules without substitution. For experimental air-
craft, we encourage you to stay with these rules
This Manual & for a safe cover job with proven performance.
43.13-1B/2A
❶ This manual supercedes all previous edi-
FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B/2A, Acceptable tions of the Ceconite manual.
Methods, Techniques, and Practices – Aircraft
Inspection, Repair & Alterations, is the basic
❷ You must use the most current revision of
this manual. The date of revision must be
source document for covering aircraft. Chapter entered in all aircraft documentation and
2, sections one though four, is “acceptable data” logs. Using an outdated manual voids the
regarding fabric covering technique, repairs, and warranty.
inspection. Unfortunately, many of the procedures ❸ Products applied to a certified aircraft must
in 43.13-1B/2A are for Grade A cotton which is have a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA).
virtually impossible to find today. Ceconite fabrics, tapes, and cements, and
Randolph coatings and paint all have PMA.
The procedures in this Ceconite manual super- ❹ You must use only Randolph Nitrate and
sede similar procedures in 43.13-1B/2A and are Butyrate dopes in the build-up process. You
considered “FAA approved data.” In other words, cannot substitute coatings from any other
if there is a conflict, use the Ceconite manual. process.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 1

 1 – Getting Ready

❺ You must use only Randolph Colored follow the steps in this manual just as though
Butyrate Dope or Ranthane as topcoat you were working with a certified aircraft.
paint over fabric components. Both Colored AC 43.13 can also serve as an excellent guide.
Butyrate Dope and Ranthane have a PMA You can get a copy of it from one of the home-
and have established track records over builders’ supply companies.
Randolph Nitrate and Butyrate Coatings.
Using any other topcoat paint voids the Simply passing an airworthiness inspection is
STC. no guarantee that what you have done is safe.
❻ You must heat tighten with a calibrated Don’t second-guess the experts. Follow instruc-
household iron only. Heat guns may not be tions carefully and completely.
used.
❼ You must not cover critical inspection ports.
The Fabric to Use
For example, some aircraft have inspection Ceconite Heavy Weight 101 and Medium
ports in the aft portion of the wing, aileron, Weight 102 are manufactured under our PMA
or flap wells that allow inspection of the spar. and are included in our STC. Remember, you
These holes must not be permanently cov- MUST use our Ceconite 101 and/or 102 fab-
ered. If in doubt refer to the original aircraft ric to comply with the STC. Both of these
maintenance manual. f a b r i c s a r e marked with a stamp like the
one shown here.
CECONITE These stamps
SUBSTITUTIONS WILL VOID THE STC AND 102 appear on our
YOUR AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE IF
F.A.A. P.M.A. fabrics and are
DISCOVERED BY A SAVVY INSPECTOR
AT ANY TIME DURING THE SERVICE LIFE
See Ceconite STC Manual a sure-fire way
OF YOUR AIRCRAFT. DON’T RISK IT! For Aircraft Eligibility to identify a gen-
uine Ceconite
job. Our Ceconite 101 and 102 fabrics may be
When you have finished your re-covering job, an
mixed or matched on every aircraft included on
A&P with an IA must complete an FAA Form
337 to certify that the aircraft was re-covered our STC.
according to the Ceconite STC. He must also
make the appropriate entries in your logbook. Ceconite UNCERTIFIED LIGHT is an uncerti-
fied fabric and is not approved for certified air-
The Approved Model List (AML) of aircraft eligi- craft. It is approved for covering plywood sur-
ble for re-covering under the Ceconite STC starts faces on any aircraft, certified or uncertified. It
on page 113 of this manual. If your certified air- may be used for any uncertified ultralight.
craft is not included (but most have been during Ceconite Uncertified Light fabric is not
the 50 years the STC has been in effect), you stamped.
can have it added to the AML by completing the
Ceconite Installation Form on page 112. An A&P We publish a Fabric Product Data Sheet (cur-
can fill this out and mail it to us for processing. rently 2004-1) that presents and explains test
reports on all three of our fabrics. We’ll be happy
Amateur-Built Aircraft to recommend a fabric style to fit your airplane.
If, on the other hand, you’re covering or re-cov- Just call our Ceconite Tech Support Line, 800-
ering an amateur-built aircraft with an Experi- 362-3490.
mental Airworthiness Certificate, our STC does
not apply as gospel. However, it’s a good idea to

June 2008 Revision – pg. 2

 1 – Getting Ready

Ceconite finishing tapes, reinforcing tapes,

threads, and cords have a sticker attached that
says “Ceconite FAA PMA.” Products without this
sticker are not legal for use with our STC.

Health Issues
Protect Your Skin! There’s a right way and a wrong way to dress
for spraying. Can you tell which is which above?
Serious allergic reaction to some chemicals can
show up years after exposure to them, so protect Wear a Tyvek spraying suit, or old clothes
yourself now. Start with one of the barrier hand with long pants and a long-sleeve shirt. If you
creams, like Invisible Gloves, available from all spill solvent on yourself, remove the clothes,
the supply houses. wash your skin well, and put on fresh work clothes.
Wash the first outfit promptly.
Then top that off with some of those disposable Protect Your Eyes!
latex surgical gloves. They’re cheap, so you At some point in your project you’re bound to
can don new ones whenever solvents begin attack- spill or slosh or spatter something. Wear safety
ing the ones you’re wearing. goggles in any situation where
that might occur. Don’t
take chances.
Protect Your Lungs & Body!
Some of the materials you will be using can do
nasty things to you if you inhale them for any Fire Prevention
length of time. The first thing you should buy is
a good, effective respirator. Don’t begin your Work in a Well-Ventilated Area
project without one! Some of the products used in the Ceconite/
Randolph system are highly flammable.
While they are being used, potentially explosive
vapors accumulate. Make sure there are no open
flames, such as gas water heater or furnace pilot
lights, anywhere near your work area. Outlaw all
smoking. Lay down the law to visiting kibitzers.
Be aware that even a sparking electric motor or
a light switch could trigger a no-fun afternoon.
Seek out all potential sources of flame or spark.

Those paper masks won’t do. You need the real Have the right kind of fire extin-
guisher on hand, one designed
thing, one rated for lacquers and enamels. Check
for petroleum fires, and make sure
with homebuilders’ supply companies. They have it is fully charged.
respirators in their catalogs. You might even find
a local source in your yellow pages. If you feel Under certain circumstances,
yourself getting nauseous while working with especially in warm weather with
solvents, wear a respirator rated for organic solvents. low humidity, the action of sand-
ing or spraying can generate static

June 2008 Revision – pg. 3

 1 – Getting Ready

electricity. When this static charge is transferred If the temperature is 87°, the drying time will be
to the fuselage or other part, the resulting spark cut in half. At 97°, the drying time is even shorter.
could ignite solvent vapors explosively. Ground If the temperature is 67°, the drying time is
the structures being sanded or sprayed. Some doubled. At 57°, though, drying time may be
builders even ground their spray guns. endless.

Humidity. The ideal humidity for spraying is

A Practical Work Area anything between 0% and 70%. Since there are
lots of places that never see humidity as low as
Make sure you have enough room to work. You 70%, we need to look at what humidity does to
not only need room for the fuselage, wings, and coatings.
other structures, but you also need plenty of
room to walk and work around them without As an aircraft coating dries, the rapidly evaporating
knocking things over or backing into fresh paint. solvents lower the temperature at the surface.
Basements are poor choices due to lack of venti- Any water vapor in the surrounding air condenses
lation and potential fire hazards. Not only that, on the surface. If the humidity is 80% or more,
but the solvent vapors will rise right up in to the this condensed water vapor gives the coating a
house above. Garages are better. Empty hangars milky appearance called blush. It also weakens
are best. Just make sure you have plenty of the coating. Blushed coatings MUST be sanded
room and that the area is as clean as you can off and resprayed.
make it. Dust and junk floating in the air will
wind up in your nice new finish, guaranteed. If you are stuck with high humidity, you can still
spray with good results by using Y-9910 Uni-
Ventilation fans are very desirable. They’ll help versal Retarder. This is a special solvent that
with vapors, sanding dust, and spraying mist. slows down the drying of the coating, there-
Under no circumstance should you work in a fore minimizing the chance of blush. Face it:
closed room with no ventilation! if you spray on a 95° day with the humidity at
99%, you’re going to have problems. Period.
During the sanding it will occasionally be neces-
sary to flush the surface with water. That Use common sense when spraying. Always wait
means the floor of your work area should be able for moderate temperatures and the lowest
to stand getting wet. It also means you’ll need a humidity. If you live in a normally hot, humid
source of running water within hose distance. area, make sure you have lots of Blush Retarder
on hand. Work in the cool of the early morning,
Atmospherics and Spraying or wait until a front has just blown through.
In a perfect world, your work area would always Don’t wet the floor in an attempt to keep dust
remain at 77°F with 0% humidity, the accepted down. You’re just increasing the humidity.
laboratory standards. Fat chance. The best tool Sweep and vacuum the floor thoroughly before
you have for climate control is your calendar. spraying, and give the dust in the air plenty of
time to resettle. If you want to wash the floors,
Temperature. Remember this: the glossiness of let them dry for a few days before you start
a paint finish is determined by drying speed, spraying.
and drying speed is determined by temperature.
The slower paint dries, the glossier it becomes.
As temperature goes up, drying time goes down.
In a perfect world, you’d always spray at 77°.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 4

 1 – Getting Ready

• Six spring clamps with 2˝ throats - for holding

Tools You’ll Need fabric.
• Wooden spring clothespins. Great for fabric
Let’s Start With an Ideal List. work.
• Fuselage holding and turning jig. We’ll talk • T-head pins.
about this later. • Tack cloths - for cleaning just before painting.
• Sturdy sawhorses, about 3’ high; pad the tops
with carpet scraps. Great for wings and tail Fuselage Holding & Turning Jig
surfaces. We’ll go into detail about this later. You can make a simple jig from two-by-fours, as
• A nice big sturdy snag-free table. This will shown here. The center square of the two-by-
make handling and cutting fabric much easier. four “tic-tac-toe” grid bolts to the front of the
• Drop cloths to protect floor, cover airframe fuselage using the engine mount bolt locations.
parts, etc.
• An electric clothing iron. Don’t use your wife’s!
• A small “sealing” iron. Great for tapes, patches,
and hard-to-reach areas.
• Thermometers to calibrate irons.
• Heat sink compound.
• An effective respirator, plus extra replacement
filters.
• Brushes: 1˝, 2˝, 3˝, and 4˝.
• Glue brushes: 1⁄2˝ wide (acid brushes are good).
• Sandpaper: 400-grit, “wet or dry.”
• Two 12˝ straight and two 12˝ curved rib lacing
needles.
• Sharp scissors. Polyester fabric dulls them
quickly, so buy several pairs of cheap ones.
• Pinking shears. Buy a good pair and wear Make the legs long enough for the fuselage to sit
them on a cord around your neck while using level with the tail resting on one of your saw-
them. If you drop them, they’re ruined. horses. You and your helper can then turn the
• Sharp X-ACTO or similar knife. fuselage whenever needed.
• Paint spray gun and accessories.
• Cotton rags. Do NOT use shop rags! They
aren’t clean enough, and residual silicone will
ruin your work.
• Paper towels.
• Scotch-Brite pads, ultra fine.
• Single-edge razor blades. Get a big box.
• Chalk snap line.
• Measuring tape.
• Paint stirring paddles.
• Paint filter cones, 60x48 mesh.
• Soup ladle.
• Clean soup and coffee cans with tight lids.
• Small wide-neck container to use as a glue pot. When running engine up to high power, be
careful to have stick back and brakes applied.
• Craft masking paper. Don’t use newspaper.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 5

 1 – Getting Ready

About Spray Guns Use two lengths of hose with turbine-powered

Don’t skimp here! After all your careful and HVLP systems. HVLPs heat the air delivered to
patient preparation, this is where “the rubber the gun, sometimes up to 90°. The extra length
meets the road.” You can ruin your entire job by of hose solves this problem.
trying to pinch pennies and using “bargain”
spraying equipment. Don’t do it. You’ll hate Regardless of the system you use, use the needle,
yourself. aircap, and nozzle combination recommended
by the manufacturer for the type of paint you’re
Most spraying is done with a compressed air spraying. This information is usually found in a
system capable of at least 40 pounds of pressure chart provided with spray guns. Most of the
AT THE GUN. Measurements Randolph products you will spray are classified
taken at the compressor tend to as lacquers, so look for the recommended needle,
be higher than the actual pres- aircap, and nozzle for lacquer.
sure delivered at the gun itself.
Don’t get fooled. Sorry, but those inexpensive airless sprayers
designed for latex house paint won’t work for
If you use a compressed air system: aircraft.
• You must have filters and a water trap on the
air line.
Materials You’ll Need
• Cleanliness is everything. The spray gun must
be disassembled and thoroughly cleaned after We’ll use a J-3 Cub as our example. Naturally,
EACH USE. Borrowed guns are never clean your list depends upon what you’re covering,
enough, and rented guns are usually junk. and you can scale things up or down as needed.
Here’s our list.
• Pressure pot lines become coated inside with • 45 yards of Ceconite 102 fabric
whatever’s been sprayed. Solvents in subse- • 1 roll of 1˝ Ceconite 102 linear finishing tape
quent spraying can loosen this old material • 7 rolls of 2˝ Ceconite 102 linear finishing tape
which then contaminates your job. Replace • 2 rolls of 3˝ Ceconite 102 linear finishing tape
pressure pot lines often. • 1 roll of 4˝ Ceconite 102 linear finishing tape
• 1 roll of 4˝ Ceconite Bias finishing tape
The newer turbine-powered high-volume, low- • 1 roll of rib lacing cord
pressure (HVLP) sprayers are terrific. They’re • 2 rolls of 1⁄2˝ reinforcing tape
expensive, but well worth it. Consider buying • 2 rolls of inter-rib brace tape
one with a few friends or have your club or • 1 roll of cloth anti-chafe tape
chapter buy one for everyone to use. When you • 100 plastic drain grommets
factor in the cost of • 30 inspection rings
the compressor, • 30 inspection ring covers
tank, lines, filters, water • 1 gallon New Super Seam cement
traps, and standard • 10 gallons of G-6302 Rand-O-Proof
guns of a compressed Nitrate Dope
air system, the cost of • 10 gallons 286 Nitrate Thinner
an HVLP isn’t really • 10 gallons of W-8350 Non-Tautening Clear
that high at all. And Butyrate Dope
the HVLP systems are self contained, more or • 10 gallons of G-6303 Silver Rand-O-Fill
less turnkey. All you need is 110 volts. • 10 gallons of Colored Butyrate Dope topcoat

June 2008 Revision – pg. 6

 1 – Getting Ready

• 30 gallons of 9703 Butyrate Thinner “non-tautening “ dope will shrink a little bit
• 4 gallons of Y-9910 Universal Retarder over the years as its plasticizers evaporate.
Regardless, Randolph non-tautening dopes
are the only ones permitted on the Ceconite
Other Things STC.
You Should Know
The term “dope” refers to cellulose-based coatings
and goes back to the earliest days of aviation.
Nitrate dope was used first, then it was gradually
replaced by butyrate dope during World War II.
Because butyrate was somewhat less flammable
than nitrate and weathered better, it soon became
the predominant product, preferred over Grade
A Cotton and Irish Linen.

Heat-tightened polyester fabric was introduced

in the late ‘50s. This fabric was a big time saver
when it was glued rather than sewn to airframes
before tightening. Ceconite soon became the
predominant polyester covering system, and flam-
mable nitrate dope was resurrected as an initial
coat over the slick polyester fabric. Butyrate dope
wouldn’t stick to raw Ceconite, so a combination
system of nitrate/butyrate dope with Ceconite
was introduced in the ‘60s, and this system
remains unchanged today.

Tautening vs. Non-Tautening Dope

All cellulose-based dopes – nitrate as well as
butyrate – shrink as they dry. Over the years, as
they do, they become drum tight. Used on nat-
ural fabrics, these “tautening” dopes were the
only way to shrink the fabric on the airframe.

Modern polyester fabrics like Ceconite are

shrunk with heat from a household iron; dopes
only partially shrink them. Too much extra taut-
ening can actually deform or damage the struc-
ture of the aircraft over time.

To prevent this over-tautening on today’s fabrics,

additional plasticizers are added to reduce the
shrinking and produce “non-tautening” dopes.
This is somewhat of a misnomer, since even

June 2008 Revision – pg. 7

 Notes

June 2008 Revision – pg. 8

2 – Airframe Preparation
Removing Old Fabric Wood Surfaces
Old fabric should be removed with care. Use razor Dry-sand old flaking varnish scale. You needn’t
blades or an X-Acto knife to cut away the old fab- remove all the old varnish, just the loose parts.
ric, and if necessary soak cemented areas with After sanding, wipe the surface with Randolph
MEK to loosen the old cement. Take care not to C-2210 Paint Cleaning Solvent to remove any
splash MEK into your eyes or onto skin; wear grease and contamination. Then wipe with a
protective equipment and goggles. Cut old rib clean dry rag.
laces before pulling fabric from ribs. If rib rivets
are installed, carefully drill them out insuring the Now apply Randolph EV-400 Epoxy Varnish
drill does not slip and damage ribs. If Martin or directly to the surface. Use our EV-410 Cata-
Cessna fabric clips were used, do not rip the fabric lyst, and thin as instructed with E-500 Epoxy
off the ribs without releasing the clips, or severe Thinner.
damage can result to thin aluminum cap strips.
Note positions of inspection rings, fairleads, and
drain grommets. A photographic record of the Steel Tubing
old installed fabric is always helpful.
If you are re-covering a tube-and-rag airplane,
you must first remove ALL the old fabric. Once
Take Your Time you do that, you’ll be presented with tubing
structures loaded with old primer and cement.
The hours you spend preparing for the minutes There may also be some rust.
you’ll spend spraying will bring you years of
enjoyment. Keep that in mind. There are no If the rust is extensive, you are probably facing
shortcuts to thorough, meticulous preparation. some metal repair. Examine the structure
carefully, marking areas that will need fixing.
Make all needed structural repairs now, replac-
Epoxy – The Right Stuff ing damaged tubing or other members in accor-
dance with accepted standards and practices.
Whether you’re preparing a steel, aluminum, or
wood structure, do not use any of the familiar Now you must remove the old cement, paint,
one-part zinc chromate primers or “spar” varnishes, primer, and rust WITHOUT pitting or damaging
the type you find in hardware stores. The fabric good metal under it. The best way to do this is
cements and dopes used in covering aircraft will by blasting it with one of the many media now
wrinkle and lift them. available. Test a painted tubing scrap first. Find
the combination of air pressure and media that
Use only two-part epoxy primers or varnishes. will remove the paint and leave everything else.
They are unaffected by cements and dopes. Two-
part epoxy products may also be sprayed right Once the tubing structure has been repaired and
over old zinc chromate or varnish for a safe stripped, the metal must be protected as soon as
attachment surface and additional protection possible. Letting more than an hour or two go
from the elements. by between blasting and priming invites new rust

June 2008 Revision – pg. 9

 2 – Airframe Preparation

to begin forming. Make sure to have everything

you need – cleaner, primer, catalyst, reducer, Aluminum
spray equipment, and spraying area ready to
spray – BEFORE you start blasting. Old Aluminum
After stripping, inspect carefully for corrosion.
Immediately before priming, wipe the bare areas If there is any corrosion present, it all must be
with MEK or E-500 Epoxy Thinner to remove removed before you go any further. Use fine sand-
all traces of oil, grease, and contamination. Wipe paper (NOT emery), Scotch-Brite pads, or ALU-
dry with a clean rag, NOT a shop towel. MINUM wool. Do NOT use steel wool or a steel
brush! These just introduce tiny bits of steel into
Finally, prime with Randolph Epoxy Primer. the aluminum which will promote even worse
Randolph offers two colors of Epoxy Primer: corrosion. Avoid blasting. It is very hard on alu-
White W-2248 Epibond and Dark Green minum sheet. Old aluminum must now be acid
B-6433 Rand-O-Plate. Whichever color etched, treated with a conversion coating, and
you choose, remember that Randolph then primed for best results.
Epoxy Primer kits have three parts. Part One is
the white or green primer, Part Two is the Thoroughly wash all the aluminum parts with
EP-430 Epoxy Catalyst, and Part Three is the Poly-Fiber E-2310 Phosphoric Acid Etch and
E-500 Epoxy Thinner. Brightener, diluted with two parts water. Use an
ultra-fine Scotch-Brite pad.
You need all three parts to do the job. See the
Product Profiles in Appendix H at the end Rinse thoroughly with clean water to insure that
of this manual for a thorough explanation of no etch is trapped in seams or under rivet heads.
mixing, application, etc.
Next, wash with Poly-Fiber E-2300 Conversion
Coating, diluted with two parts water. Wash
Fiberglass and keep wet with a sponge for at least five min-
utes. Rinse with clean water and allow to dry
Many fiberglass parts are pretty rough and will completely.
require some filling. Fill big holes or weave with
Poly-Fiber SuperFil, available from most Prime with Randolph Epoxy Primer. We recom-
Randolph / Poly-Fiber distributors. SuperFil is mend using Randolph W-2248 Epibond White
sort of Bondo for airplanes; it works the same Epoxy Primer over aluminum. Remember that
way, but being an epoxy product, it gives long there are three components to our epoxy
service and works on any composite part. Apply primer systems; you must also have EP-430 Cat-
SuperFil with a squeegee, let it dry overnight, alyst and E-500 Epoxy Thinner to get the job
then sand smooth. Prime with Randolph done. See a complete explanation of epoxy
White W-2248 Epibond (see the section primer in our Product Profiles in Appendix H at
above for details). the rear of this manual.

You may need to spot spray multiple coats of New Aluminum

Epibond into the areas filled with SuperFil. There is no need to use Phosphoric Acid Etch
Since SuperFil is more porous than most fin- on new aluminum. First wipe the new aluminum
ished composite parts, this spot spraying and surface with MEK, Acetone, or Toluene to remove
sanding will give a smooth overall surface to the any packing oils. If the new aluminum has an
whole composite part. Alclad surface, gently scuff the entire surface

June 2008 Revision – pg. 10

 2 – Airframe Preparation

with an ultrafine Scotch-Brite pad or 320-grit Apply SuperFil with a squeegee and work it into
sandpaper to impart some tooth adhesion. Be the basic shape you want. After 12 hours,
careful not to leave any noticeable scratches in SuperFil will be ready to sand and smooth.
the Alclad; go easy. Apply primer to SuperFil used on aluminum;
apply varnish to SuperFil used on wood.
Next, wash with Poly-Fiber E-2300 Conversion
Coating, diluted with two parts water. Wash Make a point of reading the SuperFil instructions.
and keep wet with a sponge for at least five Remember to thoroughly stir each of the two
parts separately before mixing them together.
minutes. Rinse with clean water and allow to
Mix them carefully, by either weight or volume.
dry completely.
“TLAR” mixing (“That Looks About Right”)
doesn’t fly when you’re working with epoxy.
Prime with Randolph Epoxy Primer. See the
directions in the paragraph on Old Aluminum.
Inter-Rib Bracing
Dealing with Dents This bracing keeps the ribs straight up and down
and Imperfections when the fabric is heat tightened over them. It
is nothing more than twill tape that provides
Nothing looks worse than a new covering job stability for the ribs while covering them. As the
with dents and old damage showing through. drawing shows, the tape is looped around the top
Maybe you taxied into a hangar door, or a hail capstrip of the first rib halfway between the front
storm tattooed your airplane, or maybe there and rear spars. Then it loops the bottom capstrip
are some low spots in those plywood fairings. of the next rib, and then back to the top capstrip
Take the time now to smooth or correct them.
Once the new fabric is installed, it’s too late.
Here are some suggestions.

Replace Badly Damaged Areas

If the damage is severe or extensive, you might
be better off just biting the bullet and replacing
the material. The time you take installing nice
smooth new aluminum or plywood will pay for
itself later in the praise your airplane will get
from jealous onlookers.
of the next rib, and so on until the whole wing
Fill with Poly-Fiber’s SuperFil is braced.
SuperFil works great on wood, fiberglass, steel,
and aluminum. It really grips the surfaces and When complete, the inter-rib brace looks like a
stays flexible enough over its service life to keep series of “Xs” in each rib bay. It is important to
from cracking. DON’T USE BONDO! Bondo is only loop the inter-rib bracing without tying it
heavy! SuperFil is much lighter. Bondo will to each rib, except at the very ends. If you tie it,
shrink over time and separate from the surface. the ribs won’t be able to move and readjust their
Bad news. And Bondo is made from polyester. positions during the tightening process. This
You need epoxy products. bracing is not removed.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 11

 2 – Airframe Preparation

Anti-Chafe Tape
Any sharp edge or structural feature that might
cut or poke through the fabric should be covered
with sticky-back cloth anti-chafe tape. It is self-
adhesive and easy to use.

There’s no hard and fast rule about where to put

the tape. Obviously, it should go over rivet heads,
metal seams, and sharp edges that could cut the
fabric. You don’t need it over smooth ribs or
well-prepared wood or aluminum. Let your sense
of touch be your guide. If you feel something
sharp or pointy, put some tape on it.

CAUTION: Don’t go crazy with anti-chafe tape

and make your airplane look like the mummy’s
revenge! Keep tape off places where you need a
good New Super Seam bond. Remember!
Wherever you cement something to anti-chafe
tape, the bond is only as strong as the sticky
adhesive on the underside of the tape!

NEVER use paper masking tape, duct tape, or

that aluminum-faced tape instead of genuine
Ceconite anti-chafe tape! All of these retain
water and will bring about rust or corrosion on
metal under them. Also, paper masking tape
turns brown with age, and will show through
light-colored paint. Very ugly!

June 2008 Revision – pg. 12

 3 – Tune Up Your Iron!
From this point on you’ll be using your iron to
install fabric and smooth any wrinkles that appear.
Now’s the time to prepare your iron for use.
The only authorized heat
source for accurate control of areas we recommend a small 165-watt heat
the temperature transferred sealing iron. It’s available through Ceconite
to fabric is a CALIBRATED distributors. It should be calibrated the same as
CLOTHING IRON. Period. your large iron and used only to smooth the edges
of trim tapes and patches and in areas not sub-
jected to flight loads, because these little irons
Heat Guns? No! can’t maintain their temperature in contact with
a large heat sink area.
How come you can’t use your trusty heat gun?
Because there’s no way to calibrate it, and the
temperature changes as the gun’s distance from Why Calibrating Your
the fabric changes. You run a tremendous risk
of permanently loosening your fabric and ruin- Iron is So Important
ing all your nice work. Leave the heat gun for
removing paint and emergency corn popping. Polyester fabric does different things at different
temperatures, and we take advantage of this to
make the fabric do what we want when we want it.
The Right Iron
✹ 225° is used to smooth the edges of finish-
Avoid Any Iron With an ing tapes and patches, to heat-form fabric
Automatic Shutoff! around corners, and to remove fold creases.
Understand that individual irons vary. It helps if
your iron is rated at 1100 watts or higher. ✹ 250° is used for the final tightening.

Although these irons are capable of putting out

much more heat, and despite the fact that other
covering systems like Stits Poly-Fiber use high-
er temperatures when shrinking, 250° is the
maximum for Ceconite and dope. Because dope,
even non-tautening dope, will eventually con-
tinue to shrink somewhat over time, the 250°
temperature allows some room for the dope
to shrink the fabric without applying undue
crushing loads on the airframe.

There may be some non-load carrying areas that Above 350° the fabric gets looser, permanently
can’t be reached with a standard size iron, places looser! At about 375° polyester filaments start
where exact fabric tension is not important as to thermo-soften and lose all measurable tension.
long as the wrinkles are removed. For those At 415° they start to disintegrate. Not good at all.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 13

 3 – Tune Up Your Iron!

You can see why calibration is so important. looking for 225°. Give your iron time to
Don’t just guess or assume your iron’s dial is change temperature, and give the thermo-
accurate. meter time to react.
❐ When the thermometer has settled down at
225°, mark your iron’s dial. Use something
How to Calibrate visible and removable. You’ll probably have
Your Iron Correctly to change your calibration marks at some
future time.
You need an accurate thermometer with a stem ❐ Now do 250°.
that can be placed in contact with the plate of
your iron, plus some silicone heat sink com- Your iron should hold the desired temperatures,
pound, available from Ceconite distributors. ±10°. It should be recalibrated at the start of
each new covering project or if it is dropped.
An accurately calibrated low-cost glass ther-
mometer is available through Ceconite distrib- Always use the same extension cord. If you
utors. A deep fry, candy and jelly thermometer, use a different one, your temperature marks
available at hardware stores, is another economi- will be inaccurate!
cal choice. Remove the protective glass shell,
check the calibration in boiling water (212° at SUPER IMPORTANT!
sea level), then secure the calibration card with After calibrating is finished
cement. and your iron has cooled,
carefully remove all traces of
❐ Put a nice big glob of heat sink compound on the silicone heat sink com-
the bulb end of your thermometer. pound from the sole of your
❐ Build a ⁄ ˝-thick stack of dry paper towels
1
2 iron!
on your workbench.
❐ Lay the thermometer bulb in the center of
the paper towels. Place your iron on top of
The latest and quickest (although
the thermometer bulb and the towels.
more costly) way to calibrate
Make sure the bulb is in contact with the
your iron is with a temperature
plate of the iron.
sensing gun, available through
❐ Advance your iron’s heat control knob little Ceconite/Randolph distributors.
by little, and watch the thermometer. You’re You simply point the laser
beam at the sole plate of
the iron for a quick and
accurate reading of the
iron’s temperature. Then
mark 225° & 250° tempera-
tures on the tape-covered dial.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 14

4 – Attaching the Fabric
Cemented Seams
Our fabric is attached with New Super Seam
cement, using cemented seams. A cemented
seam is a place where New Super Seam is used to
join two pieces of fabric where they contact an
airframe structure, as when covering a wing, for
example. There is virtually no sewing to do,
unless you want to.
• Wing trailing edge seams require a 1˝ fabric
Approved Cements overlap.
New Super Seam is the only cement approved
for the Ceconite STC. Unlike earlier cements
(Super Seam and Rand-O-Bond), it is only used
for cementing fabric; it should never be added to
dope to enhance adhesion when taping.

NOTE: The structure over which these seams are created has
been left out of the illustrations to make them easier to understand.

• Cement only over two-part epoxy primer or

Ranthane.

• All cemented seams must be covered with a

finishing tape at least 2˝ wide. You can use
wider.

• All cemented seams must lie over a structural

part of the airplane, and that structural part
must be at least as wide as the cemented seam.

In our STC, cemented seams are approved for So what’s a structural part of the airplane? On
any airspeed and any wing loading if you follow wings, it’s the leading edge, trailing edge, the tip
these rules: bow, and the butt rib. Ribs are not considered
structural.
• All seams require at least a 1˝ overlap of the
two pieces of fabric. On control surfaces, it’s leading and trailing edge
or the perimeter tubing.
• Wing leading edge seams require a 2˝ fabric
overlap.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 15

 4 – Attaching the Fabric

On fuselages, it’s the longerons or main cross The best cement bond is accomplished by brush-
tubes that are part of the load-bearing structure. ing about a 1˝ wide strip of wet New Super Seam
Wooden formers or stringers that are there just onto the area where fabric is to be attached,
to give shape aren’t considered structure. then immediately laying the fabric wrinkle-free
into the cement. Force the cement up through
the fabric until it wets out the surface. Use your
All fabric edges that will over- fingers (you do have on your barrier cream or
lap as part of a cemented seam latex gloves, don’t you?) to smooth the fabric
should be cut with STRAIGHT into the wet strip of cement, making sure it
SCISSORS. penetrates the fabric. Better still, use a squeegee.

If you make a mistake, you can uncement any

seam. Simply wet the seam with MEK on a rag,
Here’s a great way make a sharp cut with no
pull the seam apart, and immediately re-cement
loose threads or ravels:
it correctly with fresh New Super Seam. You
can’t make a mistake here that MEK can’t fix.
1. Draw your cut line with a soft lead pencil.
2. Coat the line with a thin coat of New Super
Seam. Don’t brush more New Super
3. When dry, cut with straight scissors. Seam cement over the
4. Voila! A crisp, sharp cut! top surface of a drying
cemented seam. Resist
this temptation! Doing
The Cementing Process so could hurt the bond.
The top coat will dry
Use a soup can for the New Super Seam with a 1˝ before the original bottom coat,
wide gluing brush. If the New Super Seam gets impeding drying of the bottom.
thick in the soup can, add pure MEK to get it
back to the original consistency. If you spill or
have a messy area with excess ooze or drips, clean
it up with MEK. MEK will clean up even dried
New Super Seam.

New Super Seam cement dries fast… really

fast. In hot weather it can dry in five minutes. It
normally dries in about 15 to 20 minutes.

Because New Super Seam cement dries so

fast, you have to brush it on a little at a time,
then stop and press the fabric into it while it’s
still wet. Normally, you only cement about 12˝
to 18˝ at a time to keep it from drying. The trick
is to keep the cement liquid when the fabric is
placed into it. If it dries, that’s no good. You Before setting out on a night flight,
must do it again. check your airplane’s lighting system.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 16

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!
You’re going to cover a wing from start to finish,
right up to where you’re ready to begin building
up the final coating. Once you understand the
steps involved, you’ll be ready to tackle the rest
of the airplane.

Basically, the Steps Are…

1. Cement the new fabric to the wing.
2. Heat-tighten the fabric.
3. Brush on 1st coat of G-6302 Rand-O-Proof.
4. Rib-lace the fabric to the wing. Cover the whole shebang with scrap carpet.
5. Apply finishing tapes and inspection rings. Position the sawhorses beneath the wing with
6. Smooth rough tapes and imperfections with the padded pieces parallel to the spars and
the iron. directly under them.

All the prep work discussed earlier, priming, var-

nishing, inter-rib bracing, anti-chafe tape, etc., is Covering the Wing,
done, right? Step by Step
If you have control cables installed, or electrical The game plan for this wing is simple. You’ll use
wire for lights, pull them all normally taut and one long piece of fabric applied spanwise to
secure them that way with clamps or tape or cover the bottom of the wing, and another for
whatever. the top.
You’ll use the blanket method to cover this Following our basic rules on cemented seams,
wing. A blanket is simply a rolled-out length of you’ll join the top and bottom pieces with a 2˝
fabric cemented to the wing. Ceconite certified overlap at the leading edge and 1˝ overlaps at
fabrics 101 and 102 are about 70˝ wide, so the trailing edge, tip bow, and butt rib. You
they can easily cover almost any normal wing. won’t cement fabric to the ribs themselves,
If you have an unusually wide chord, two pieces since later you’ll use rib lacing or some other
of fabric can be sewn together to make a wider mechanical means to hold the fabric to the ribs.
blanket. Or you might be able to use three Other common mechanical attachments are
pieces of fabric with an insert, as long as you pop rivets, PK screws, and fabric clips. More
follow the basic rules for cemented seams. about them later.
If you think you’ll need to sew fabric together,
see Appendix A for information on sewn seams.

Handy Sawhorses
The best way to hold the wings for covering is
to rest them on specially modified sawhorses.
Two pieces of wood, typically 2-by-4s long enough
to reach across at least two ribs, are fastened
perpendicular to the top beam of each sawhorse.
Space them the same distance apart as the spars.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 17

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!
You’ll start with the bottom of the bleed through. These chalk lines will be
wing first, although it doesn’t your guide lines. Cement bottom fabric to
matter. this line.

Important Note: Notice that the

first dope we call for is Green Center Line

G-6302 Rand-O-Proof nitrate

dope. Nitrate dope is the only
dope product that will stick
directly to polyester fabric;
butyrate dope will not. (Have
no fear, butyrate sticks great to
nitrate, so we use butyrate in later
coats over the nitrate for its supe-
rior properties.) Rand-O-Proof is
especially formulated for the first Cement the top fabric to this line. If you use
coat of nitrate, but you could also these lines when cementing, you are assured
substitute any of our other nitrate of straight seams with a legal 2˝ overlap.
products: Blue W-7868 nitrate or
Clear E-4964. Just make sure ❐ Roll out a piece of fabric to cover the bottom
nitrate is the first thing to touch of the wing. Trim off any selvage (built-up
Ceconite polyester fabric. edges where threads are doubled over dur-
ing looming). They may show through the
First, the Leading Edge finishing tape. Trim it off carefully with sharp
❐ Mix up some thinned Rand-O-Proof. The straight scissors. Remember to first coat
recipe is one part Rand-O-Proof to one part the cut line with New Super Seam for the
286 Nitrate Thinner. sharpest line with no raveled threads. Flaws
and ravels will show through later. If the sel-
vage is straight and is not noticeably raised,
❐ Brush two coats of this thinned Rand-O- you may choose to leave it on.
Proof onto the leading edge to provide a
“bedding” that will reduce the possibility of
pinholes in the finish coat. Actually, all large The fabric has no top or bottom. There’s no spe-
metal, wood, or fiberglass parts that will be cial orientation to the weave. Attach it with the
covered with fabric should get these two stamp in or out. Doesn’t matter.
coats of Rand-O-Proof.
Scallops
Scallops are troughs that form
❐ Let this dry for about 15 minutes. between the ribs, more so with
modern polyester fabrics
❐ Get out your chalk line and snap a line along than classic Grade A Cot-
the center of the leading edge. Then measure ton. Although they present
1˝ above the center line and 1˝ below that no aerodynamic problems,
center line and snap parallel lines at those for cosmetic reasons, some
marks. By the way, regular blue carpenter’s prefer fabric that is more level to the ribs with
chalk lines will disappear later and won’t little scalloping. To avoid scallops:

June 2008 Revision – pg. 18

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

1. Use Ceconite 102. Its weave pattern results in

Note: A squeegee is an excel-
little to no scalloping.
lent tool to use when cement-
ing. Keep a few around, and
2. If you use Ceconite 101, consider purchasing a
clean them regularly.
pre-sewn wing envelope sewn with the seams
running chord-wise. This chord-wise orientation
also prevents scalloping. ❐ Lay the fabric onto the wet cement. Work
the fabric into the cement with the squeegee
However, you can always use Ceconite 101 or your fingertips. Squeegees work better
with the blanket method; the aircraft will fly and have the advantage of spreading lumps
exactly the same. It will just show a bit deeper out. Work in short sections, applying ten-
trough between wing ribs. sion to the fabric as necessary to keep the
wrinkles out. Think ahead though. Make
OK... back to work. sure the whole piece of fabric is aligned and
lying where you want it to be. Stop every
❐ Allow about an extra foot at the wing tip and now and then and look at the whole job. If
the butt, and cut it off the roll. Clamp it in you’re unhappy with an area, un-cement it
place with spring clamps or clothespins. with MEK and do it again.
Don’t be afraid to remove the clothespins
and move the fabric as necessary throughout
the cementing process.
❐ Continue this process, working 12˝ to 24˝ at
a time, until the entire bottom section of
❐ Starting at the butt rib, brush a strip of New fabric is attached to the leading edge. Let
Super Seam about 2˝ wide (1˝ each side of this dry for about 15 minutes.
the center line) and 12˝ to 24˝ long along
the leading edge where the fabric will be
attached. Line up the fabric edge with the How Tight Should That
appropriate cement line.
Fabric Be?
Let’s talk about how tightly
you should be attaching the
fabric. How taut you pull
the fabric as you cement
it at the trailing edge has
a big effect on the final
tension of the fabric when
it is eventually tightened with the iron. The
combined effect of heat shrinking at 250° with
the natural shrinkage of the dope will shrink the
fabric about 10% overall.

On a wing 60˝ wide, that means it will shrink

about 6˝. If for some reason you left 6˝ of slack
in the fabric (and you certainly wouldn’t want to
do that), the fabric would pull up and conform to
the shape of the wing, but would be far too loose.
On the other hand, if you pull the fabric as tight

June 2008 Revision – pg. 19

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

as a bedsheet in boot camp (remember bouncing of the trailing edge ONLY. Work from the
a quarter off it?) and cement it down, and then butt rib to the wing tip in short sections,
tighten it, the resulting tension can warp or bend keeping the wrinkles out just as you did on
light structures. Stamped ribs or thin tubing the leading edge.
can be deformed when the fabric is applied
too tight.
Now, before cementing the fabric to the TOP
surface of the trailing edge, you’re going to
As a good rule of thumb, the fabric should look
heat-form the fabric around it. It’s much simpler
like a bed sheet with the big wrinkles pulled out
to pre-shape the fabric than to use clothespins,
of it... snug, but not tight.
spring clamps or fingers to hold it in shape
around the edge of the trailing edge while the
OK… back to work.
New Super Seam cement dries.
Uh Oh… Protrusions!
Strut fittings and other attachment points can Warm up the iron to 225°.
work like tent poles under the fabric. If the pro-
You DID calibrate it, didn’t you?
trusions are less than 2˝ above the surface of the
It’s VERY important!
wing, you don’t need to cut the fabric to make a
hole for the protrusion before heat tightening.
Leave the fabric intact and tighten it right around
the protrusion. Don’t worry, they won’t rip
❐ With your iron, roll the fabric around the
trailing edge, working from the bottom sur-
through. More on this later.
face around to the top. Apply pressure so it
permanently creases and takes the shape of
If they are 2˝ or more, you’ll have to make a cut
the trailing edge. If you stay with it, the fabric
to let the protrusion through. Brush some
will not only crease around the corner, but
Rand-O-Proof over the area of the protrusion
will lay flat on the top surface of the trailing
before you cut to keep the fabric from raveling
edge without using clamps. It should end up
around the cut. Make the smallest possible cut
like this:
you can. Make sure the fabric is as close to its
final position as you can before you cut anything.
When you tighten the fabric, the hole will get a 1˝
lot bigger, so take care.

Next, the Trailing Edge

❐ Pull the bottom fabric gently toward the Bottom Fabric

trailing edge to remove wrinkles. Rough-trim

it to overhang 6˝ minimum and secure it The reason you are wrapping the fabric entirely
with spring clamps. Rough-trim the fabric around the trailing edge is to make sure you
so it will fold at least 1˝ down into any con- wind up with a real overlapped cemented seam.
trol surface recesses. Industrial single-edge Later, when you attach the top fabric, it will
razor blades are good for this. Inside corners overlay this bottom fabric.
of flap and aileron recesses are cut at 45° to
allow the fabric to fold down at the sides. That’s where the required overlap comes in. If
you simply trimmed the fabric flush with the
trailing edge and then cemented it down, you
❐ Cement the fabric to the BOTTOM surface would have no fabric-to-fabric overlap.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 20

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

❐ Trim the fabric even with the top edge of the

butt rib. Later you will heat-form at least an
REMEMBER, you must always inch of the top wing fabric around the corner
have an overlap. and down onto the butt rib to make our
1-inch overlap.

❐ Once the fabric has been heat-formed to Aileron & Flap Recesses
assume the shape of the trailing edge, cement
the fabric down and trim it off. Take care
trimming. Uneven lines or raveled threads Note the 45° slit in the corner

will show later.

Now for the Butt Rib

❐ With the wing still top side up, start heat-
forming (225 to 250° iron) the extra fabric
at the butt rib. You want to cover the entire
butt rib with fabric. Heat-form carefully to
make the fabric bend around the corners
and edges to assume the shape of the rib.

Heat-forming is best done by pulling the dickens

❐ For aileron and flap recesses, heat-form the
fabric into the recess and cement it securely.
out of the fabric (you can’t tear it) and applying Put the fabric overlap inside the recess as shown.
heat with the iron on the area to be formed.
Stay with it; you can make the fabric take any
shape you wish with enough practice and The Curved Wing Tip Bows
patience. Heat forming gets rid of all potential You should have plenty of excess fabric left at
wrinkles and keeps you from having to cut “darts” the wing tip, hopefully about a foot. This excess
in the fabric. Darts are those ugly 45° slits we gives you a good “handle” to pull on while heat-
forming.
used to have to cut in cotton to make the fabric
conform to curves. With pressure and patience,
you can even form polyester fabric around a
❐ Make a small “ironing board” out of card-
board, about 5˝ x 3˝.
bowling ball with no wrinkles. True.

❐ When you’ve successfully formed the fabric, “Ironing Board” under fabric
cement it to the butt rib. You may need to
make some cuts for cables or wires.

Never mark on fabric with any-

thing but a soft lead pencil or a
chalk line. Pens, magic markers,
etc. will bleed right through your
final paint. V E R B O T E N !

June 2008 Revision – pg. 21

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

❐ Place the ironing board under the fabric about

a foot in from the bow. Tighten this area at
250°. This will help the heat-forming of the
fabric at the tip. If you tighten the center of
the radius, it makes it easy to make the curve
at the bow.

short sections. You have to work fast, but

you’ll get fewer wrinkles.
A neat way to trim is to use a single-edge razor
blade. Hold it firmly on the surface and pull the
fabric into the blade. Don’t slice with the blade;
you could cut the primer or fabric below.

❐ Now start rolling and heat-forming the fab-

ric around the tip bow with the iron set at
250°. Roll and form the fabric as far as you
can to the inside of the bow.

Yes, sharp-eyed readers! This IS

the TOP of our wing, just to show
how the curvature is smoothed
out.You should start with the
BOTTOM of the tip bow. ❐ Let the New Super Seam dry for about 15
minutes after the bottom fabric is cemented
❐ Pull hard on the fabric around the bow and all the way around the perimeter of the wing.
apply heat. The trick is to get the fabric
wrapped around the bow at least an inch.
More is even better. Whenever you can, wrap OK, now the bottom piece is on, and most of the
all the way around to the inside of the tube basics have been done.
so the seam won’t show.
❐ Before you attach the top fabric, go over all
the cemented areas with an iron lower than
At some point, you’ll have to turn the wing 250°. Use enough pressure to take out all
right side up to wrap the bottom fabric around wrinkles.
the bow tubing.

❐ When you have the fabric well formed to the The idea is to iron out all wrinkles or imperfections
inside of the bow, cement it down. Try to in the cemented areas of the bottom fabric before
cement it in one application, rather than in you cement the top piece over it. The smoother

June 2008 Revision – pg. 22

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

you can make the cemented areas, the better they ❐ Cement the trailing edge as before. For the
will look later when covered with the top piece best overlap seam, heat-form the top fabric
of fabric. You are using the iron on JUST around both sides of the trailing edge and
THE CEMENTED AREAS now. You’ll heat cement it to both sides. That will give you
tighten the whole wing later, after the top piece more than the required 1˝ overlap and a very
is applied. Patience. strong seam.

Notice how the iron can take out all the wrinkles
If your trailing edge fairing is at least 1˝ wide,
that occur during the cementing process. Work you can simply cement the fabric to the top of
carefully and stay with it until all the wrinkles the trailing edge and trim the fabric off flush
are gone. Use pressure and the tip of the iron. without wrapping it around. That would make a
The iron also softens the New Super Seam legal 1˝ overlap also.
below the fabric, allowing you to re-smooth any
lumps. Use the little sealing iron in tight places. Top Fabric

1˝

NEVER APPLY AN IRON

HOTTER THAN 250° TO A
CEMENTED AREA. DOING SO Bottom Fabric

COULD RELEASE THE SEAM

OR THE BOND! ❐ Heat-form the top fabric over the edge of the
butt rib until the fabric is smooth and flat.
Keep forming until at least an inch of formed
Now for the Top Fabric fabric lies flat over the butt rib. Trim this
❐ Roll out the top piece of fabric. Clamp and neatly and cement it to the fabric below
trim it as before, with a foot extra at the tip making sure you have a legal 1˝ overlap.
and butt.
❐ At the wing tip bow, heat-form the top fabric
❐ Cement the leading edge, aligning it to the the same way you did the bottom. Make sure
you have a 1˝ overlap where the top piece
lowest chalk guide line. That line is now
overlies the bottom. Trim the top piece with
covered by the bottom fabric and may be
scissors as neatly as you can. Razor blades
hard to see. If so, re-chalk it.
are dangerous here; you could inadvertently
cut the bottom fabric while trimming the top.

Before You Start Ironing…

OK, now for the fun part.
You are about to tighten
the wing fabric with your
carefully calibrated iron. The
iron is ready, and the
untightened wing is on
the sawhorses. But first, a
few important points.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 23

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

❖ Remember, a calibrated iron is the only

Don’t start at one end of the wing
approved source for tightening. Heat guns or
and work toward the other! This
uncalibrated irons are the surest way to damage
can exert enough asymmetrical
your project or invalidate your STC.
force to bend light structures.You
could put unwanted dihedral
in your wing (or maybe you
always wanted a “bent-wing”
If you ignore this and use a
Corsair), or you could wind
heat gun or an uncalibrated
up with deep troughs in the
iron, you could wind up with
fabric between ribs as the
permanently loose fabric! At
fabric is pulled spanwise in one
best, this means cracked paint.
direction only.
At worst, it causes fabric floppy
enough to seriously deform the
airfoil in flight! Bad news.
❐ Now go out to the opposite end of the wing
by the butt rib and do the same thing. Keep
alternating your tightening passes from
Regardless of what Ol’ Cyrus says, opposite ends of the wing, working toward
you can’t tell how tight your fabric the middle.
is by feel. Thumping and bouncing
quarters are old aviation wives’ Don’t be afraid of letting the iron pause on the
tales. You must know the exact fabric. It won’t scorch the fabric like it does your
temperature applied to the fabric
to know how much it has been cotton shorts, nor will the fabric get any tighter.
tightened. The amount of tightness depends upon temper-
ature, not time.

❐ Turn the wing over and tighten opposing

areas at 250°, as you did on the top side of
OK… back to work. the wing.
Protrusions
Remember those strut fittings sticking up like
Heat Tightening tent poles 2˝ or less under the fabric? Iron right
around them; they won’t break through. Later,
Make Sure the Iron is Set to 250°. when the whole wing has been tightened at
The idea is to work from the two ends 250°, cut the fabric just enough to let the pro-
of the wing toward the middle, rather trusion pop through and cut no more. The idea is
than from one end to the other. This to make the smallest cut you can.
spreads the increasing tension evenly and
symmetrically across the entire wing surface.

❐ Hold the iron in the center of the fabric near

the tip bow. See the fabric pull up tight around
the iron? Move the iron slowly around the
fabric to take out the big wrinkles. Iron over Do not attempt restart if engine stopped
the hard surfaces too, like the leading edge. because of obvious mechanical failure.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 24

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

to make a nice Rand-O-Proof application

1st Coat of Rand-O-Proof bucket. The handle at the top makes it easy to
hold while you are brushing. Stick a piece of
Applying Rand-O-Proof does two things: rigid wire or welding rod through the sides to
1. It seals the fabric. wipe the brush on or hold it out of the liquid.
2. It acts as a cement that soaks through the fabric
and further secures the fabric to the airframe.

Rand-O-Proof should always Welding rod or stiff

wire, poked through
be thinned one to one with 286 holes in can, with
ends bent over.
Nitrate Thinner.

Rand-O-Proof has a green tint so you can see

where it has been applied. Use Clear E-4964
Non-Tautening Nitrate on open cockpit aircraft
where you don’t want the green tint to show.
Tape over
sharp edges.
❐ Thoroughly scrub the fabric with MEK or
286 Nitrate Thinner. Use a clean rag.
Don’t flood the cement joints!

A NOTE ABOUT RAGS: Use only A WORD ABOUT BRUSHES: Nat-

new rags. Cotton is best, ural-bristle brushes are best
but watch the lint. NEVER for Rand-O-Proof.You can
USE INDUSTRIAL SHOP use high-quality polyester
RAGS OR LAUNDERED brushes, but avoid foam or
RAGS. They’re full of nylon. They dissolve in
somebody else’s silicone solvents. Buy a good 3˝
and impregnated grease that brush for applying Rand-O-Proof
never really come out. Rub a to fabric and a good 2˝ brush for
shop towel on your fabric and applying finishing tapes later on.
you may ruin it.
Ok, get your bucket of thinned Rand-O-Proof, a
good 3˝ brush, and a can of MEK or thinner
Go to a builders’ supply store and buy fresh with a rag.
painters rags. Or go to a fabric store and buy
cheap 100% cotton cloth. They’re worth the ❐ Brush Rand-O-Proof liberally over all the
expense. fabric. Brush all open fabric areas and fabric
over the hard surfaces. The idea is to turn
❐ After scrubbing the fabric with MEK or thin- the fabric green, make it look slightly shiny
ner, follow by passing a tack rag lightly over and wet, and leave no dry starved areas.
the surface to pick up any dust or lint.
This is no time to skimp! You need to really
Cut an old rectangular can (like a thinner can) wet the fabric to fill the weave. However,

June 2008 Revision – pg. 25

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

avoid putting on too much. If you see runs

forming on the inside surface of the fabric, you Rib Lacing
are going on too heavy, and those runs could
show through in the aircraft finish. So try to put Fabric on wings needs to be mechanically
on enough to wet the fabric without any runs secured to the ribs rather than just cemented.
forming on the inside of the surfaces. Notice The standard mechanical attachments are: rib
that over the leading edge the Rand-O-Proof lacing; PK screws; pop rivets; and fabric clips.
soaks through and further bonds the fabric to the
hard surface below. On certified aircraft, the method you use to
secure the wing fabric to the wing ribs should
Don’t leave any dry areas or places where the be the same one used at the factory when your
surface doesn’t look translucent when you’re airplane was manufactured. If you want to use a
through brushing. This would mean the weave different method, you have to get a field approval
isn’t sufficiently filled, and it leads to big prob- from an FAA Field Service District Office.
lems with pinholes later. We’ll talk about
pinholes further on. On some aircraft, the tail feathers and occasion-
ally some fuselages were rib laced. Again, repli-
The idea is to brush on a wet coat, and then make cate the way the factory did it.
only one more pass with the brush to level any
small bubbles that may have formed. Look at Using cement alone is a recent idea that came
the wet surface glare area to check for bubbles. out of the ultralight movement. The theory was
that since the speeds and wing loadings were
Work fast, quit brushing, and get your brush out
low, you didn’t need mechanical attachments.
of there before the Rand-O-Proof dries.
However, many kit planes have evolved from
enclosed ultralights to high-horsepower fire-
Rand-O-Proof dries in about 15 minutes. In
hot weather, it can dry in as little as 5 minutes! breathers. Some have 180 HP! They need to be
You have to brush it on and then quit fiddling rib laced! Additionally, any ultralight or very light
with it. If you continue to brush while it is dry- aircraft you plan on keeping for more than just
ing, you can leave serious brush marks. a couple of years needs RIB LACING.

“Can’t I spray this first coat of Rand-O-Proof?” Incidentally, we call it RIB LACING rather than
rib stitching because we are lacing around the
We don’t recommend it. Brushing does a much whole rib, not just stitching it to the top or bot-
better job of filling the weave. If you don’t fill the tom rib caps.
weave sufficiently, you get pinholes later.
Aircraft fabric cement is made for shear loads,
Brush marks are not a problem if you follow the not peel. But in flight, an aircraft is subjected to
instructions above. constant peel loads from the center of lift on the
top of the wing. The giant vacuum cleaner called
“Can’t I just sand the drips or flaws in Rand- lift is always trying to peel your wing fabric off
O-Proof?” the top surface.

Nope. There is not enough Rand-O-Proof on Aircraft fabric cements were never designed to
yet to sand. You will have plenty of opportunities resist this peel force, certainly not for the long
to sand later in the process. service lives fabric covering jobs can last today.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 26

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

If you’re covering an experimental Propwash area includes all

aircraft for which there is no rule the wing ribs included within
or precedent, WE STRONGLY the diameter of the propeller,
RECOMMEND RIB LACING OR plus one more rib.
SOME OTHER MECHANICAL
ATTACHMENT. Fabric cements
were never meant to be the sole Using the Chart
means of attaching fabric to ribs, We’ll use our J-3 Cub as an example. Position
even to 1˝ ribs. the wing right side up. We’ll mark the top of the
wing first.
How Far Between the Laces? On the chart, you draw a vertical line up from
Let’s start with how to plan and lay out rib lace
spacing. This works for screws and rivets, too. the Vne speed of the Cub, which is 115 mph,
until it reaches the line marked “Propwash Area
Take a look at this chart: Spacing.” Then you draw a horizontal line from
that point of intersection over to the scale on the
left side of the chart. That gives us a spacing of
2 1⁄ 2˝ inside the propwash area. Then you
extend the vertical Vne line to the “Non-Prop-
wash Area Spacing” line, and turn left again to
the left side of the chart. This gives us a rib lace
spacing of 31⁄2˝ outside the propwash area. Per-
form these same steps for your airplane.

Most sport aircraft work out to 21⁄2˝ in propwash

and 31⁄2˝ out of propwash. These are MAXIMUM
spacings. The faster the aircraft, the tighter the
spacing. You can pretend you’re doing a P-51 if
This same chart is also in the FAA’s AC 43.13 you wish and use 1˝ spacing. No problem in
and should be used if you don’t know the rib using tighter spacing anytime. Aerobatic aircraft
lace spacing of your aircraft as it was manufac- should always have tighter spacing.
tured.

The bottom of the chart shows the placard max- So what you get out of this drill is that on an
imum speed of aircraft in miles per hour. The average wing the first three or four ribs out
left side shows the distance between laces (or from the butt rib require 21⁄2˝ spacing since they
screws or rivets). are in the propwash area. The remaining ribs
get rib laces every 31⁄2˝.
Notice that there are two lines, one for spacing
in the propwash areas, and another for spacing
in other than propwash areas. The chart gives us two sets of
spacing, but you don’t really
have to lay out two sets of
laces if you choose not to.

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 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

Remember, the spacing you get from the chart ❐ Place the tape on the top of the butt rib and
is the MAXIMUM spacing between laces. Since start measuring and marking. The first
there is no restriction on using narrower spac- mark goes 11⁄4˝ back from the leading edge
ing than the maximum, it’s just as easy on most fairing (half the chart distance). The next
airplanes to use the propwash spacing (21⁄2˝) for mark goes 21⁄2˝ beyond that. Keep marking
the whole wing. It looks neater, it’s easier to lay in 21⁄2˝ segments all the way to the trailing
out, and you’ll only end up doing a few more edge. Make sure the last mark is no greater
laces in the bargain. than 21⁄2˝ from the trailing edge.

So in our discussion on how to measure and

layout the laces, we’ll go with 21⁄2˝ laces for
the whole wing.

Tail Feather Spacing: If your aircraft requires

you to lace the tail feathers, and you don’t know
the original spacing, use twice the wing prop-
wash spacing.

Marking Rib Lace Locations

Now that you know the spacing, you’ll measure,
lay out, and mark the position of the individual ❐ Now lay the measuring tape on the rib clos-
rib laces. This will result in evenly spaced, neat est to the tip bow and do the same thing.
looking laces. Once you mark the lace positions, Then, to be safe, pick a rib in the middle of
you’ll pre-punch the lacing holes with a needle the wing and do it again.
to give you guides to lace through. Not only ❐ Get the chalk line out and line up the marks
does this give you a good looking job, but saves made on all three ribs. Snap lines on the top
lots of time by not having to measure while of the wing. You should have parallel lines
lacing. Pre-punched holes save lots of fumbling. every 21⁄2˝ spanwise on the wing.

Put the wing top side up on the saw- Every place the chalk line intersects a rib is
horses. Get a ruler or a tape measure where the rib lace will be. This is a nifty way to
and a soft lead pencil. get nice even laces at the required spacing.

Rib laces go through the entire wing, and must

Remember, no pens or magic be parallel to the spar face; in other words, they
markers. They will bleed all should go straight up and down and all be paral-
the way through the paint. lel if you looked at them in cross section inside
the wing.
You begin measuring rib lace spacing at the
butt rib, working from aft edge of the leading
edge fairing, where it meets open fabric, toward
the trailing edge. The first rib lace is always
placed at half the required distance of the oth-
ers. Since our required distance is 21⁄2˝, half of
that is 11⁄4˝.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 28

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

The bottom surface is different. If your wing

was symmetrical, you could flip it over and
measure and chalk the bottom as you did the
top. The resulting laces would all be straight up
and down and parallel. But most wings have an
airfoil shape; that is, the top surface has a greater
curve than the bottom surface, which is almost
flat. Therefore, the top surface is longer than the
bottom. So, if you measured the bottom exactly
as you did the top of the airfoil, the resulting and bottom, to the other side of the template.
rib laces would certainly not be straight up This gives you a template for both wings.
and down and parallel. In fact, they would look ❐ Place the template back on the butt rib and
like a sunburst! Not to worry. transfer the marks from the bottom of the
template to the bottom of the butt rib.
The Magic Template
You can keep the laces straight up and parallel
by making a simple cardboard template.

❐ Hold a piece of cardboard up to the butt rib

and trace the shape of the rib. Also mark on
it the position of the main (forward) spar.
Cut out the shape of the butt rib to make a
template. Put the template against the butt
rib and transfer to the template the spacing
marks on the top of the butt rib.
❐ Lay the template on something flat. At each
Turn the wing bottom side up.

❐ Use the bottom edge of the template to

mark the lace positions onto a middle and
outboard bottom rib. Snap your chalk lines
as before, and you are done. All the rib lac-
ing locations are marked.

lace position along the top of the airfoil,

draw a line parallel to the main spar face,
extending down through the bottom of the
airfoil template. This gives you the proper
positions for the rib laces on the bottom.
❐ Now transfer these lace positions, both top

June 2008 Revision – pg. 29

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

If you absolutely want to have CAUTION: Don’t use anything

both in-propwash spacing and but genuine Ceconite polyester
out-of-propwash lace spacings, twill reinforcing tape. Substi-
just make two templates. Use tuting fiberglass strapping tape,
them as above. or any other tape,is not approved.
Strapping tape fails easily in
shear, and falls apart in a few years.
Reinforcing Tape Rib laces can fail if you use strap-
Reinforcing tape is an adhesive-backed polyester ping tape! It also negates your STC.
twill material that is stuck to the fabric over the
rib cap before rib lacing. It reinforces the fabric
so that rib laces, screws, or rivets don’t cut right ❐ Once all the reinforcing tape is in place, pre-
through the fabric when mechanical attachments punch the top rib lace holes with a rib lac-
are snugged down. ing needle. Punch holes where the chalk
lines intersect the ribs, as close to the rib
Ceconite reinforcing tape comes in 1⁄4˝, 3⁄8˝, and caps and tape as you can.
1
⁄2˝ widths. Use the width of tape that exactly
matches the width of your rib cap. Tape that is
too wide will leave puckers when the laces are
snugged down. Tape that is too narrow will allow Punched Holes Chalk Lines

fabric cuts where the reinforcing tape ends. Use

two parallel 1⁄2˝ tapes to cover a 1˝ rib.
Reinforcing Tape Fabric
❐ Simply peel off the paper backing and press
the tape into position over the bottom ribs.
Align the tape precisely with each rib cap.
Extend the tape a minimum of 1˝ beyond
Leading Edge Fairing
the first and last laces on each rib. For cos-
metics, it looks better to extend the reinforc-
ing tape all the way to the leading and trail-
ing edges of the wing.

Turn the wing over again, upside down

Position the wing right side up on the
on the sawhorses.
sawhorses.

❐ Apply reinforcing tape along the top rib caps, ❐ Pre-punch the holes on the bottom of the
wing, same as on the top.
just as you did for the bottom rib caps.

Take care when cutting reinforcing tape. Uneven

cuts will show through. Keep everything nice
and square.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 30

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

Let’s Tie Some Knots! cord and to prevent wearing off the wax coat-
There are two kinds of Ceconite polyester rib ing and fraying the cord by pulling through
lacing cords, round and flat. It is your choice. the fabric too many times, use shorter lengths
Flat rib lacing cord, like a shoelace, takes some of rib lacing cord. Six to eight feet is plenty,
untwisting at times. Round cord is faster and depending on the rib thickness. Tie off the last
only slightly thicker than flat. Rib lacing cord is knot in each length with a half-hitch.
impregnated with a special wax.
❖ Make sure all cables are temporarily secured
Only two knots are approved with taut, in their normal runs. If you rib lace with
the Ceconite STC: them in a loose condition, they could destroy
adjacent rib laces when you pull them back to
1.The modified seine knot as shown in AC their normal runs as you assemble the airplane.
43.13. After tying, this old standby stays on
the exterior surface. The cord that runs ❐ Set up a floodlight so it shines through the
between knots (the continuous cord) also wing to reveal structure and obstacles within.
runs on the surface. Leaves a lot of drag on ❐ Thread a curved tip needle with about six
the outside of the wing, but that’s the way it feet of cord.
was done from WW1 on. Tie this knot with a
12˝ straight needle.

2.We recommend, and will show you, the hid-

den modified seine knot. This “hidden” knot
winds up on the inside of the wing. So does
the continuous cord. So all you see with this
knot is one small stitch across the rib. Much
cleaner. You’ll need a 12˝ curved tip needle to
tie and hide this knot.

❖ You can rib lace with the wing on sawhorses

and spend a lot of time exercising your knees,
or you can put the wing in a vertical stand and
pass the needle back and forth with a helper.

❖ Wings can be laced while positioned horizon-

tally or vertically, usually leading edge
down. Exceptionally wide-chord wings are
easier to lace when positioned vertically, with
the needle returned by a helper.

❖ You can start at the leading edge and work aft,

or vice versa. You can begin on either the top
of the wing or the bottom. It doesn’t matter
because all the knots will be concealed inside
the wing.

❖ To save time untangling long lengths of rib

June 2008 Revision – pg. 31

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

The Modified Seine Knot

A. Start by inserting the threaded needle into

the prepunched hole on the right side of the
reinforcing tape. Guide the needle through
the wing and out the bottom prepunched
hole directly below the top hole.

B. Leaving a tail of thread on the top of the

wing, pull the needle out the bottom. Cross
to the left of the bottom reinforcing tape,
insert the needle into the prepunched hole
on the left side of the tape. Push the needle
and thread all the way back up inside the
wing and out through the prepunched hole
on the left side of the top reinforcing tape.

C. Pull the needle out with thread attached,

but don't pull all of the thread out. You will
have a short end of the thread (about 4 to 5
inches) on the right side of the top reinforc-
ing tape and a lace of thread running from
the top through to the bottom on the right
of the rib and back up to the top on the left
as illustrated.

Now you’re ready to tie the Starter Knot.

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 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

The Starter Knot. This handy knot is used when

you start a sequence of rib lacing. It is simply a
square knot with a half-hitch on each side.

The starter knot can also be used as a single lace

in places where you cannot tie continuous seine
knots. If you have a lot of time, you could lace
your entire airplane with starter knots.

Ready? We’ll begin on the next page.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 33

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

1. Tie a square knot by passing the short end of

the cord through the folded-back loop.

2. Lock the tightened square knot with a half-

hitch on each side.

3. Route the needle back through the starting

hole. Bring it back out through the next hole
aft on the same side of the rib cap. Pull the
square knot inside the wing.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 34

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

4. Route the needle back in through this same

exit hole, and then out again through the cor-
responding hole on the opposite wing surface.
Leave about a 3˝ loop when the needle is
pulled clear.

5. Cross over the rib cap, and return the needle.

As the needle emerges, orient the loop as
shown and pass the needle up through it. This
is the beginning of the modified seine knot.

6. Pull the needle clear. Use the tip of the needle

to reach under part B of the loop, hook part A,
and pull it toward your starting point.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 35

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

7. Rotate the needle clockwise, twisting the cap-

tured part A. Route the needle tip over part A,
then under part B.

8. Now pass the needle over cord part C and pull

it through. Hold part C perpendicular to the
fabric while you pull, to keep the cord from
getting tangled.

9. Pull part C perpendicular to the fabric to

remove all slack in the lacing cord back to the
last rib lacing knot, while working the loose
knot over to the right side. Do not pull on
part D.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 36

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

10. With all slack removed by pulling part C,

hold the loosely formed knot with your
thumbnail. Pull firmly on part D, perpen-
dicular to the fabric surface, to secure the
finished knot.
☞

GO BACK TO STEP 3 - Repeat Steps 3

through 10 until you’ve either completed the
entire rib or you’ve come to the end of your
length of lacing cord. In either of these cases,
go to Step 11.

11. After completing an entire rib, tie off the last

modified seine knot with a half-hitch.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 37

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

What if you run out of cord halfway through

the rib? Tie it off with a half- hitch, and start
again at the next set of holes with a starter knot
and a new length of cord.

Sometimes you can’t get through the entire

wing to rib lace normally. Hidden structure, fuel
tanks, etc. may preclude lacing around the
whole rib.

In this case, you can lace to just the cap. Use a

curved needle to tie a single starter knot.

A. Go in on one side of the rib cap, and come out

on the other.

B.Go back in through the exit hole, then come

out opposite the first entry hole.

C.Now you can tie a starter knot,

June 2008 Revision – pg. 38

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

Other Mechanical
Attachments:
Pop Rivets
Fabric pop rivets are special broad head rivets
sold by aircraft supply houses specifically for use
on metal ribs. DO NOT attempt to use the hard-
ware store variety!
one tries to yank off the old fabric while the clips
Start with the reinforcing tape, as with rib lacing, are still in place. This can easily ruin an entire
and use the same spacing. If an existing rivet hole set of ribs. And because the spacing of the barbs
is wallowed out or damaged, drill a new hole half is unchangeable, you can’t just drill a new hole
an inch or so away. For best results, use a 1⁄2˝ to replace one that’s damaged. If you need to use
diameter .016˝ aluminum washer under each rivet. clips, find out all you can about your particular clip
Plastic washers tend to crack and fail with age. system before you make an expensive mistake.

Pop rivets are easy to install, but they’re a real Finishing Up

pain to drill out at PK Screw When you are finished rib lacing or installing
re-covering time. Rein.
Washer
Tape
mechanical attachments, you need to clean the
Fabric
ribs of all wax and fingerprints, and fill the rein-
PK Screws forcing tapes with Rand-O-Proof.
These are small Rib
self-tapping stain- ❐ Use some thinner on a clean rag to remove
less steel sheet metal screws. You’ll find them in the excess wax that balled up around the rib
a variety of certified aircraft that have metal ribs. laces. It does.

As with the pop rivets, start with the reinforcing

tape and use the standard spacing. If an existing
❐ Get out your Rand-O-Proof can and a nar-
row brush. Brush Rand-O-Proof into the
screw hole is wallowed out or damaged, drill a
reinforcing tapes until they soak up enough
new one half an inch or so away. For best results
to turn them green and fill them up entirely.
use a 1⁄2˝ diameter .016˝ aluminum washer under
It usually takes at least four coats to fill them.
each PK screw.
A 2˝ brush held sideways works nicely for this
job. Be careful about brush marks or ridges
Don’t use PK screws on wooden ribs. They can
that may form at the sides of the brushed
create a path that introduces moisture into the
area. Feather out ridges before they dry.
rib over the years.

Fabric Clips It is important that you fill

Fabric clips are pieces of wire formed into a row reinforcing tapes with Rand-
of self-locking “barbs” that snap into holes or O-Proof. If you don’t, they act
slots in metal ribs. Taylorcraft and Cessna use like sponges under finishing
them, and they’re available from your favorite tapes, robbing the finishing
supply house. tapes of the Rand-O-Proof
they need for good adhesion.
Clips are the hardest on ribs, particularly if some-

June 2008 Revision – pg. 39

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

To make sure the rings stay on, you’ll apply a

Inspection Hole “doily,” a circular piece of fabric, over each one
Reinforcements with Rand-O-Proof. To make doilies...

It’s obvious you’ll need access to parts of your ❐ Make a simple frame out of scrap wood,
airframe once covered. Pulleys, bellcranks, brake about 3’ by 3’ square.
master cylinders, and places that require frequent
inspection all need to be accessible. You certainly ❐ Cement or staple some Ceconite Uncertified
don’t want to omit this step and then have to cut Light fabric to the frame.
into your nice new paint job later.

You need to have a good idea of where these ❐ Tighten the fabric on the frame at 250°.
access holes need to be. Studying the old cover-
ing before removal is one way, or you could look
at a covered airplane like your own and make a ❐ Take the fabric off the frame, and draw 6 ⁄ ˝1
2

“map” of where you need to put the access holes. circles on the fabric with a soft lead pencil.
Shining a strong light through the translucent Gallon cans are good patterns. Carefully cut
fabric helps, too. Access holes are usually put on out the doilies with pinking shears.
the underside of the wings and fuselage. By the
way, it’s hard to have too many access holes. This pre-shrunk Uncertified Light fabric makes
Over the years, you’ll regret the ones you decide beautiful smooth doilies that mold easily around
to leave off. the reinforcing rings. If you use thicker scrap
fabric that is wrinkled to begin with, it’ll look
Easy access is achieved through reinforced holes terrible when applied, and you’ll have to spend
in the fabric, each with a removable cover. CAB an inordinate amount of time smoothing out
plastic reinforcing rings (also called inspection the wrinkles.
rings) are available from our distributors. They’re
a standard size: 39⁄16˝ ID. This is big enough to
get your hand through. The aluminum inspection Ceconite style Uncertified
hole covers that snap over them are also available Light fabric works great for
from our distributors. doilies. Ceconite 102 is OK,
too, but doesn’t mold as
Once you’ve figured out where the access holes tightly.
should be located, they are simple to install.

❐ Cement the rings directly onto the fabric

with straight New Super Seam cement.
Clean up any cement that drips or oozes
with MEK.

Don’t cut out the centers until the

airplane is finished and painted.
Even then, don’t cut them out
until you need access. Some
may never need to be cut.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 40

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

❐ Apply each doily by brushing a wet circle of Straight-edge tapes came with the introduction
Rand-O-Proof inside and outside the ring, of polyester fabrics. Since polyester could be heat
big enough to wet out the doily. Lay the slit, it was an easy way to make a tape. The prob-
doily over the ring. With a dry brush (mean- lem with straight-edge polyester tapes is the
ing not much Rand-O-Proof on it), work ridge formed at the edge when they’re heat slit.
the doily into the wet area. The best bond is That ridge gives no transition to the tape and,
achieved when the wet Rand-O-Proof soaks in fact, promotes peeling over the years.
upward into the weave of the doily fabric.
Pinked tapes have 41% more edge area to help
❐ When the Rand-O-Proof dries, brush another adhesion. They’re cut with a knife that leaves no
coat over it. Be careful not to leave brush ridge and, by golly, they are historically correct.
marks or ridges.
By the way, buy about twice the number of alu- So we recommend you used pinked tapes
minum reinforcing hole covers you need. When whenever possible!
you paint your airplane, lay out all the covers
and paint them, too. Store the ones you don’t Kinds of Tapes
immediately use. You’ll appreciate having a WEIGHT: Tapes are available in two weights:
bunch of spares already painted in future years. Ceconite Light and Ceconite 102, our medium-
weight tape. Both are legal to use interchange-
ably over any of the Ceconite fabrics.
Finishing Tapes
and Gussets Lightweight tapes are easier to bend around cor-
ners. They also mold down to the surface more
Finishing tapes are simply pre-cut strips of readily than do medium weights. Our 102
Ceconite fabric. These tapes are used to cover medium-weight tapes have more body and are
cemented or sewn seams, or to provide an extra appropriate for working airplanes or those that
layer of cloth over areas that need reinforcement. will see a lot of snow or ice.
Ceconite tapes come in two styles, pinked,
which are edged in a zig-zag pattern, and straight. CUT ANGLE: There are straight-cut and bias-
cut tapes. Straight tapes are self-explanatory.
“Which are better, straight or pinked?” They are long, straight strips of fabric. Some
catalogs call them linear. Bias tapes are cut
OK, let’s set the record straight. During WWI, from long tubes of sewn fabric. The weave of a
the edges of aircraft tapes were unravelled by bias tape is aligned at 45° from the edge. If you
hand to leave a crude fringe. The idea was to pull the bias tape, it gets narrower, like the old
give a nice transition from fabric to threads to Chinese finger puzzle, and forms itself perfectly
promote adhesion when they were doped in place. around curves with no wrinkles. Bias tapes are
But unravelling the edges of the tapes was a real used ONLY to go around curves like rudders or
pain and it took a lot of time. wing-tip bows.

So they got smarter and figured that if tapes were WIDTH: Tapes come in a variety of widths, all
cut with pinked edges, you get the same good with different uses.
adhesion with less labor. Pinking also kept the
cotton from unravelling. So pinked tapes came
into vogue in the twenties.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 41

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

Straight Tapes - Let’s Tape!

❖ 2˝ tapes are the standard width for ribs and Tapes are applied in this order.
longerons. You can use 2˝ tapes legally on the
whole airplane, but it looks pretty strange. 1. Fabric gussets.
Anyway, you’ll use a lot of 2˝.
2 Tapes that are oriented CHORD-WISE into
❖ 1˝ tapes are used for narrow fuselage the slipstream (like tapes over ribs).
stringers.
3. Tapes that are oriented SPAN-WISE across the
❖ 3˝ tapes are used for leading or trailing edges slipstream (like leading edge tapes).
of wings and tail feathers.
The Three Basic Steps in Taping:
❖ 4 or 6˝ tapes are used for leading edges of 1. Thin the Rand-O-Proof one to one with 286
wings. Nitrate Thinner. Precoat the fabric with
Rand-O-Proof where the tape will be. Let it dry.
Bias Tapes - This is tricky, when you pull a bias
tape around a curve, it gets about 1⁄3 narrower. 2. Install the tape with a very wet coat of one-to-
one Rand-O-Proof. Let it dry.
❖ A 3˝ bias will pull to 2˝ wide when applied.
3. Brush a final coat of Rand-O-Proof over the
❖ A 4˝ bias will pull to slightly less than 3˝. dry tape.

DO NOT ATTACH TAPES WITH Make sure you feather out any
NEW SUPER SEAM! New Super ridges or built-up edges of
Seam cement dries too brittle Rand-O-Proof. While still
for a flexible bond on tapes. wet, brush them out quickly,
Tapes should be attached being careful not to leave any
only with G-6302 Rand-O- brush marks. All ridges and
Proof or one of our other brush marks will always show.
nitrate dope products. Old
timers will tell you to add fab-
ric cement, like New Super Seam, Fabric Gussets
to Rand-O-Proof or the other
A fabric gusset is simply a piece of pre-shrunk
nitrate dopes to improve tape
fabric cut to shape to fit over any oddly shaped
adhesion. Don’t do it! This is an
place you want to reinforce.
outdated method that actually will
cause early tape delamination
rather than promoting adhesion.
Use nitrate Rand-O-Proof thinned
one to one with 286 Nitrate Thin-
ner. Period!

June 2008 Revision – pg. 42

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

An example would be a gusset cut to fit over a ❐ Brush a wet coat of Rand-O-Proof and lay
strut fitting protrusion. This gusset would have the gusset into it. Work out bubbles with a
a neat hole trimmed exactly to go over the end dry brush.
of the protrusion. The gusset, however, would be
big enough to cover the elongated hole left in Chord-Wise Tapes
the wing fabric after heat tightening around the Let’s put on the tapes over wing ribs.
base of the protrusion.
❐ Get out the Rand-O-Proof bucket and fill it
Or you might choose to cut a custom-shaped with Rand-O-Proof, thinned one to one. You
gusset to cover an odd shaped hard panel under- will use only a 2˝ brush for taping.
lying the fabric. Sometimes it’s easier to cut
gussets than to try to make tapes work over
Pre-coating, the hidden secret to adhesion.
odd shapes. Before you lay any tapes, make sure you brush a
stripe of Rand-O-Proof over the area where the
Remember the previous section on installing tape will go. This pre-coating insures that
reinforcing rings? Smooth, professional gussets there’ll be enough dope to give a good stable
are cut from pre-shrunk Uncertified Light bond between the tape and the fabric. Use a 2˝
fabric exactly like inspection ring doilies. brush. Make sure you don’t leave a ridge of
Rand-O-Proof at the edges.
❐ Hold the pre-shrunk fabric over the area you
want the finished gusset to cover. Trace the ❐ For a first-class job, draw lines with a pencil
shape with a soft lead pencil and a straight and straight edge in the areas where the tapes
edge. Oversize the gusset at least 3⁄8˝ beyond are to be applied. This not only gives you a
its perimeter. reference line to tape to, but a guide for
putting down a neat pre-coat of Rand-O-
Proof.
A gusset or tape that is used to
reinforce a hard surface under- You have two options when trimming and
neath fabric needs to have at applying rib tapes.
least 3⁄8˝ extending past the
edge of the hard surface onto 1. You can use one tape long enough to wrap
the adjacent fabric. After all, the around the whole wing, top and bottom.
reason to put a tape or a gusset
2. Or you can cut separate bottom and top tapes
over the hard surface is to keep
and butt them together at the leading edge.
the edges of the hard surface
from chafing through the fabric. Let’s do one of each.
You need at least 3⁄8˝ of fabric
overlap for a good Rand-O-Proof One-piece Finishing Tape
cement bond.
❐ Cut a 2˝ tape long enough to hang over the
trailing edge an inch or so, wrap around the
❐ Trim with pinking shears and attach with whole wing, and have some extra extending
Rand-O-Proof, as you did with the doilies. past the bottom trailing edge.

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 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

The plan is to attach the tape to the top of the What is important is to make sure that you
wing first. At the leading edge, roll up the excess have at least 3⁄8˝ to 1⁄2˝ of the edge of each tape
tape and clip it with a clothespin to keep it off firmly wetted out and cemented with Rand-O-
the ground. Later, when you turn the wing over, Proof. From the pinked edge in, the first 1⁄2˝ of
you’ll unroll the tape and Rand-O-Proof it to the tape should look green and well attached
the bottom. with no dry areas or voids.

❐ To apply the tape, brush a very wet stripe of You’ll always have some wrinkles or bubbles in
Rand-O-Proof over the area we previously tapes when you apply them. Don’t worry, they
precoated. It helps to have those straight will ALL come out later with heat from your
pencil lines as a guide. iron.

Don’t skimp on the Rand-O-Proof. You have to

work fast, yet get a lot on. If you’re working by Don’t fiddle around with small
yourself, you might consider giving yourself wrinkles or bubbles in the wet
more time by brushing only as far as you can tapes.You’re bound to leave
reach and apply the tape in stages. Most of the brush marks. We’ll fix them all
time, however, you should be able to do the later with the iron.
whole top section of the tape if you work fast.

❐ Lay the tape into the wet stripe of Rand-O- As the Rand-O-Proof dries, it will no longer
Proof. It should immediately soak up into look uniformly green under the tape. Rand-O-
the tape. Wipe the brush dry and use it as a Proof dries with a mottled, splotchy look. Per-
tool to press the tape into the stripe of fectly normal. If you started with a really wet
Rand-O-Proof. The dry brush can also be layer of Rand-O-Proof, you did it right.
used to work out any big bubbles. Work fast
and get the brush out of there before the ❐ As you did on the top, brush a very wet stripe
Rand-O-Proof starts to dry. If you fiddle of Rand-O-Proof onto the previously pre-
with it too long, you’ll leave noticeable coated areas, unroll the tapes, and apply
brush marks. them to the bottom of the wing.

“OH NO! There are bubbles around the rib laces! ❐ Also as with the top of the wing, lay the tape
I can’t get all the air out! It didn’t form down into the wet Rand-O-Proof. Use the brush to
over those areas! Before I could work them all press the tape into the Rand-O-Proof.
out, the Rand-O-Proof dried!” Work fast and get the brush out of there
before the Rand-O-Proof starts to dry.
Don’t panic. This is perfectly normal. What appear
to be air bubbles over the rib laces (or rivets or
You may notice some wrinkles in the tape as it
screws) are really the natural fairing tendency of
wraps around the leading edge. This is really
the tape as it angles off the protrusion of the lace.
You’ll never get all these faired areas perfectly quite apparent on tapered-wing aircraft. Again,
cemented down in the Rand-O-Proof. People don’t fiddle with them now. The iron will smooth
go to great lengths to try to get these “bubbles” them out later.
out, but to no avail. Don’t worry about them.
When the Silver Butyrate Dope covers them
later, you’ll never know they were there.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 44

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

Two-piece Finishing Tape

A two-piece tape is butted together at the

leading edge.

❐ The easiest way to do this is to apply all the

tapes on one side with a bit of overhang at
the trailing and leading edges. A good guide
for the overhang at the leading edge is your
old wing center chalk line you used when
you applied the wing fabric. Apply the tapes
so they are cemented slightly past this line
with about an inch of dry tape overhanging ❐ First, smooth out all imperfections where
to use as a handle. the long tapes will lie with a 225° iron.
Glue lumps, fabric wrinkles, and other ugly
spots will all iron out with enough
❐ Trim the tapes on the wing center chalk line patience and pressure from the tip of the
with a fresh straight razor. Remember, hold
iron. Don’t get lazy here and decide that
the razor firmly on the line, and pull the
since another tape is applied over imperfec-
tape into the blade. Don’t slice with the
tions that they won’t show. Trust me! They
razor or you’ll cut the fabric below!
most assuredly will. Now is your chance to
get them out!
❐ When you apply the tapes on the other side
of the wing, trim them the same way. This
Long tapes should never be
neat butt seam will never show when the
aligned by eye. Use a chalk line.
leading edge tape is placed over it.
Straight tapes are the trade-
marks of good workmanship.
❐ Trim the trailing edge tapes by cutting them
off flush at the trailing edge when they’re dry.
❐ Pre-coat and apply long tapes just like all
others. Brush an additional coat over them
❐ After 30 minutes or so, when all the tapes when they’re dry.
are dry, brush another coat of one-to-one
Rand-O-Proof over them. Watch out for
brush marks and be especially careful not to Leading edge tapes are Rand-O-Proofed to the
let noticeable edge build-ups of Rand-O- wing in two operations.
Proof occur. Feather out Rand-O-Proof
edges with the brush before they dry. ❐ Precoat the leading edge with your thinned
Rand-O-Proof, making a nice wet stripe that
extends 2˝ above the center line and 2˝ below
Span-Wise Tapes it. Your 4˝ finishing tape will be set into this
The long tapes over the leading edge, trailing stripe.
edge and spars go on next. Here’s a span-wise
tape installed along a spar. ❐ When the Rand-O-Proof dries, snap a fresh
chalk line along the leading edge, 2˝ above
the center line.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 45

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

❐ Brush more Rand-O-Proof only onto the

area between the center line and your new
upper chalk line. Leave the area below the
center line dry. If you’re working by yourself,
do only 2 or 3 feet at a time. Don’t rush.
Remember, Ol’ Cyrus is gonna sight down
every one of your tapes!

❐ Align the upper edge of the tape with the

new chalk line as you work it into the wet
Rand-O-Proof.
❐ Finally, brush another coat of 1-to-1 thinned
Rand-O-Proof over the entire tape. Watch
out for brush marks and be especially care-
ful not to let noticeable edge build-ups of
Rand-O-Proof occur.

The trailing edge tape is installed in the same

manner, using a chalk line to keep it nice and
straight.

Bias Tapes
Let’s put a bias tape over the curved wing tip bow.
NEVER USE AN IRON HOTTER We’ll assume you used a 4˝ tape on the leading
THAN 225° ON A TAPE! Tapes are edge and a 3˝ tape on the trailing edge.
raw fabric and are not pre-
shrunk. If you so much as Remember, a bias tape shrinks about a third
touch them at 250 degrees, when it’s pulled. So to plan professional join-ups
they will shrink about 5%. with the leading and trailing edge tapes, do it
The end result will be a this way.
curved tape. UGLY!
Start by butting or overlapping the leading
edge 4˝ tape with a 4˝ bias tape. When we pull
❐ When the entire upper half of the leading the bias, it will shrink to about 3˝ to match
edge tape is attached and dry, heat-form the the 3˝ trailing edge tape.
tape by rolling it around the leading edge
with a 225° iron, working the lower half ❐ Roll out enough bias tape to curve around
into the Rand-O-Proof precoat. the entire tip bow. Bias tapes have sewn seams
about every 5 feet, so cut your tape off the
roll right after a sewn seam to give you a full
❐ Apply a wet stripe of Rand-O-Proof to the 5 feet before another seam appears. Lay the
lower leading edge. Work the tape you just
bias tape out on the workbench, and with a
heat formed into the Rand-O-Proof with a
soft lead pencil draw an exact centerline
dry brush.
along its entire length.

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 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

around the top of a rudder, but the idea is

❐ Without pulling on the bias tape, apply Rand- exactly the same.
O-Proof to the first 3˝ or so of the tape where
it will meet or overlap the leading edge tape.
Match these tapes very carefully.
❐ Use the pencil centerline to keep the tape
centered on the bow. Keep pulling until you
have no wrinkles and the tape lies perfectly
flush. If you let the pencil center line slip up

BIAS TAPE
LEADING EDGE TAPE

❐ Line up the pinked edges of both tapes on

either the top or bottom of the butt seam,
since it probably won’t join perfectly on both or down on the bow you’ll have more tape
top and bottom surfaces. Pick the side you on one side than the other.
want to be perfect. On high-wing airplanes it
will probably be the bottom half, since that’s
The 4˝ bias should pull down to about 3˝ to
the edge that always shows.
match the trailing edge tape.

❐ Clamp the Rand-O-Proofed area of the

bias, or hold it with your fingers until the Different Surfaces
Rand-O-Proof sets and it stays in place. When you have to attach tape to two different
Roll the extra bias up, or drape it over the surface types, such as over fabric and a metal
wing while the first 3˝ dries. gas tank, use New Super Seam under the tape
over the metal and Rand-O-Proof under the
tape over the fabric.
When it is really dry (give it an hour to be safe),
you are ready to pull the bias around the tip
bow. Bias tapes need to be applied all at one time;
Aircraft with Big-engine
you can’t pull only short sections of the tape.
Modifications
So you’ll have to work fast. If you are taping an aircraft with a big engine
mod, you should consider some alternatives.
❐ Pre-coat as always. When dry, apply a really Remember that the fabric on a 180-horse Super
Cub is structurally not much different than a
wet coat of Rand-O-Proof around the whole
tip bow. Work fast, but be neat. 65-horse J-3, and that fire-breathing Super Cub
is going to create a whole lot more slipstream
vibration than the J-3. Increased vibration can
❐ Now pull the bias around the tip bow. This cause early paint cracking problems.
photo actually shows a bias tape being pulled

June 2008 Revision – pg. 47

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

You can prevent early paint cracking by using

wider tapes in the slipstream area or, in some Drain Grommets
cases, double taping.
Airplanes get water in them, and that water needs
If you have any questions about your specific to get out. Rain and condensation can introduce
hot rod, call us at the factory before you tape. significant moisture into a tube and rag airplane.
We can give you some suggestions to prevent
early paint cracking. Each bay of a wing, tail feather, or fuselage must
be allowed to drain. Look at the structure and
Sun Shrinking think about where water will collect. Common
If you plan to paint your air- sense will tell you where the drains should go.
plane black, olive drab, or any Put a drain hole at the lowest point of each col-
really dark shade, you may lection bay on the bottom of the surface. Most
have a real problem with wings, for instance, will have a drain next to the
the tapes shrinking in outboard side of a rib at the trailing edge in each
extreme temperatures bay. Some wings have a drain hole on each side
when left outdoors. of the rib at the trailing edge.
Remember, tapes are made from raw fabric with
no pre-shrinking. Lightweight tapes are particu- Drain holes need to be at least 1⁄4˝ in diameter.
larly susceptible to this if they don’t get enough They are usually reinforced by cementing a drain
Rand-O-Proof when applied. grommet directly over the fabric then cutting or
melting out a hole.
The dark shades of paint can generate skin tem-
peratures as high as 210° on a desert ramp. This
Use only New Super Seam cement to apply
is not a big problem in Boston, but if you live in
drain grommets.
Phoenix, pay attention. Light colors don’t have
this problem.

The best prevention is to use plenty of Rand-O-

Proof when you apply the tapes. Pre-coat, apply
with ample Rand-O-Proof, then apply another
coat over the top. This usually keeps the tapes
where they belong for their entire service life,
no matter what color you paint your airplane.

Another trick is to pre-shrink the tapes at 250°

before you apply them. You only need to do this
for surfaces exposed to direct sunlight, and it is
probably overkill, but you are going for perfect,
right? Tension the tapes by clamping them to You can make a mini-doily about 2˝ in diameter
the workbench and iron them over smooth called a dollar patch, and apply these over the
cardboard. If you don’t tension them while drain grommets. Cut them out with pinking
pre-shrinking, they’ll wrinkle and deform. shears. This is a good idea in propwash areas.
Melt out the center with a soldering iron when
OK… back to work. the dollar patch is dry over the drain grommet.

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 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

Drain grommets come in three types: tapes; the hours you spend with the 225 degree
iron will save lots of sanding later.

Imperfections You Should Fix

❐ Wrinkles. Press with the tip of the iron really
hard. Even those little crease wrinkles can
be smoothed out.

❐ “Bubbles,” or areas in tapes and fabric that

don’t appear to be well stuck down. 225°
works well at heat forming the bubbles flat.
Test it with your finger after you iron it flat.
It should be firmly stuck down. Remember,
1.Plastic grommets. These glue well but can
don’t worry about the natural fairings around
get brittle over the years.
rib laces. They only look like bubbles. Don’t
waste your time ironing them; you will never
2.Aluminum grommets. These will have the
see them when the silver butyrate is applied.
longest service life but need dollar patches in
propwash areas.
❐ Lumps. New Super Seam sometimes balls
up into lumps when it dries off the brush as
3.Seaplane grommets. These are plastic and
you apply it. Use heat and pressure to re-soften
have a little vented hood over them that helps
and smooth out the lumps left from the
siphon water out. To install them, melt the
cementing stages.
hole FIRST, then glue on the seaplane grom-
met. PLACE THE OPENING AFT! If you use
dollar patches, be sure to cut holes for the ❐ Curled-up Pinks on Tapes. Pinked “ears”
vents. will often curl up when the Rand-O-Proof
dries. Iron them flat with the 225° iron.
Our STC allows for melted holes alone with no They will heat-form and lay flat and smooth.
drain grommet. The only stipulation is that the Iron them now and you won’t have to sand
melted drain hole needs to go through TWO them later. Go over EVERY tape for a nice
LAYERS of fabric: that is, fabric with a tape over job. Let your fingers tell you when they are
it. Handily, most of the areas you want to place a nice and smooth. REMEMBER, NO MORE
drain hole have tapes over them. Use a metal THAN 225° ON TAPES OR THEY WILL
drain grommet as a melting guide to insure a LOOK LIKE COKE BOTTLES.
smooth, even hole.

Some Other Tricks

Heat Smoothing If you were sloppy with the Rand-O-Proof and
have a lot of dried drips or runs, use some 286
Pinked tape edges will often curl up when the Nitrate Thinner on a rag to wipe them off now.
Rand-O-Proof dries. To lay them down, use a You can do the same to level really big ridges
225 degree iron and physically heat-form them of Rand-O-Proof next to the tapes. Don’t use
flat. Pressure and heat will push the curled MEK; it is a bit too powerful and could take off
edges back down. Take your time on all the all the underlying Rand-O-Proof. Be careful

June 2008 Revision – pg. 49

 5 – Let’s Do a Wing!

how much thinner you use and how hard you

wipe. You could wind up plowing rag marks into
the surface if you get too aggressive.

Do all the heat smoothing you possibly can now.

Once we start spraying, it’ll be too late. Don’t
rush! This is your opportunity to do it right.

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 6 – Control Surfaces
& Fuselage
We’ll use an elevator as an example.
Ailerons
❐ Start by laying out flat on a large work table
Ailerons are really just little wings, so nothing is enough fabric to cover the elevator. Rest the
different except that their narrow width gives you elevator on its straight hinge edge in the
the option to use one piece of fabric instead of two. middle of this fabric, with its trailing edge
sticking straight up in the air. The idea is to
Start by cementing the fabric to the trailing edge;
then wrap it across the bottom, all the way
around the leading edge, and back to the trailing
edge. Cement it with a 1˝ overlap at the trailing
edge, as you did on the wing itself.

You don’t need to cement the fabric to the leading

edge; there’s no seam. The fabric will be plenty
stable when you heat-shrink it and apply a coat
of Rand-O-Proof. You’ll find that the Rand-O-
Proof will soak through the fabric on the leading
edge and produce a cementing effect similar to
New Super Seam.
make a “clamshell” of fabric that will close
over both sides of the elevator, pivoting on
Tail Feathers the leading edge tube. Using a soft lead
pencil, carefully mark the hinge areas on the
Elevators, rudders, and stabilizers are covered the fabric.
same basic way you covered the wing, except
you’ll use 1˝ fabric-to-fabric overlaps everywhere. ❐ Remove the elevator, and make small cuts in
the fabric at the marked locations to allow
Most tail feathers are made of tubing. Most of the hinges to stick out through the cuts.
these tubes are 3⁄4˝ or thicker. All overlaps will be This allows the fabric to lie flat along the lead-
done over this tubing. Depending on the width ing edge tube. Cement the fabric to the lead-
and shape of your tail feathers, you can cover ing edge tube.
them with one or two pieces of fabric. We’ll dis-
cuss using one piece of fabric for each tail feather
part. Using two pieces is done just the way you ❐ Heat-form the bottom fabric around the tube
did the wings.

Let’s Take It Step by Step

Each of the tail feather components has a straight
edge with hinges sticking out from it.

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 6 – Control Surfaces & Fuselage

before you cement it, providing at least a 1˝ ❐ Trim this seam neatly with good sharp
overlap area, exactly as you did with the scissors. Don’t use the razor blade here.
wing tip bow. Doing the bottom first will There’s too much chance of slipping and
leave the trimmed edge of the top fabric cutting the layer of fabric beneath. Make your
down low where it won’t show as much later. trim cuts nice and straight leaving no
raveled edges.

Remember to leave about an

inch slack in the fabric. Don’t forget! A New Super
Seam bead works well before
trimming your cut line.

❐ Brush New Super Seam onto the tube where ❐ Cement the top fabric into place. Clean up
fabric will attach, then lay the fabric into the any excess New Super Seam spills or
wet cement. Use a squeegee to force the oozes with MEK.
cement up through the fabric until it wets
out the surface. Make sure it penetrates the ❐ Cover the overlap with 3˝ tape. Use bias tape
fabric. If you can, form and cement the fabric on curved areas.
even further into the inside of the tube, as
the illustration shows. This way, even more of
the seam will be hidden.

❐ Trim this seam neatly with straight lines

and no ravels. Clean up any excess New
Super Seam spills or oozes with MEK.
Again, pre-coating is the secret to adhesion.
Before you lay on any tapes, brush a stripe of
❐ Once you have one side heat formed, Rand-O-Proof over the area where the tape will
cemented, and trimmed, smooth up the be applied. Use a 2˝ brush. Make sure you don’t
cemented area with a 250° iron. leave a ridge of Rand-O-Proof at the edges.
Let this dry for 15 minutes.

❐ Heat-form the top part of the fabric around When your 3˝ tape is ready to install, brush a
the tube and cement it as shown in the next very wet stripe of Rand-O-Proof over the pre-
drawing. coated area. Don’t skimp on Rand-O-Proof. Work
quickly. You may find it best to work in sections,
Leave at least a 1˝ overlap over the first piece. applying only as much Rand-O-Proof as you can
get the fabric into before it dries.

Lay the tape into the wet Rand-O-Proof. Wipe

the brush dry and use it as a tool to press the tape
into the stripe of Rand-O-Proof. The dry brush
can also be used to work out any big bubbles.

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 6 – Control Surfaces & Fuselage

Work fast and get the brush out of there before Think of the fuselage as a series of flat planes.
the Rand-O-Proof starts to dry. After all, to this point, that’s pretty much what
you’ve been covering on the rest of the airplane.
Fuselage The basic idea is to cover those flat planes by
You absolutely need some safe, reliable means of rolling out fabric in a series of blankets joined
turning the fuselage while you’re covering it. by 1˝ overlap cemented seams. Since a fuselage
The sawhorses aren’t recommended for this, is usually made of tubing, most of your seams
especially if you’re going to use an envelope. will be done exactly as was described in the tail
More about this later. feathers section.

Build this handy fuselage turning jig we showed There are some constants to keep in mind when
you earlier in the manual. As you can see, it’s just you make your plan:
2-by-4s, and it bolts right to the firewall. It can be
turned to give you access to all sides of the fuse-
lage. Use this jig with a padded sawhorse to sup- 1. The fabric is 70˝ wide. That is the maximum
port the tail. “reach” of the fabric you have to play with.

2. The fabric can only be joined with a cemented

seam over structure.

“Structure” in a fuselage is
defined as longerons or
cross tubes only. Formers
and stringers don’t count.

Look at this uncovered J-3 fuselage.

There are two main methods of covering your

fuselage – the blanket and the envelope. We’ll
discuss both.

Option One: Blanket Method

The term “blanket” simply means a rolled-out
length of fabric. It can be all one piece, or two or
more pieces sewn together.

Once again, you’ll use the same basic procedures

you used on your wings and controls to cover the
fuselage. But unlike the wings and control sur-
faces, there are wide variations in fuselage designs, Notice the three wooden stringers on the top of
and that calls for careful planning if you’re going the fuselage aft of the cabin. You can’t create
to use the blanket method. cemented seams over those stringers.

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 6 – Control Surfaces & Fuselage

So you’d get out your tape measure and see

Use this procedure for all your
where 70˝ fabric would reach between real front tube starting places. In
structures, in this case the longerons. It turns fact, you should pre-coat all
out that there are four longerons stretching longerons and tubing that will
down the longest part of the fuselage in a box have a wrap-around bond.
structure. Cutting to the chase, you would plan
to cover the fuselage in three main sections: the Sometimes, you must start front-end cementing
top and two sides – from longeron to longeron. on some fairly lightweight fuselage structures,
A separate belly piece should be attached first, not on nice thick tubes. For example, you might
wrapping around the two lower longerons. have to begin with the channel that holds the
windshield, or in a skylight well. Make absolutely
Luckily, some airplanes have a real structure sure you get a good strong bond on these top
tube running right down the spine of the fuse- cabin structures. After all, the slipstream will be
lage from the cabin to the vertical fin. That constantly trying to peel away these areas. And if
makes it easy. Here you can start with a 1˝ over- the fabric peels here in flight, it can give you
lap over the spine tube, and then use two 70˝ serious control problems by blanking out the
pieces of fabric, one for each fuselage side. elevators. No fun at all!
These two pieces drape from the center spine
tube down each side, and wrap around the Many airplanes have mechanical attachments for
lower longerons. the fabric in these areas. If so, replace them
exactly as they were originally manufactured.
OK... so much for planning. Let’s talk about
some unique things about cementing fabric to a Sometimes You Have to Sew
fuselage. There are times when a cemented seam won’t
work. Our J-3 is a good example. After you cover
Imagine that you’re installing a piece of fabric the fuselage with overlapping seams over the
straight down a slab-sided fuselage. You roll out longerons, you still have that big fin sticking up
the fabric, clamp it in place, and begin gluing. at the tail. It’s easy to cover the fin with two sep-
arate pieces of fabric with cemented seams. But
But where do you start? You start at the front, what about where the fin fabric joins the fuselage
and work aft. You begin cementing at a cross fabric? There’s no structure under that seam, so
tube up by the firewall, or perhaps where the you can’t cement it. It has to be sewn and usually
boot cowl will end. The way you cement fabric requires a hand-sewn seam.
to this tube is different and critical. Here, it is
impossible to have a fabric overlap. There will
be nothing to overlap it with. You are at the
start point, so this cement bond has to be extra
strong.

To make it so, scuff-sand the primer or paint,

then pre-coat the tube with one coat of New
Super Seam and let it dry. Then heat-form the
fabric carefully around the tube to get as much
fabric as possible wrapped around that tube. Sewing it is no big deal. Use a curved needle and
Trim and cement it. doubled Ceconite Hand Sewing Thread. Pin

June 2008 Revision – pg. 54

 6 – Control Surfaces & Fuselage

the fabric together first with T-head pins, then sew ❐ Every ten stitches or less, work out the slack
as shown below. Remove the pins as you close and secure the seam with a half-hitch. The
the seam by sewing. end of the seam is tied off with two half-hitches
in opposite directions, forming a square knot
topped with a single half-hitch.
Sewn seams are reinforced with a minimum of
2˝ tape, centered over the seam.

Option Two: Buy a Fuselage

Envelope, or Make Your Own
An envelope is just a big “slip cover” or “sock”
that has one end open so you can slip it over the
❐ First, tie the thread ends together in a fuselage.
square knot.
Many people make their own envelopes or par-
tial envelopes for all aircraft components. If you
have a sewing machine that can handle Ceconite
Machine Sewing Thread, you can sew your
own envelope. See the appendix on sewing and
envelopes.

Most people, however, buy a commercially made

envelope. These envelopes are available from a few
Ceconite distributors. Fuselage envelopes are
❐ Then make one stitch from bottom, to top, made from time proven patterns and usually fit
pretty well. Most have that “extra inch” of fabric
and back to bottom. Pass the needle through
built in to allow for shrinking.
the tied loop.
If an envelope doesn’t fit, it’s usually a problem
with the fuselage, not the envelope. Over the
years, a fuselage may be repaired many times
after damage. If it’s not welded or repaired in a
jig, its dimensions and alignment can change
significantly.

❐ Push the needle down through the lower

piece of fabric, up through the space between
the two pieces, and then down through the
upper piece. This is called the “baseball stitch”
for obvious reasons.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 55

 6 – Control Surfaces & Fuselage

You start by turning the envelope inside out

so the sewn seam is hidden. Then you slip it on
and clamp it in place. The front is wrapped and
cemented to front structure using the pre-coat-
ing method described in the blanket method.

The envelope may have a separate belly piece.

If so, the the belly piece is installed first with 1˝
overlaps. This way, the edges of the envelope fabric
are hidden underneath the fuselage.

Now that you have read about fuselage covering

with both envelopes and blankets, the decision
is yours. We find, however, that well-made com-
mercial envelopes for fuselages are almost always
time savers compared to piecing the fuselage
together with the blanket method. They cost
more than using blankets, but the result is clean
and professional.

Final Steps!
Now that your control surfaces and your fuselage
are completely covered with fabric, there are some
more steps to complete before it’s time to crank
up the spray gun.

• Heat tighten all the fabric, just as you did on

the wing.

• Cut the fabric to accommodate any protrusions.

• Brush on the first coat of Rand-O-Proof.

• Apply any reinforcing tapes needed.

• Do any rib lacing necessary.

• Install inspection hole reinforcements and

drain grommets.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 56

 7 – The Big Picture:
How Many Coats?
More Rules... Wet-sand this coat.
• Use only non-tautening dopes on Ceconite.

• Non-Tautening Nitrate Dope (Rand-O-Proof) Coat 7

is always applied first. First sprayed cross coat of silver G-6303 Rand-
O-Fill UV protective dope.
• Non-Tautening Butyrate Dope is applied over
the nitrate.
Coat 8
Second sprayed cross coat of silver G-6303
Coat 1 Rand-O-Fill.
Nitrate Rand-O-Proof, BRUSHED ON! THIS
IS THE ONLY BRUSHED COAT! This is the Wet-sand this coat if necessary.
coat you brushed on right after heat shrinking.
At this point in the manual you have already
completed this step, so don’t brush on another! Coat 9
Third sprayed cross coat of silver G-6303 Rand-
O-Fill.
Coat 2
First sprayed cross coat of G-6302 Rand-O-Proof.
Coat 10
Fourth sprayed cross coat of silver G-6303
Coat 3 Rand-O-Fill.
Second sprayed cross coat of G-6302 Rand-O-Proof.
Wet-sand this coat.

Coat 4
First sprayed cross coat of W-8350 Non-Taut- Coat 11 - Two Choices
ening Clear Butyrate or A-1690 Non-Tautening First sprayed cross coat of Colored Butyrate
Clear Butyrate. Dope topcoat.

...Or...
Coat 5
Second sprayed cross coat of W-8350 Non-Taut- First sprayed coat of Ranthane polyurethane
ening Clear Butyrate or A-1690 Non-Tautening topcoat.
Clear Butyrate.

Coat 12 - Two Choices

Coat 6 Second sprayed cross coat of Colored Butyrate
Third sprayed cross coat of W-8350 Non-Taut- Dope topcoat.
ening Clear Butyrate or A-1690 Non-Tautening
Clear Butyrate. ...Or...

June 2008 Revision – pg. 57

 7 – The Big Picture: How Many Coats?

Second sprayed coat of Ranthane polyurethane

topcoat.

Coat 13 - Two Choices

Third sprayed cross coat of Colored Butyrate
Dope topcoat.

...Or...

NOTHING if you used Ranthane polyurethane

topcoat in Steps 11 and 12.

Wow!
What Does All This Stuff Weigh?

If you peel off all the Ceconite 102 fabric, tapes

and dried coatings from a J-3 cub done as above,
the weight is 60 pounds. If you did the same
thing in 1946 to the 4.0-ounce Grade A cot-
ton and dope covering job as done at the
Piper plant, the weight was 75 pounds.

So relax! Your low-solids Ceconite job with 12

or 13 coats of dope is 15 pounds lighter than an
original 1946 Cub! Amazing, but true!

June 2008 Revision – pg. 58

 8 – Spraying Nitrate
The basics of spray painting are covered in to remove it. If you ignore it and press on, in a
Chapter 10 of this manual. If you are new to few years the blushed coat will crack, delaminate
spraying and want some tips on equipment, proper and fail. The only way to fix a blushed coat is to
temperature and weather conditions, or even how let it dry, then wet-sand with 320-grit sandpaper
to build a cheap-o spray booth, you might want until the milky appearance is gone. Lots of
to look ahead to that area. work.

The EAA publishes a great basic book on spray Blush forms when the humidity is above about
painting which we highly recommend: How to 80%. It can form in almost any temperature
Paint Your Own Airplane by Ron Alexander. range, but is almost always a threat in high tem-
perature/high humidity conditions. In simplest
terms, it forms when the solvents evaporate from
a sprayed dope film. Evaporation causes a drop
DON’T SPRAY IN DIRECT SUN- in temperature just over the sprayed surface,
LIGHT! The sun will elevate the enough on a humid day to condense the water
surface temperature and make in the air, which forms on the drying dope.
the dope dry too fast.
OK... back to work.
DON’T SPRAY IN THE
WIND! You’ll pick up all Y-9910 Universal Retarder is a blush retarder
the trash in the world. that slows down the drying time of dope. Slower
You can also over-cool drying results in less temperature drop, which
the drying dope. can prevent water condensation. Universal
Retarder works in either nitrate or butyrate
DON’T SPRAY BELOW 60 dope. If you suspect blush, here is how to use
DEGREES! You might have to Universal Retarder:
wait till spring for it to dry, and
you stand every chance of the 1. Add one part Y-9910 Retarder to three
dope going stupid on you. parts thinner. (If you are spraying Rand-O-
Proof, use #286 Nitrate Thinner; if you are
DON’T SPRAY ABOVE 95 spraying Butyrate Dope, use 9703
Butyrate Thinner.)
DEGREES OR IN HIGH HUMIDITY!
If you do you will need to add
2. Use this mixture to thin the dope one to one.
Universal Blush Retarder.
3. Spray a small test area, let it dry; and look
for blush. No blush? You win!
Blush
The enemy of dope is blush. HOWEVER, IF YOUR TEST PROVES THAT
Blush is simply water vapor in BLUSH IS STILL FORMING, QUIT! WAIT
dope. Water in dope results FOR A LESS HUMID DAY.
in a milky appearance,
sometimes streaky, some- Dope is a different sort of coating from other
times uniform. Water in paints you may have used. Here are some general
dope essentially ruins the information and basic rules of how to success-
film, and there is no way fully use it.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 59

 8 – Spraying Nitrate

crazing, alligator skinning, splitting the film, or

Low Solids, pulling away from tapes, etc. So slow down!
Multiple Coats Two coats a day – one in the morning, one in
the afternoon – are perfect. If you must rush,
Dope is a very thin, low-solids coating. By low the minimum time between sprayed coats is two
solids, we mean that when a coat dries, there is hours. You have to allow time for the solvents in
not really much dried film on the surface com- each coat to evaporate and the coatings to get
pared to latex house paint, enamels, or automo- somewhat firm before you attack it with more
tive polyurethanes. For that reason dope is applied coats of dope. We aren’t saying you can’t spray
in multiple coats. The good news is that these multiple coats when you are in a hurry, but we
coats are really easy to spray, and the result is want you to understand that you can get your-
a flexible, durable coating that gives a long ser- self in trouble by doing so. Remember, the dope
vice life. After all, dope has been used with great does not care when Oshkosh is, or that you didn’t
success on aircraft fabric for almost 100 years. do a thing to your project during football season,
and that you are now in a huge hurry to make
some big airshow.
Each Coat “Melts In”
Unlike most other paints, every time you spray a Each Coat is Applied
coat of dope, it chemically melts into the layers as a “Cross Coat”
underneath and softens every coat of nitrate and
butyrate dope, right down to the bare fabric. For Because dope is so low in solids, it needs to be
that reason, we recommend spraying only a few sprayed as a cross coat. A cross coat is simply
coats a day; otherwise you can create a jelly-like two passes of the gun 90 degrees to each
coating that can do funny things instead of dry- other. Said simpler, one coat north and south,
ing properly. So plan your spraying schedule; it followed by another east and west. That makes
is better and more efficient to get many parts one cross coat. The time between the two passes
covered and prepped for spraying, then spray is not particularly important; if one dries before
several parts in one session. This prevents the the other, no big deal. A dope cross coat is about
temptation to spray multiple coats on one part equal to the thickness of one pass of other paints;
in a short time period. so don’t get hung up on weight or thickness.

Two Coats a Day, Please OK, Lets Spray!

Old timers will tell you that they used to spray
dope all day long. In fact, they recommend huge
pressure pots so you can shoot ten to fifteen coats Remember, only non-tautening
a day on a wing. We advise that this will cause nitrate dope, like Rand-O-
nothing but heartache. Remember, each new Proof, is used as the initial
coat melts in to the rest, and the whole kit and coats on slick modern fabric.
caboodle gets soft. If you happen to be spraying Three coats of nitrate
in conditions that are a bit too cool (60°F or must be used for the initial
lower) or in high humidity (above 80%), the coatings on Ceconite. The
whole thing can go crazy on you, resulting in butyrate comes later.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 60

 8 – Spraying Nitrate

You used Rand-O-Proof as the initial brush

Always ground controls being
coat to seal the fabric and to apply tapes, so you
wiped with C-2210 Paint
ought to be pretty familiar with how it works.
Cleaning Solvent with a
Remember, Rand-O-Proof is a nitrate dope
grounding wire, especially
specially formulated for the initial coats on poly-
in conditions of low humid-
ester Ceconite fabric. As you know, it is tinted
ity. Sparks from static elec-
light green so you can see where you have sprayed.
tricity can ignite C-2210! If
The idea now is to spray two cross coats of
you are spraying on a day
Rand-O-Proof over the surfaces. These two
when you get doorknob sparks
coats provide an adequate buildup of nitrate to
when walking across a carpet, it
seal the tapes, inspection rings, grommets, etc.
is mandatory that you ground the
into a homogeneous sealed coating.
parts before using C-2210.
1. Thin
Rand-O-Proof is always thinned one to one with
Fish Eye
#286 Nitrate Thinner. It is not OK to substitute
Fish eye is the phenomena of
Butyrate Thinner, lacquer thinner, or anything
a freshly sprayed coat of paint
else. If you want it to work correctly, use the
crawling away from a conta-
right stuff.
minate. Oils or contami-
nants on the surface almost
2. Filter
always cause fish eye, and
Filter everything you spray. Use paint filters
unfortunately you can rarely
sized for lacquers or enamels. Poly-Fiber makes a
see them by eye on the fab-
60 x 48 paint filter that works great with all
ric before spraying. The idea behind C-2210
Randolph dopes. You can get them from your
above is to remove the contamination before you
aircraft supply house or Poly-Fiber/Randolph
spray. Contaminants can also be introduced
distributor.
through a spray rig, particularly one powered by
compressed air. If you have a compressed air
3. Clean the Surface system, make sure you have water traps, and
Use a clean rag SLIGHTLY damp with Randolph that the rig does not have a self-oiler in the sys-
C-2210 Paint Surface Cleaner. Lightly glide the tem. Self-oilers work great for air tools, but not
rag over the surfaces to take away fingerprints, in spray rigs.
oils, and other contaminants. Do not soak the
rag and slop wet puddles of C-2210. Too much Stay Away From “Fish Eye Eliminators!”
C-2210 does more harm than good. Keep it These are simply silicone additives that are used
slightly damp. IMPORTANT: Follow with a per- in automotive or industrial paints. The theory is
fectly clean virgin painting rag or a paper towel. that if you add enough silicone, it reduces surface
You must follow with this clean rag to pick up tension and the paint will flow over the contam-
the emulsified contaminants. If you just use the inate instead of pulling away. Unfortunately, sili-
damp C-2210 rag, you smear the contaminants cone is the enemy of paint; once you use sili-
around and leave them on the surface. cone, not much will ever stick to the surface
again. Don’t use fish eye eliminators on any sur-
After using the C-2210, wait at least 30 minutes face that might need repainting.
before spraying; longer is even better.
OK... back to work.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 61

 8 – Spraying Nitrate

4. Tack-Rag the Surface

A tack rag is simply a cloth impregnated with a
sticky paraffin-like substance that picks up dust
and dirt. Again, glide the tack rag over the surface
with no pressure. This will pick up loose dirt and
keep it out of your work. Whatever you do, don’t
scrub with the tack rag! This will grind the paraf-
fin into the surface. Talk about contaminants!

5. Find the Glare

Rand-O-Proof is almost transparent; it’s tough
to see how much you are applying, even with its
slight green tint. The best way to see how much
you are spraying is to “find the glare” on the
surface you are painting. Do this by walking
around the part before you even pick up the spray
gun. Notice how the light reflects on the part;
this reflection is your best aid in spraying, par-
ticularly transparent products. If you plan your
spraying so that you are always looking into the
reflected glare of the lights in the sprayed film,
you can easily see the film as it is formed. If you
are not spraying enough, it will look dry; if you
are spraying too much, you will see it puddling
up and beginning to run. So plan your movements
around the part; rehearse your spraying so you
are constantly looking into the reflected glare. If
you can’t see glare, you don’t have enough light
and you are guaranteed to spray poorly.

OK, using all these tips, let’s get to it. Your task
is to spray at least two cross coats of Rand-O-
Proof on the surface. Follow the guidance above
and you should have no problems at all. When
you are done, the surfaces will be transparent
green with a rather uneven looking gloss. In
other words, you have so little product on the
surfaces, it is a long way from shiny, and may
look a bit blotchy. Perfectly normal.

Should I Sand Yet?

Nope, after only one brushed coat of Rand-O-
Proof and two sprayed, there is not yet enough
product to sand. You will get that opportunity
soon enough.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 62

 9 – Spraying Clear
& Silver Butyrate
At this stage of the game, we are through with PRODUCT USED ON CECONITE
nitrate dope, and we’ll start spraying cellulose MUST BE NON-TAUTENING.
acetate butyrate dope. We change because butyrate
dope weathers better than nitrate, is less flam- Mix one part 9703 Butyrate Thinner with one
mable, and has a longer service life. Remember part W-8350 Non-Tautening Butyrate Dope.
that we started with nitrate because nitrate is
the only dope that sticks to slick modern fab- Spray one full cross coat of clear non-tautening
rics. From now until we finish the spraying, butyrate. After two or three hours, spray another
only butyrate dope will be used. Although buty- full cross coat. Remember, two a day is about
rate dope will not stick to fabric, it sticks very right. Be especially careful at this point not to
well indeed to nitrate dope. get tempted into spraying more. These first
coats of butyrate over nitrate are critical.
All the basics we discussed in the last chapter Nitrate and butyrate dopes are slightly incom-
still apply: correct spraying conditions, techniques, patible, so we put additives into them to make
how to handle blush, etc. them work. Take great care not to flood the first
coats of clear butyrate over the nitrate. Apply
these coats slowly, carefully, and sparingly.
Now Spray Three Cross
The next day, you can spray the third and final
Coats of Clear Butyrate coat of W-8350. Let them dry thoroughly, at
to Build Up the Film least overnight. The dope build-up should now
begin to look glossy and perhaps plastic-like.
Since dope is such a low-solids product, we now
build and add body to the fabric coating package Sanding Fabric
with three coats of clear butyrate dope. Fabric areas are always wet sanded.
Use 320- or 400-grit wet-or-
At this stage we recommend using W-8350 dry sandpaper, and buy the
Non-Tautening Butyrate Dope (tan). Don’t get good stuff. Wet sanding is
confused by the color tan; only a small amount of gentler to fabric, and it
tint is added to the clear butyrate dope, allows you to control how
and it dries perfectly clear. In fact, W-8350 is much product you abrade
always referred to as clear butyrate, since that is off the surface. Water acts
how it dries. Again, the slight tan tint helps you as a lubricant which makes
to see it when spraying. the paper last longer and is
much more efficient than dry sanding.
Use only non-tautening butyrate
dope on Ceconite fabric. Do Before you start, get a bucket of water and lots
not use tautening dopes; of clean rags. Dip the sandpaper into the water
these are only used on cotton often, and then wipe the sanding residue off the
or linen fabric and can shrink surface with the clean rag. Wiping often allows
enough over time to damage you to monitor how you are doing and keeps
underlying structure. EVERY the area clean.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 63

 9 – Spraying Clear & Silver Butyrate

You really only sand two areas of a fabric-

UV radiation is the most destructive
covered surface:
force to today’s fabrics. Ceconite
does not rot, nor is it affected
1. The Curled-Up Edges of Pinked Tapes.
by fungus or mildew. How-
If you have edges that are rough, or you have
ever, polyester fabric directly
pinks standing up, sand them smooth.
exposed to the sun can lose
85% of its strength in a year.
2. The Open Bays of Fabric. Sanding here
In other words, it will fall apart.
removes runs, dirt, or imperfections in the
The only effective way to pro-
dope film.
tect from UV radiation is by spray-
ing an aluminum coating that blocks
When you are through sanding, wash the area
all light, visible and invisible UV.
well with lots of clean water and wipe with clean
rags. Don’t let sanding residue collect and dry on
the surface, or the next coats of dope will delam-
inate from the gritty surface.
Mix Your Own?
Rand-O-Fill is a special non-tautening butyrate
So get the bucket and the sandpaper and make dope with aluminum flake added to it. Oldtimers
it smooth! used to add aluminum to clear butyrate dope to
make their own UV protective dope. The problem
OK... back to work. is there’s a very exact ratio of aluminum flake to
dope that must be observed. If you add too little,
you get insufficient UV protection. If you add too
Do not sand over rib laces, rivet much, the silver dope becomes brittle, or even
heads or protrusions under the worse... dry. When the silver dope is mixed too
fabric! This will cut the tape or dry, it delaminates in a few years of service.
the fabric in about two passes
of the sandpaper. Any tape you Although we still sell aluminum paste for those
cut will have to be replaced. who want to mix their own, we don’t recommend
TAKE YOUR TIME AND AVOID it. Too risky.
CUTTING THE FABRIC.
So the bottom line is – you need aluminum dope
to block the light and the invisible UV radiation.
It takes about four cross coats of Rand-O-Fill
to do the job. If you leave off one coat, it will be
Silver Rand-O-Fill 25% less effective; two coats, 50%, etc.
UV Protection
Some say that you can save weight by omitting
The next step is to spray four cross coats of Sil- the silver coats or by skipping a few. Don’t do it!
ver Rand-O-Fill non-tautening butyrate dope. It takes the full four to protect the fabric, and as
Silver Rand-O-Fill has two major functions: you saw in Chapter 7, the weight is not really a
factor.
1. Most importantly, to block the UV rays of
the sun. “How about chemical UV blockers added to
paint. Other systems use them; why don’t you?”
2. To provide a sandable fill coat for the top-
coat that follows.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 64

 9 – Spraying Clear & Silver Butyrate

Our lab tests... and years of service experience you pile on more. More won’t fill the pinholes; it
with polyester fabrics... prove that the only effec- will only make things worse.
tive way to block UV is by having a sheet of alu-
minum between the fabric and the sun. We find So How Do You Fix Pinholes?
that chemical UV blockers are only about one third 1. Let the silver dope dry at least overnight, then
as effective as silver coats. Why take the chance? wet-sand the pinholes flat. Pinholes are like tiny
volcanos – if you want to fill them, it is easier to
Now Spray the First Two of Four sand down the miniature mountains first.
Cross Coats of Silver Rand-O-Fill.
Sand After the Second Cross Coat. 2. Use Y-9910 Universal Retarder. Mix one part
Y-9910 Retarder to every four parts 9703
Mix one part Rand-O-Fill with one part 9703 Butyrate Thinner. Use one part of this mixture
Butyrate Thinner. with one part Rand-O-Fill. This will slow down
the drying time and hopefully give more time
Filter with a quality paint filter. for the solvent bubbles to escape before they are
trapped in the drying film.
Now spray. Again, we recommend waiting at
least two or three hours between cross coats, or 3. If they continue, sand the surface flat, then
a maximum of two coats a day. brush some W-8350 Clear Butyrate Dope
thinned one to one with 9703 Butyrate
Oh No! Pinholes! Thinner over the holes and work the dope into
Pinholes are caused when solvents pop through the pinholes with your protected finger. Take
a wet film like bubbles in an opened soda can. If care not to leave brush marks. The clear dope
the film dries before the bubbles pop, they get will seal the holes.
trapped in the film as tiny holes. They also
appear when you spray silver over partially filled The bottom line is that you will probably get
fabric weave, and you will often see these pinholes pinholes of some sort in the silver coats. As you
appear over tapes, particularly those that were add more dope and sand, the coating build up
applied a bit dry. Pinholes first crop up in the first will get stronger and they will go away.
two sprayed coats of silver dope. Silver has a way
of showing all the defects in your fabric covering Now Sand the First Two Cross
work; the truth comes out when the silver is applied. Coats of Rand-O-Fill.
Again, wet-sand with plenty of water. Concentrate
Pinholes also appear in the fabric applied directly on the pinked edges of the tapes and the defects
over hard surfaces like leading edge skins. Here, in the open fabric areas. Stay off rib laces and
the solvents evaporate at half the rate as on open rivet heads. When you are through sanding, wash
bays of fabric, since the escaping solvents can only everything with lots of water, and wipe clean.
escape out the top. So essentially the solvent
bubbles hit the metal, then do a 180 to get out the
top, which slows down the rate the solvents can Make sure you get all the
evaporate. As you can understand, the more sanding mud off the surface.
product you spray, the more solvents have to If you let it dry, the next coats
escape; and if you have a pinhole problem, it only you spray on will eventually
gets worse the more solvent rich the coating is. delaminate.
So as a rule, if you get pinholes, stop spraying
and let coats dry and the solvents escape before

June 2008 Revision – pg. 65

 9 – Spraying Clear & Silver Butyrate

OK, Now Spray the Second Two

Cross Coats of Rand-O-Fill.
Same as the first two, you will notice few pinholes
at this stage.

Spot-sand Any Obvious Defects,

Otherwise Leave It Alone.

How Do You Know If You Have

Enough Silver on There?
This is simple. Put a 60-watt light bulb in a drop
light. Cut out the center of one of your inspection
holes underneath a wing. Kneel down so that you
can look through the open hole up to the inside
surface of the fabric. Have a buddy hold the drop
light about a foot away from the upper surface
of wing over the hole while you peer through the
inspection hole to view the inside of the upper
wing fabric. If you see no light, you have enough
silver on the wing. If you see light, particularly if
you see light where you sanded the edges of the
pinked tapes, you need more Rand-O-Fill over
those sanded areas.

Whatever Silver You Sand Off,

You Have to Spray Back On!
You will know you are done when no light passes
through the fabric. Do this right, and your cov-
ering job will last 25 years or better outdoors.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 66

 10 – Color Coats
dope dried to a semi-gloss finish. That’s the way
Premature failure of cover jobs is
fabric-covered airplanes looked in those years.
most often caused by brittle auto-
motive paint cracking over
Sure, a few had dazzling finishes of 40 coats of
subcoatings of flexible dope.
sanded, rubbed-out color dope; one of the nice
When these brittle paints fail,
things about dope is that you can polish it if you
they take subcoatings with
choose. But those finishes lasted only a few years
them, which exposes the fabric
before they cracked and ringwormed; 40 coats of
to UV damage. TO COMPLY
dope is absolutely beautiful, but is about 25 coats
WITH THE STC,YOU MUST USE
too many and is bound to crack in service. In
ONLY COLORED BUTYRATE
the real aviation world, fabric-covered airplanes
DOPE OR RANTHANE OVER THE
looked respectable in semi-gloss dope finishes
FABRIC COMPONENTS.
with just enough dope to get the job done with
long service life. Besides, in those years, they
were built to fly, not to compete in paint finish-
Your Painting ing contests.
Expectations
Before getting started, you Start by asking yourself how you really plan to
need to take stock of your use your airplane. Will it sit inside in a carpeted,
expectations for your paint heated hangar surrounded by trophies? Will it
job. Lately, airplane folks fly as a working airplane? Do you anticipate
have been influenced by repairs? Or do you want it to exclusively pose for
the quest for the perfect photos?
finish now rampant in auto
sports. Everything on four wheels these days You really have one basic choice when you select
must be ultrashiny and perfect. Beats me why. paint: normal gloss with easy repairability, or
wet-look high-gloss with more challenging repair-
Recognize at the start that there’s a fundamental ability. Keep this in mind as we go through the
difference between cars and fabric-covered air- actual painting process.
planes. Cars have metal or composite structures
that don’t move or flex to the degree that fabric OK… back to work!
does. Your fabric-covered airplane will flex an
infinite number of cycles in its 20- or 30-year
service life. So will its paint.
The Basics: Equipment,
Additionally, you probably plan to park it outside Cleanliness, and Mixing
in Miami in the summer, fly it IFR to Anchorage
in the winter, and operate it in rock riverbeds and Earlier in this manual we tried to convince you
wilderness strips. that you were probably the best person to paint
your airplane.
Let’s also factor in some historical perspective.
The production airplanes of the ‘20s and ‘30s did We still maintain that the money you spend on
not have wet-look, high-gloss finishes. Nor did contracting an “expert” to paint your airplane is
military aircraft. When used normally, classic better spent on good equipment to use yourself.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 67

 10 – Color Coats

Your desire to do a good job and willingness to Let’s also assume that you took our advice and
practice will deliver the paint job you want. But plan to practice spraying the paint you’re going
you can’t be impatient; you have to teach your- to use. Yes, that means you have to invest in
self to paint only by spraying paint. This takes some additional paint.
practice and experimentation, on boxes, old doors
or paneling, not on your airplane. Now the Question Is Where Are
You Going to Paint?
Equipment We can tell you where NOT TO PAINT:
Let’s assume you have a good spray rig.
✘ Outside in fog or high humidity.
If it runs off compressed air, it should have the
following:
✘ Outside in direct sunlight.

✔ A storage tank big enough to give uninter- ✘ In the wind.

rupted supply of air. ✘ In a dusty place.
✔ Filters and water traps. ✘ Around wet floors. (Ol’ Cyrus wets his shop
floor.)
✔ A spray gun with a needle, nozzle, and air
cap recommended for the type of paint you ✘ In a place with poor lighting.
choose.
✘ In a place where engines are regularly run.
✔ At least 40 psi delivered at the gun.
✘ In a rented or borrowed spray booth where
✔ If you’re using a pressure pot, NEW HOSES! you can’t take your time or leave parts until
they are really dry.
If it’s a turbine-powered HVLP, it should have
the following: ✘ In an unprotected garage near your wife’s car.

✔ At least two lengths of hose to cool down the The answer is simple: build your own “poor
turbine outlet temperature. boy” spray booth. It’s easy to build, and you can
add all the improvements you want.
✔ The proper needle, nozzle, air cap combina- Start by building a square frame out of wood or
tion for your paint.
PVC pipe. This frame should be big enough to
go all the way around a wing or fuselage with
Airless sprayers and rented rigs are usually dirty
room to walk and maneuver the spray gun.
and nothing but trouble. Get the right
equipment and learn how to use it. Hang the frame from your shop ceiling, or even
better still, put it on pulleys so you can raise and
Cleanliness lower it.
Clean your rig after every use.
We mean field strip it and clean the gun every Cover the roof and sides with some cheap plastic
time. If you get lazy, you’ll start spraying flecks sheeting, stapled or taped to the frame. Tape the
of dried paint. You may think it’s dust. It isn’t. sheets together with good old duct tape.

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 10 – Color Coats

Rig up some shop lights or moveable light stands

from scrap wood and sawhorses. Make sure you’re Gloss, Temperature,
not generating sparks, and shield the bulbs with and Drying Time
chicken wire to prevent breaking.
THESE RULES APPLY TO COLORED DOPE.
If you really want to get fancy, add a big air con- RANTHANE DRIES CONSISTENTLY GLOSSY.
ditioner filter at one end and an exhaust fan on
the other, blowing out of the booth, to give fil- The slower dope dries, the glossier the finish
tered intake and an exhaust airflow. Make sure will be.
the fan has an enclosed motor with no chance of
sparking. An explosion could ruin your whole
The faster dope dries, the flatter the finish will be.
day.
The standard drying temperature for most one-
If you’re unsure about the motor, leave out the
part paints like dope is 77°. If you go up 10°, it
fan and quit spraying when the booth is full of
overspray. It will settle in minutes, and you can dries in half the time. Up 20°, it dries in a frac-
go back to work. tion of the time.

When you’re through with all your painting, If you go down 10°, it doubles the drying time;
you can throw the whole spray booth away, or down 20°, it significantly lengthens the drying
donate the frame and stuff to your EAA chapter. time; down 30°, and it may not dry till spring.

Mixing It follows that if you control the temperature,

Mixing paint is critical. The number one reason you can change the glossiness of your dope. Most
for “paint that doesn’t match” is that it wasn’t of us don’t have that luxury. It costs money to
properly mixed before spraying. air condition or heat a shop.

If you don’t get all the pigments into suspension But there are additives and reducers that control
before spraying, the paint won’t be the color you drying time chemically. Let’s talk about them:
want. Paint settles, and must be shaken,
period.
Thinners, Retarders,
Take it to the hardware store and put it on a
double-action paint shaker for five minutes. You
Accelerators, and
can’t shake it by hand. That doesn’t hack it. Rejuvenators
Use the paint within a week of shaking.
Thinners
Colored Butyrate Dope, like all butyrate
products is always thinned one to one with
Always filter paint before you 9703 Butyrate Thinner. 9703 is optimized for
spray it. No exceptions. moderate temperatures.

Retarders
A RETARDER, also called a blush retarder, is a
very slow-drying solvent that is used as an addi-
tive to slow down drying. Y-9910 Universal

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 10 – Color Coats

Retarder is a blush retarder that works in both urethanes, including our Ranthane, cannot.
nitrate and butyrate products.
For specific instructions, check Appendix C:
“Blush” is a phenomenon that occurs in high Rejuvenating Fabric at the back of this manual.
humidity. As solvents evaporate from drying
paint, the surface temperature of the paint is
reduced significantly. If the air is humid, the Do Not Use These
water condenses on the drying paint causing a Paints Over Fabric!
milky looking layer of water known as blush.
Enamels
Blush retarder slows down the drying. That in Enamels work great over hard surfaces like
turn keeps the paint from cooling as much, primed aluminum or fiberglass, but they crack
and stops blush. in short order over fabric. Enamels used to be
popular over butyrate dope and cotton, so Ol’
As you can see, blush retarder is also helpful in Cyrus may recommend them. But don’t do it.
slowing down drying time to improve paint gloss.
Enamel over polyester fabric begins to crack
within a year.
Accelerators
An ACCELERATOR is an additive that speeds
Synthetic Enamel, Lacquer, or
up drying time. We don’t worry about this in
Epoxy Paint
nitrate and butyrate dope, because dope dries
fast enough even in low temperatures. All these crack over fabric and should never be
used.
But we do make accelerators for use with our
epoxy primers and varnish. These products some- Automotive Polyurethanes or
times need help drying in cool conditions. Polyurethanes Made for Metal or
Fiberglass
Rejuvenators
A REJUVENATOR is a product that is used to Premature failure of cover jobs is
soften aged, dried paint. most often caused by brittle auto-
motive paint cracking over dope.
All paints have plasticizers added to enhance When these brittle paints
flexibility. They evaporate over time. When they fail, they take subcoat-
do, aging paint can get brittle and crack. ings with them, which
exposes the fabric to UV
J-3000 Butysolv Rejuvenator is simply a damage.TO COMPLY WITH
powerful solvent that has a new plasticizer mixed THE STC,YOU MUST USE
into it. When you spray rejuvenators over old ONLY COLORED BUTYRATE
dope, the solvent carries the plasticizer into the DOPE OR RANTHANE OVER
dope to restore suppleness. FABRIC COMPONENTS.

Rejuvenators do not fill large cracks or restore

faded color. But they do add years to finishes by OK, these paints are wonderful for cars, boats,
restoring flexibility. New topcoat paint is usually metal airplanes, RVs, etc. Imron, Ditzler, PPG,
applied over rejuvenated areas. Colored Butyrate DuPont Centari, Alumigrip, Sterling, etc. are
Dope can be rejuvenated. Enamels and poly- excellent paints. They come in beautiful colors

June 2008 Revision – pg. 70

 10 – Color Coats

and have deep metallics, pearlescents, and other simple: you don’t! You’ll have to live with it
effects that are dazzling. We recommend them until you’re willing to re-cover.
highly on anything except fabric-covered aircraft.
In all fairness, we have seen some automotive
Twenty years of observation have shown that all urethane finishes that have survived over fabric
these excellent paints will crack in 1 to 10 years without cracking. They’re usually on aircraft
on fabric-covered airplanes. that are based in cool, wet climates and are always
hangared. But they seem to be the exception.
All automotive polyurethanes have additives to Odds are that automotive urethanes will eventu-
thicken them. These silica thickeners make them ally crack. Wish it wasn’t so, but it is. And
easy to apply, hard to sag and run, and give them remember, on a certified airplane, it is illegal
a beautiful gloss. But these additives also make with the Ceconite STC.
these urethanes brittle when their plasticizers
evaporate. Plasticizers eventually evaporate from
all paints, and the hotter and drier the climate, Don’t Use Clear Coats!
the faster they evaporate. Remember, you can’t
rejuvenate polyurethanes. Once they crack, Clear coats work fine on automotive finishes.
that’s it. When used over aircraft paints, however, they
can promote the growth of an ugly fungus or
mold between the clear coat and the colored
What About Flex Agents? paint.

Paint salesmen will tell you that their polyure- As you might expect, flexible aircraft paint like
thane will work fine over fabric if you add their our Colored Butyrate Dope is full of plasticizers.
flex agent. These flex agents showed up about These plasticizers are organic and make great
the time Detroit started painting all their car food for fungi and molds.
bumpers. They’re designed to allow the paint to
flex when your teenager bumps a tree or another Add some entrapped water vapor from spraying
car. Hopefully, that won’t be a lot of flex cycles, in humidity, put the big greenhouse of a clear
because they aren’t designed for a lot. coat over the top and, voila! A fungus festival!

How many flex cycles does your aircraft fabric Fungicides don’t help. Your white airplane will
go through every time you start the engine? Or turn brown, and you’ll be unhappy. Fungus
when you fly for an hour? How many on a 180 stains don’t really happen with great frequency,
SuperCub with a constant-speed prop? but even a couple of instances are too much,
particularly if it’s your airplane.
Car paint salesmen have no idea what you’re
doing to your fabric hour after hour, year after Don’t use clear coats!
year. Your fabric flexes an infinite number of
cycles in its service life. Obviously, the paint must If you want more gloss, there are several ways to
flex, too, or it will crack. do that, explained further on in the section on
Colored Butyrate Dope. Clear coats are not
The sad story we hear most on our technical the way to do it.
support line is, “I bought an airplane painted
with automotive urethane. It’s 5 years old and Clear coats applied over urethane aircraft paint
it’s cracking. How do I repair it?” The answer is like our Ranthane are absolutely unnecessary.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 71

 10 – Color Coats

Ranthane has a wet-look gloss that is not Colored Butyrate from the underlying dope.
improved by clear coating. All that clear coating When you respray Colored Dope after a repair, it
adds to Ranthane finishes is weight and expense. blends right in with no overspray halos or
differences in luster.

What Paints Do Before Spraying

We Recommend? Wipe with a cloth just barely damp with C-2210
Paint Cleaning Solvent to get rid of finger
We recommend using Colored Butyrate Dope or marks and surface impurities. This prevents
Ranthane, our wet-look, high-gloss paint. fisheye. Follow with a tack rag to get that last-
Before we get into a discussion, look at this gen- minute dust.
eral comparison:
Always ground controls being wiped
with C-2210 Paint Cleaning Solvent
with a grounding wire,
PARAMETER Colored Dope Ranthane especially in
conditions of
GLOSS Semi gloss Wet look
low humidity.
Sparks from stat-
OVER FABRIC Great Great ic electricity can
OVER PRIMED METAL ignite C-2210! If
AND FIBERGLASS Mixed results Great you are spraying
EASE OF APPLICATION Piece of cake More challenging
on a day when you get
doorknob sparks when
REPAIRABILITY Simple Requires more work you walk across car-
FLEXIBILITY Great Great pet, it is mandatory
that you ground the
REJUVENATE? Yes No parts before using
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE No Yes C-2210!
AVGAS RESISTANCE Yes, but don’t soak Yes
Thinner
TOXICITY No problem; Mist is toxic to Always thin one to one
use a respirator breathe; fresh air
respirator mandatory with 9703 Butyrate Thin-
ner. Don’t use lacquer
thinner, Acetone, Toluene
COLORED BUTYRATE DOPE or any other “substitutes.” There are no other
Colored Dope is made of the same butyrate resin substitutes!.
as Rand-O-Fill and W-8350 Clear Butyrate. It
follows then that Colored Dope bonds chemically Shaking
to the dope coatings underneath to make one Take the paint to your hardware store and
consistent coating. Over the years, this is a great shake it on a double-action paint shaker no
advantage in resisting delamination. more than one week before spraying. If you
don’t, the resulting color may not be the one
This also makes for easy repairs when you use you ordered.
Colored Dope. You can easily soften and remove

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 10 – Color Coats

Filtering Want Glossier Colored Butyrate

Filter the thinned paint through a 60 by 48 Dope?
mesh filter, or one suitable for lacquer. Don’t
use a finer filter; you’ll strain out the pigment. Remember the things you can control:

Spraying ✔ Spray only when it’s cooler.

Colored Butyrate Dope sprays like Rand-O-Fill.
It’s dead easy. ✔ Add Y-9910 Universal Retarder. Mix one
part retarder to three parts 9703 Butyrate
Start by spraying the edges of the wing or tail Thinner. Then use this mixture to reduce
feathers. If you spray paint on the edges first, the Colored Butyrate one to one.
the resulting overspray on the main surfaces
will be covered by the subsequent coats Be careful. If you add much more Y-9910 than
applied on the main part of the surface. If you recommended, you’ll drastically slow down the
do the edges last, you’ll blow overspray all over drying time. That will increase the chances of runs,
your beautiful surfaces. as well as picking up airborne trash and dust.
Spray cross coats as you did with earlier coat- It also can take so long to dry that the wet solvents
ings. Make sure you are putting on a nice, wet can soak your tapes and glue joints. The result
coat without flooding. Look into the glare of the can be popped fabric seams or tapes that float
lights to see how much paint you’re putting on.
off the surface! You’ll hate that!
Don’t push it. If you really flood it, it’ll run.

Try to spray just enough to uniformly wet the

surface without flooding. Trend toward the cau-
Polishing Colored
tious side. You can always spray more paint,
Butyrate Dope
but runs require sanding.
Colored Dope can be rubbed out by hand with a
If you get a run, quit for the day on that sur- rag and white automotive polishing compound.
face and let it dry overnight. Next day, sand with This works great, but takes a lot of elbow grease.
320- or 400-grit sandpaper, and spray it again.
A far easier way is to use a quality variable-speed
Two coats may do; three at the most. If you have automotive buffer with a foam pad. Use only
a smooth job that covers well, quit. Remember, foam pads.
the objective is to use the minimum coating to
do the job, and no more. Lots of paint, even Col- Go to an automotive paint store and buy liquid
ored Butyrate Dope will crack if it’s piled on. buffing compounds as used on automotive paint.
Start with a medium compound, then follow
Under Yellow & Red Colored with fine or anti-swirl. 3M and Meguiar’s make a
Butyrate Dope variety of fine products. AVOID “MIRACLE”
Spray white butyrate dope, just enough to turn POLISHES THAT CONTAIN SILICONE. For
the dark silver dope white. This may take two instance, never use Armor All; paint will never
coats; the trick is to make the surface evenly stick to the surface if you have to repair it later.
white, not mottled. This old trick will give you
better coverage and a much brighter red or Be very careful when polishing over rib laces or
yellow when you finish. rivet heads. Even with a foam pad, an aggressive

June 2008 Revision – pg. 73

 10 – Color Coats

buffer at high speed can rub off the fabric on high than Ranthane; it weathers well, and is a
spots. Use only a variable speed buffer, go slow, tough, high-gloss paint that is superior in all
and be real careful until you get the hang of it. ways to a one-part enamel.

Waxing
Wax Colored Dope to increase the gloss after
buffing and for protection. Use a quality auto-
motive Carnauba-based paste wax. Again, avoid
any miracle waxes with silicone.

Taping for Trim

✔ Wait at least 12 hours for the Colored Dope
to dry.
✔ Use the best grade paper masking tape avail- Mark II is intended as a topcoat paint over
able. Use Kraft paper, NOT newspaper, on metal or composite surfaces that have been
large areas. primed with W-2248 Epibond or B-6433
Rand-O-Plate epoxy primer
✔ Pull the tapes as soon as the trim paint dries
to the touch. Don’t allow the tapes to stay Do not use Mark II over fabric or on struc-
on for long periods or they could imprint tures that will be covered with fabric cemented
the paint below. with New Super Seam cement. New Super
Seam may lift Mark II.

Painting the Metal Parts Surface Preparation for Mark II

of a Fabric-covered Airplane Metal or composite surfaces must be primed
with Epibond or Rand-O-Plate epoxy primer.
Colored Butyrate Dope has limited success and For best results let the primer dry for at least
mixed results when you spray it over primed four days, seven is better, before spraying
metal. We suggest that you use our Randolph Mark II. Scuff-sand epoxy primer with an
Mark II for Metal or Ranthane over primed ultra-fine Scotch-Brite pad before applying
metal parts. Mark II. Lightly wipe the primer surface with a
cloth slightly damp with C-2210 Paint Sur-
MARK II FOR METAL face Cleaner to remove airborne contaminates
or finger oil.
Mark II is a two-part catalyzed paint available
in 50 colors to match Randolph Colored Mixing and Thinning Mark II
Butyrate Dope. Although Mark II uses a Mark II may be sprayed with any equipment
catalyst, the catalyst is not an isocyanate, rated for lacquer or enamel. Mix the base paint
which means you do not have to take special one-to-one with Mark II Mixing Liquid.
precautions to spray it. A regular charcoal mask Mixing Liquid is both catalyst and thinner.
works; no need to use a supplied air mask. Once you combine the Mixing Liquid, let it sit
Mark II is only slightly less solvent resistant for 20 minutes before spraying.

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 10 – Color Coats

Matching Gloss
Mark II is shinier than dope. If you paint the
metal or fiberglass parts adjacent to the fabric
with Mark II, the metal will be shinier than the
dope on the fabric. This is how antique and clas-
sic airplanes looked when new; the metal was
always shinier than the fabric. If you are doing
an authentic restoration, we suggest you use
Mark II over the metal and use dope over the
fabric for the most original look.

If you decide to use Mark II on the metal and

want to match the semi-gloss look of dope on
fabric, you can use our Randolph Flattener. See
Generally there is no need to thin Mark II; the instructions on Flattener in the Product Pro-
however, if a test spray results in orange peel, files at the end of this manual.
thin the mixed paint by adding one part Mark
II Thinner to 5 parts mixed Mark II paint. USING RANTHANE OVER FABRIC,
METAL, AND FIBERGLASS

Ranthane is our wet-look high-gloss polyure-

thane. It covers fabric, metal and fiberglass
equally well. If you want a high-gloss finish, you
can use this on your whole darn airplane.

Ranthane is offered in the same colors as Col-

ored Butyrate Dope and Mark II for Metal.

Ranthane is the most durable paint you can use

on metal or fiberglass. Because it’s a two-part
crosslinked paint, it sticks forever to primed alu-
minum and fiberglass. It’s also excellent for primed
4130 steel tubing before covering. It’s chemi-
Spray three coats for good coverage, allowing
at least one hour between coats. cally resistant, and it’s practically bulletproof.

IF YOUR EXPECTATION IS TO HAVE A

Taping and Trim
HIGH-GLOSS WET LOOK AIRPLANE,
In normal conditions, wait at least two days
THEN YOU SHOULD PAINT THE WHOLE
for Mark II to fully harden before taping and
THING WITH RANTHANE.
applying trim colors. There’s no problem
waiting longer. To insure the base coat is hard
enough to be taped, apply a test tape, let it sit Earlier, we cautioned against using brittle auto-
for a few hours and remove it. If the base paint motive polyurethanes over fabric. What makes
is not damaged and there are no tape tracks, Ranthane different? It’s simple; we leave out
you are definitely ready to tape and trim. the filler materials that make other polyure-
thanes brittle. We use only high-grade resins,

June 2008 Revision – pg. 75

 10 – Color Coats

plasticizers, and pigments. The primary design are cumulative. You may get away with it for
priority in Ranthane is long-term flexibility. awhile, but one day it will catch up with you.

For over 20 years, we’ve seen the wisdom of that

design decision. Ranthane simply does not have YOU MUST:
the cracking problems of most polyurethanes ➭ Wear gloves, long sleeves, and long pants.
when applied according to directions. Anybody
willing to read the directions on the can or in ➭ Use spray-proof goggles. Keep it off your
this manual can do a beautiful job. Guys who skin and out of your eyes.
already “know it all” are in trouble. In fact, we
find that the guys who do best with Ranthane ➭ Use a respirator that has a forced air
have never sprayed any polyurethanes. source of clean air, free from spray mist.
These are available from aircraft supply
HERE ARE THE DIRECTIONS: houses and are worth every penny.

Apply Ranthane in two medium coats, enough Before You Spray

to give a wet, even coat, but not enough to run. Scuff-sand primed metal or fiberglass with 400-
Each coat must be allowed to tack up before grit sandpaper. Rand-O-Fill should be as smooth
any more wet paint is sprayed on top. Each as possible. Wipe all surfaces with a cloth slightly
tacky coat holds the next wet coat. damp with C-2210 Paint Cleaning Solvent, and
follow with a clean rag. Wait at least 2 hours after
NOTE: NO NEED TO SPRAY CROSS COATS. using C-2210 before spraying. Remove dust
TWO NORMAL COATS ARE USUALLY SUF- with a tack rag. Ground small parts to prevent
FICIENT. static electricity.

Basically, that’s it! Wait!

Make sure the primer or Rand-O-Fill you’ll be
Lung Protection spraying over has had time to wick off all its sol-
vents. This usually takes seven days in normal
temperatures. If you push it, the solvents will be
WARNING.You MUST wear a
trapped under the Ranthane and will cause
FRESH AIR SOURCE RESPIRA-
blisters.
TOR when spraying all
polyurethanes, ours includ-
Spraying Yellow or Red
ed. The respirator rated for
Spray just enough white Colored Butyrate
organic solvents or lacquers
Dope to turn the Silver Butyrate surface white.
you used in earlier stages of
This will really help the color coverage of the
this job is NOT SUFFICIENT.
Ranthane and give a rich, bright final color.
The catalyst in polyurethanes con-
tains polyisocyanides, as in Shake Well
CYANIDE! Read that POISON!
Shake the paint on a double-action paint shaker
for five minutes within a week before using.
Breathing the spray mist without protection can
cause severe sickness or death. And the effects

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 10 – Color Coats

Straining Thinning and Spraying

Strain the paint through a paint strainer suitable 1. Start by mixing 3 parts catalyzed Ranthane to
for polyurethanes before mixing it with catalyst. 1 part G-4200 Ranthane Thinner.

Adding Catalyst 2. Test spray something other than your airplane.

Ranthane MIX RATIO: 2 parts Ranthane to one Let it dry.
part Ranthane Catalyst.
3. Before you proceed with the airplane, inspect
A gallon of Ranthane requires two quarts of cat- the test to see if it had any sign of orange peel.
alyst.
4. Hopefully not, but if you have orange peel,
A quart of Ranthane requires one pint of add additional G-4200 Thinner until the
catalyst. paint is smooth. You can go up to about 40%
thinner. If you have to thin this much, be
No need to mix it all at one time, use a soup careful of runs when you are spraying on the
ladle for ease of measuring small amounts. vertical; don’t flood it on.

REMEMBER: YOU APPLY RANTHANE IN

Carefully inspect the catalyst before TWO NORMAL COATS; NO NEED FOR
using. If the can is CROSS COATS.
unusually swollen, don’t
open it. If the catalyst is Common Ranthane Errors
milky or stringy, don’t use 1.Flooding on the first coat. Car painters are
it. Good catalyst should be notorious for this one. If you do this, it will all
thin and clear. Humid air run off onto the floor and all over your shoes.
ruins catalyst. Inspect it
before each use. After using the 2.Spraying wet paint into wet paint. Another
catalyst, put the lid back on tight- guaranteed way to get runs. This also keeps the
ly. paint from covering well. You must spray only
into tacky paint! Here’s the typical scenario:
You’re doing great. No runs so far, and you’re
Mix the catalyst with the paint, and let it “cook” finishing your first coat. You just finish a pass
for 20 minutes before spraying. when you look back down the surface and see
a spot you missed. So you give it a quick
Once you catalyze (add the catalyst), you have squirt, just a little to cover the spot. It runs!
about 5 hours before the paint starts to cross- A wet coat sprayed into a wet coat that hasn’t
link and thicken. Be smart. Mix up only what yet become tacky will simply wash away the
you need. underlying coat. Wet paint sprayed into wet
paint has nothing to hang onto. It could take
If it starts to get stringy in the cup, you’re all 50 gallons to paint a Cub this way.
through with that batch.
Your complaint over our Tech Support Line will
You can keep catalyzed Ranthane in the freezer be that Ranthane does not cover, or that we
overnight to preserve it. Keep it away from the forgot to add something. We will refer you to
ice cream. Let it come up to room temperature this paragraph when you call.
before spraying. Don’t force it back up with heat.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 77

 10 – Color Coats

Fixing Problems inspect for tape tracks or other damage to the

✔ RUNS: Quit what you’re doing and let the Ranthane. If there is no problem, proceed; if
whole thing dry for about four days at the there is, wait.
minimum. A week is better. You have to let
the paint fully crosslink before you spray After spraying your trim, pull the tapes off as
more over the top of it or it could wrinkle. soon as the Ranthane dries tack free. Usually
When a week is up, sand out the runs and an hour or so will do it.
respray.
If the base coat of Ranthane has been on for a
✔ ORANGE PEEL: Turn down the air pres- week or more before you put on your trim, scuff
sure on your gun. Increase the G-4200 sand the base coat to give tooth adhesion for the
Thinner in the catalyzed paint. trim paint. Be careful not to fuzz up the trim
tape or the paint will bleed under it.
✔ GRIT IN THE PAINT: First check for gun
cleanliness. If you’re sure it’s not coming Matching Gloss
from the gun, try filtering the paint twice. Like Mark II, wet-look Ranthane is shinier
than dope. If you paint the metal or fiberglass
The Respray Time Window parts adjacent to the fabric with Ranthane,
It takes a full week at 77° for Ranthane to fully the Ranthane on the metal will be shinier than
crosslink. While it may appear to be fully dry, it’s the dope on the fabric. Remember that this is
still cooking and is actually pretty fragile. how antique and classic airplanes looked when
new; the metal was always shinier than the fab-
If you plan to spray in stages, you must wait at ric. If you are doing an authentic restoration, we
least four days, preferably the full week if you suggest you use Ranthane over the metal and
can, to allow full crosslinking. In other words, if use dope over the fabric for the most original look.
you only partially finish a surface and you must
quit for the day, the safest thing is to wait a week If you decide to use Ranthane on the metal
to apply the next coats. Lightly scuff-sand with and want to match the semi-gloss look of dope
400 paper before respraying. on fabric, you can use our Randolph Flattener.
See the instructions on Flattener in the Product
If you don’t wait, underlying coats may wrinkle. Profiles at the end of this manual.

Taping for Trim

Buy the best tape available. Fine-line polypropy-
lene tape is available from the auto paint store.
Paper tape is OK, but get the best you can find.
And use Kraft paper, not newspaper.

Wait at least 12 hours before taping for trim on

Ranthane; more is always better; don’t rush it.
For best results, do a tape test. Put a piece of
tape on some part of the airplane that won’t
show. Leave it on for a reasonable period of time
that will replicate the time you think your tape
and masking paper will be on the airplane
during the real taping. Pull the test tape and

June 2008 Revision – pg. 78

 Appendix A:
Envelopes & Sewing
Envelopes ❐ Clamp the envelope in place with spring
Think of an envelope as a huge sock, or a slip- clamps or clothespins.
cover to simplify the covering of a fuselage, a wing,
and tail feathers. Envelopes are sewn on three sides, ❐ Cement one side of the open seam to the
with an open seam to allow you to pull it on. aircraft structure with New Super Seam.
Cement the other to make a closure with at
least a one-inch overlap.

❐ Take the clamps off one side at a time, and

heat shrink at 250°, STARTING OVER
THE SEAM. If you shrink from the seam
out, the seam stays straight. On the other
hand, if you go first to the center of the part
to shrink, it will pull the seam toward the
iron and leave snaking, off-centered seams.

❐ Shrink the whole envelope from the seams

out at 250°.
After envelopes are slipped on, they are cement-
ed closed at the open seam. Heat shrinking and ❐ Brush on Rand-O-Proof, and follow the nor-
doping then holds the envelope firmly in place. mal Randolph doping sequence. You must
It is not necessary to cement around the entire put a finishing tape over every sewn seam in
perimeter of the frame as done with the blanket the envelope.
method.
Envelope Pros and Cons
Envelopes are sold by a few aircraft supply houses.
Quality envelopes come from proven patterns, PROS:
most fifty or more years old. If they don’t fit, it’s ❖ Huge time savers on fuselages. Fuselage
usually the fault of a bent or modified airframe envelopes usually are pulled on from the
rather than the envelope. tail. The separate belly piece is cemented
into place first, wrapping around the lower
To Install an Envelope: longerons. Then the sides are wrapped
❐ Turn the envelope inside-out so the sewn around the longerons with 1˝ overlaps, and
fringe is on the inside.
the edges end up hidden on the fuselage
bottom.
❐ Pull the envelope over the part. There should
be about an extra inch of fabric at the
perimeter. ❖ Envelopes take the fitting and planning time
out of fabric installations.
❐ Straighten the fringe on the inside of the
envelope. If you let the fringe bunch up or CONS:
snake back and forth, you will see it forever. ❖ Lots of fiddling with inside fringes.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 79

 Appendix A: Envelopes & Sewing

❖ Wing envelopes usually have chordwise Use only 15 lb Ceconite Hand Sewing Thread,
sewn seams. These seams do not fall over doubled. A 3˝ or 4˝ curved needle works great.
ribs. This gives extra seams to worry about
shrinking straight and taping. Some manu- ❐ Sew with a baseball stitch with a maximum of
facturers offer spanwise seams. 1
⁄4˝ spacing. The sewing holes must be a mini-
mum of 3⁄16˝ from the edge of the seam.
Sewing
There is little need for sewing when covering See the illustrations below:
with Ceconite. The only time a sewn seam is
required is when fabric must be joined over an
open area with no adequate sub-structure under-
neath. This rarely happens.

The illustration below shows the one instance in

Cub and Aeronca type fuselage where sewing is
required. Here there is no substructure where
the fuselage fabric joins the fin fabric. Thus, a
sewn seam is required.

There are two kinds of sewn seams approved with

our STC: hand sewn and machine sewn.

Hand-Sewn Seams
The instance above is a good candidate for a ❐ When the sewing is over, heat shrink normally,
hand-sewn seam. and put a 2˝ finishing tape over the seam.

❐ Start by folding the edges of the fabric on both Machine-Sewn Seams

sides of the seam at least 3⁄8˝ to the inside of Most of us will never need to machine sew any-
the seam. thing. If you have a sturdy sewing machine and
you have the skill and interest to sew your own
Use an iron at 225° to crease this 3⁄8˝ fold. This
seams, read on.
folded part will give two layers of fabric at the
edge for extra strength.
Always use only Ceconite 10 lb Machine
❐ Temporarily join the seam with T-head pins. Thread. Do not use cotton thread or upholstery
As you sew, you pull out the pins just ahead of thread. They will rot in short order.
your stitching.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 80

 Appendix A: Envelopes & Sewing

The following seams are approved for sewing

aircraft fabric:

All sewn seams must be covered with at least a

2-inch finishing tape.

Make Your Own Envelope!

There’s one time you may be interested in sewing.
If you wish, you can sew your own simple fuse-
lage envelope. Here’s how:

❐ Unroll a single piece of fabric long enough to

stretch from the rear of the fin to the forward
cabin area.

❐ Clamp this fabric to the fin and continue

clamping down the fuselage to the front of
the cabin. Clamp around a forward fuselage
tube by the boot cowl where you would nor-
mally cement the fabric to the frame at the
front of the fuselage.

❐ If this is going to work for you, this one piece

of fabric should be wide enough to cover the

June 2008 Revision – pg. 81

 Appendix A: Envelopes & Sewing

distance from the top of the fin to the lower Thread, you can make whatever your sewing
fuselage longerons, as well as the whole cabin skills allow.
area from top to bottom. In other words, you
should be able to cover the whole side including
the fin with one 70-inch-wide piece of fabric.

❐ Unclamp the top part of the fabric and lay it

over the centerline of the turtleback. Most air-
planes have a flimsy wooden stringer here as
the top “spine.” Remember, you can’t make a
cemented seam over a stringer; it must be a
longeron. That’s what all this sewing is about.

❐ Trace this spine with a soft lead pencil. This

will be the pattern for a single seam we will
sew to join our envelope at the top.

❐ Unclamp the fabric and lay it on the floor.

Put a duplicate piece of fabric the same length
directly over it. Pin the two pieces together
with T-Head pins.

❐ Sew the two pieces together at the pencil line

using one of the seams illustrated above. Or
take it to a commercial seamstress. Make sure
you bring the Ceconite Machine Sewing
Thread.

❐ Cut out the excess fabric on the top side of

the spine seam. Turn the envelope inside out
and drape it over the fuselage. Hopefully, it
lies smoothly over the fin and has a straight
seam all the way up the turtleback over the
spine. It should be long enough to drape over
the fuselage sides below the lower longerons.

❐ Make a belly piece and cement it to the lower

longerons with 1˝ overlaps.

❐ Cement the side pieces to the belly with 1˝

overlaps. Finally, cut out the window areas Avoid making abrupt mixture
changes, especially on the ground.
and cement as appropriate to the cabin areas.

There are other instances where you may choose

to sew. As long as you use one of the approved
seams and use Ceconite Machine Sewing

June 2008 Revision – pg. 82

 Appendix B: Covering
Plywood Surfaces
Fabric covering over sheet plywood has been a one. These pre-coats will help fabric adhesion
popular way of adding strength and hiding wood and prevent pinholes.
grain since the ‘20s. Bellancas and Mooneys are
known for their fabric-over-wood construction. Apply Fabric
❐ Cement the fabric exactly as described in the
Any Ceconite fabric can be used to cover plywood. main section of this manual. There is no dif-
Our Uncertified Light fabric is the most popular ference to cementing fabric over wood; all
choice for its smooth finish and workability. overlaps and heat forming techniques remain
Don’t let the name Uncertified Light fool you, the same.
you may use this fabric to cover wood on certi-
fied aircraft. Heat Shrink
❐ Start with the iron at 225°, NO HOTTER!
Prepare the Surface The idea is to only take the wrinkles out of
❐ Fill low spots and imperfections in the wood the fabric. If you go to higher temperatures,
with Poly-Fiber SuperFil. Sand smooth. You you could pull the fabric out of the natural
can find Poly Fiber SuperFil from a Randolph/ wood depressions. This bridging could give
Ceconite/Poly-Fiber distributor or from any of unwanted air pockets under the fabric.
the major supply houses.
If 225° leaves some wrinkles, selectively go up
Varnish to 250°. Be careful not to cause bridging.
❐ Varnish over the wood and SuperFil with
EV-400 Epoxy Varnish. Rand-O-Proof
❐ Thin Rand-O-Proof one to one with 286
Combine one part EV-410 Catalyst with two Thinner. Brush it over the fabric. The thinned
parts EV-400 Epoxy Varnish. Let this soup Rand-O-Proof will soak through and reacti-
“cook” for 30 minutes. Filter through a paint vate the precoated Rand-O-Proof below.
filter. Thin two parts varnish to one part
E-500 Epoxy Thinner. If any bridging is apparent, wait about 30 sec-
onds for the Rand-O-Proof to get tacky then
❐ Brush or spray two coats of varnish. Allow the brush over the depression again. The tacky
first coat to dry to the touch before spraying Rand-O-Proof should stick the fabric down
the second. If you let more than 4 days go by into the depression.
between coats, lightly scuff-sand the first coat.
If the worst occurs and the fabric will not stay
For best results, let the varnish dry for a full 7- in a deep depression, slit the fabric carefully
day crosslinking cycle before you try to put any with a razor to cut the bridge. Patch later with
Rand-O-Proof or New Super Seam over it. If a piece of fabric or tape and Rand-O-Proof.
you try it earlier, the varnish may wrinkle or lift. Careful filling and preparation should avoid
this from ever happening.
Pre-Coat With Rand-O-Proof
❐ Brush one coat of Rand-O-Proof thinned Tape and Spray Clear and Silver Dope
one to one with 286 Nitrate Thinner. Allow to ❐ Continue the process as written in the main
dry. Spray on two more coats, thinned one to part of this manual.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 83

 Notes

June 2008 Revision – pg. 84

 Appendix C:
Rejuvenating Fabric
One of the nice things about painting your air-
plane in Colored Butyrate Dope is that you can ❐ Wet-sand the surface with 280-grit sandpaper.
rejuvenate it. Flush all residue and dry with clean rags.

To refresh your memory, rejuvenation is the ❐ Mix two parts J-3000 Butysolv Rejuvenator
process of adding fresh plasticizers to aging, to three parts 9703 Butyrate Thinner.
brittle coatings.
❐ Spray one full wet cross coat (two passes of
All coatings lose their plasticizers in four or the gun at right angles).
five years. The rate at which plasticizers leave
is dependent on temperature and humidity. Air- ❐ Wait 30 minutes until the coatings become
planes outside in Phoenix can show signs of brit- soft, then you may be able to use your fingers
tleness in seven years. Those in Maine may last to smooth out hairline cracks and small ring-
indefinitely. worms. Protect your hands.

There is no hard and fast rule about when to ❐ Wait two hours and spray on another cross
rejuvenate. Generally, hangared airplanes may coat of thinned rejuvenator.
be ready in 15 years. Those kept outside in 7 to
10. It really depends on the heat and humidity, ❐ Let dry at least overnight.
like all evaporation. If the dope seems brittle and
small cracks start developing, it is probably time. ❐ Fill any remaining small cracks with Rand-O-
Fill using an artist’s brush. If desired, spray two
What Rejuvenation Does coats of Rand-O-Fill to give a good filling and
1. Adds fresh plasticizer. This makes the coatings sanding base. Sand as required.
flexible and supple.
❐ Spray Colored Butyrate Dope.
2. Softens and slightly flows the old coatings to
allow hairline cracks to close and fill.

What Rejuvenation Doesn’t Do

1. Restore color and gloss to faded paint.

2. Fill big cracks in the coatings.

The Steps
❐ Disassemble the aircraft, if possible. It’s much
easier to spray on sawhorses than upside down
under wings.

❐ Wash the fabric thoroughly as you would your

car to remove dirt, grease, grime.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 85

 Notes

June 2008 Revision – pg. 86

 Appendix D:
Dealing With Stains
There are two kinds of stains that need attention
CAUTION: This mixture develops
on any kind of paint: gasoline stains and bird
chlorine gas. Do not store in
droppings.
a sealed container. Discard
after use. Keep out of eyes and
Colored Butyrate Dope is much more susceptible
skin. Pot life is two hours.
to staining than Ranthane.

We all know that aviation fuel has dyes for iden-

tification. If you get lazy and let fuel pool for days
in fuel cap recesses, or keep putting off fixing
that leaking quick drain, you can get staining.

The best prevention is to wipe fuel off when you

see it, because if you let it accumulate, you can
have problems.

The same for bird dooky. If you let the droppings

sit for a few weeks on paint, you can get perma-
nent staining. Particularly in berry season. They
love them berries.

To Remove Stains
❐ First, try good old Clorox laundry bleach. Work
it in with a sponge, and then flush with lots of
water.

If that doesn’t fix it, try this:

❐ Dissolve 1 level teaspoon of swimming pool

granulated chlorine in 2 liquid oz of water.
Let it sit 10 minutes.

❐ Add 2 liquid oz of MEK and 2 liquid oz of

Y-9910 Universal Retarder.

❐ Soak the stained area for 3 to 5 minutes with Make sure your electrical system is on
the top line before setting out on a flight.
a sponge or a brush.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 87

 Notes

June 2008 Revision – pg. 88

 Appendix E:
Making Repairs
❐ Mask off the area outside the patch. Leave an
NOTE THAT CECONITE REPAIR
extra half inch or so of working room larger
PROCEDURES HAVE CHANGED
than the patch.
WITH THIS REVISION TO THE
CECONITE MANUAL. TO USE
❐ Clean off all the coatings inside the masked
THESE PROCEDURES HOW-
area by soaking the coatings with 9703
EVER,YOU MUST USE ONLY NEW
Butyrate Thinner. The coatings will then
SUPER SEAM FABRIC CEMENT
become soft allowing you to easily scrape
WHICH IS MUCH MORE CAPABLE
them off with a small putty knife. Clean the
THAN CEMENTS APPROVED IN
coating right down to the bare fabric.
EARLIER CECONITE MANUALS.

All Ceconite repairs are done by cementing a

WARNING: NEVER USE PAINT
patch over the damaged area with New Super
STRIPPER TO REMOVE
Seam cement.
PAINT AND COATINGS FROM
CECONITE. PAINT STRIPPER
There is no requirement in the Ceconite STC to
WILL RELEASE CEMENTED
do any sewing.
SEAMS, LIFT TAPES,AND MAY
LEAVE A PARAFFIN COATING
The Rules Are Simple
THAT MAY MAKE REPAINTING
❖ A hole 8 inches or less requires an overlap of
IMPOSSIBLE.
at least 1 inch of patch material over 1 inch of
old fabric. Finishing tapes are not required
over the cemented seams unless the patch is
❐ Cement the patch to the old fabric with New
on the top of a wing.
Super Seam. Let it dry.
❖ A hole 8 inches or more requires an overlap of
❐ With a 225° iron, heat-smooth the cemented
at least 2 inches of patch material over 2 inches
areas.
of old fabric. Repairs 8 inches or more require
at least a 2-inch finishing tape over the seams.
❐ With a 250° iron, heat-shrink the area of the
These tapes should be centered over the seams
patch over the hole. This acts as a shrinking
of the patch.
panel to re-tighten the fabric in the area of
the repair.
Repairing Colored Butyrate Dope
❐ Trim the ragged parts out of the hole. ❐ Brush on a coat of Rand-O-Proof and let it
dry. Apply finishing tapes, if required, with
❐ Lay unshrunk patch material over the hole Rand-O-Proof. Heat-smooth.
and trace the outline of the patch with a soft
lead pencil. Make sure you have the required ❐ Spray Rand-O-Fill to fill.
overlap. Square or rectangular patches look
better. Cut out the patch with pinking shears. ❐ Paint with Colored Butyrate Dope. You will

June 2008 Revision – pg. 89

 Appendix E: Making Repairs

find that Colored Butyrate Dope is easy to Ranthane on the outside and peel it away
spot spray into the old paint with a good match from the masked area.
unless the old paint is faded.
❐ Carefully cut a patch to fix exactly within the
Major Repairs masked area. Cement it into place.
Let’s say you dinged a whole wing tip. After you
replace the ribs and are through crying, you can ❐ Follow the standard repair sequence from this
make a fairly simple job of a big fabric repair job. point on.

❐ Start at the last good rib before the damage, If you CAN’T get to the inside…
and take off the old finishing tapes with 9703
Butyrate Thinner. Cut the rib laces. Clean off ❐ Mask off the area of the patch and sand off the
at least two inches of fabric over the good rib Ranthane coats with dry 280-grit sandpaper.
with 9703 Butyrate Thinner; scrape off the
old coatings right down to the bare fabric. ❐ When you get down to the silver Rand-O-Fill
below, get out the 9703 Butyrate Thinner
❐ Cement in a whole new piece of fabric to cover and proceed as written above.
the wing tip with a two-inch overlap over the
rib area. Heat shrink. Apply Rand-O-Proof, ❐ When it comes time to respray the color coat
rib lace, and tape. Put on Rand-O-Fill and of Ranthane, you can’t spot spray it over just
Colored Butyrate Dope, and go fly. If you do the repair. It won’t blend in without a halo of
it neatly, no one will ever know. overspray. Sorry about that.

Repairing Ranthane The best bet is to spray the whole panel the
The big difference between repairing Ranthane repair is in. For instance, if the repair is on a
and Colored Butyrate Dope is that you can’t wing, mask and spray the area from rib to rib
clean off Ranthane with 9703 Butyrate to match the paint best.
Thinner (or anything else). Unless you can reach
the back of the damaged fabric from inside, then
you’ll have to sand off the Ranthane coats.

If you CAN get to the back of the damaged fab-

ric, here’s how to do a next-to-invisible repair.

❐ First, mask around the damaged area on the

outside. If you have, say, a 3˝ hole to fix, mask
an area that leaves an inch all around the 3˝ hole.
Apply the masking tape right to the Ranthane.

❐ Run a scribe around the edge of the masked

area. You want to cut through the layers of
finish, but NOT through the fabric.

❐ Use 9703 Butyrate Thinner to soften the

underlying dope from the back side. When it
becomes soft, pry up an edge of the damaged

June 2008 Revision – pg. 90

 Appendix F:
Airworthiness
Limitations
1. As a minimum, fabric and coatings must be
inspected once a year as part of the aircraft's
annual inspection.

2. If for any reason the fabric's integrity is ques-

tioned, the fabric must have a breaking strength
of 56 pounds per inch or more to be airworthy.

3. This 56 pounds per inch minimum is required

for fabric manufactured to the standards of
FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO) C-15
d/AMS 3806c. Our Ceconite 101 and Ceconite
102 fabrics are manufactured to TSO C-15d
standards.

4. Inspection procedures: See Appendix G, Inspect-

ing Fabric and Coatings, of this manual for
complete inspection procedures.

5. The Airworthiness Limitations Section is FAA

approved and specifies maintenance required It’s always a good idea to make sure your
under Secs. 43.16 and 91.403 of the Federal brakes are in working order before taxiing.
Aviation Regulations unless an alternative
program has been FAA approved.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 91

 Appendix G:
Inspecting Fabric
and Coatings
Ceconite fabric and the coatings and paint applied ing sufficient interior components to see the
to it must be inspected each year at annual. inside. On wings or some tail feathers, this
can be done by removing an inspection cover
The core concept is that the paint and coatings so you can see the inside surface of the fabric.
should remain in good shape to protect the under- Have an assistant hold a 60-watt shop light
lying fabric, so the condition of the paint and one foot from the outside surface to simulate
coatings is important. The age of a cover job is sunlight. As you view the fabric from the
irrelevant; good jobs easily last 25 years, some inside, there should be enough silver Rand-O-
much more than that. If the job was done cor- Fill so that no light is visible from the shop
rectly with plenty of UV blocking silver, it will light held a foot off the surface outside.
last indefinitely, well past the time when a smart
owner will want to uncover the airplane to see If the coatings and paint block the light: Good!
the state of the airframe under the fabric.
BASED ON PASSING THESE TWO TESTS
Remember that UV radiation is the only thing ALONE, THE IA COULD HAVE CONFIDENCE
that can degrade polyester Ceconite fabric; it is THAT THE FABRIC IS AIRWORTHY.
not affected by gasoline, fungus, rot, or weather
extremes. So if you want to protect the fabric,
you have to have a “sheet of metal” between the The Problem Scenarios
fabric and the sun. That sheet of metal is in fact,
the aluminum flake in Rand-O-Fill. The bottom 1. The paint and coatings are brittle, cracked
line is: if there is sufficient aluminum to block and ringwormed. They readily crack when
and reflect the passage of light, it also blocks the pushed with a knuckle: Bad!
passage of damaging invisible UV radiation.
Consider rejuvenation. (Colored Butyrate
only; you can't rejuvenate polyurethanes.)
Inspection Procedures Rejuvenation softens and adds service life.

Here are the steps an experienced IA will take. BUT, as long as there are no big chunks out of
If he is unfamiliar with inspecting fabric, show the paint, and there is no sun-exposed fabric,
him these procedures: the airplane is still airworthy, but should be
monitored for problems continually until the
1. Inspect the general condition of the paint and next annual inspection.
coatings. If the fabric is flexible and resilient
when pushed hard with a knuckle: Good! 2. Big chunks out of the paint and coatings,
advance peeling, sun exposed fabric: Real Bad!
2. Find a way to view the fabric from the inside The IA can use a Maule Fabric Tester on the bare
out. On fuselages, this can be done by remov- fabric as an aid to see if there is UV damage.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 92

 Appendix G: Inspecting Fabric and Coatings

end around one of the pieces of wood or metal

AC 43.13 - 1B states that a Maule
to prevent slippage.
Tester is not approved for deter-
mining airworthiness; it is only an
4. Put a bucket on the hook and fill it with 56
aid. Also, Maule Testers only give
pounds of sand, lead, gold, or anything heavy
accurate readings on bare fabric.
you can accurately weigh. Don't forget to
It does no good to “punch”
account for the tare weight of the bucket.
painted fabric; you are
measuring the combined
IF THE FABRIC BREAKS WITH 56 POUNDS,
strength of the paint and
IT FAILS. TIME TO RE-COVER.
fabric. The FAA only cares
about the fabric.To use the
Where does this 56 pounds come
Maule, push until it reads 56
from? Ceconite fabrics are manu-
pounds; no need to push further
factured to the standards of TSO-
and punch a hole in the fabric
C-15d/AMS 3806C. Interestingly,
unless the IA is seeking additional
this is the same standard used
business repairing unnecessary
for Grade A Cotton, linen, or
holes.
any fabric used in direct
replacement.This document
3. If the Maule Tester indicated that the fabric is
specifies how aircraft fabric
questionable: do the "Hang it on the wall
should be manufactured,
test." This is a simplified version of an FAA
and all certified fabric used
acceptable field test for fabric testing that is
on aircraft is approved by FAA
published in the fabric covering section of AC
engineers based on these stan-
43.13 - 1B.
dards. TSO C-15d says that new
aircraft fabric has to have a
breaking (tensile) strength when
The “Hang It On new of at least 80 pounds per
the Wall” Test inch. (Ceconite is well over 102
pounds.) In service, the fabric is
1. Cut a strip of fabric from the sun-exposed area allowed to degrade to 70% of that
of the aircraft (hopefully the top) four inches 80 pounds, which works out to 56
long by one and one-quarter inches wide. pounds. So 56 pounds is the min-
Clean all the coatings and paint off the fabric imum allowable for airworthiness.
strip by soaking it in MEK or Butyrate Thinner.
If for some reason the breaking strength is still
2. Unravel a few threads from the side so it has a in question, you may send the fabric to any cer-
small "fringe". The unraveled fabric should be tified testing facility to do an ASTM D5035 test
one-inch wide. on the fabric. Here at Ceconite, 1-800-362-3490,
we will do the test for you for a small fee.
3. Figure out a sturdy way to hang the strip on a
wall; put an equally sturdy hook on the other
end. An easy way to do this is to sandwich the
fabric ends between two pieces of metal or
wood held together with hardware. Strengthen
the sandwich by wrapping and cementing one

June 2008 Revision – pg. 93

 Notes

June 2008 Revision – pg. 94

 Appendix H:
Product Profiles
POLYESTER FABRICS SURFACE TAPES CECONITE LIGHT TAPES
NOTE: ALL STYLES AND WEIGHTS
OF CECONITE SURFACE TAPES ARE PINKED EDGE LIGHT TAPES
LEGAL FOR USE ON ANY OF THE
THREE CECONITE FABRICS

CECONITE 102 TAPES

PINKED EDGE C-102 TAPES

CECONITE 101
This heavy duty fabric is recommended
These light tapes form easily around rib
for the most severe operating conditions
and for very high-wing loaded aircraft. Its laces and structure. They are legal for
large filament size and high strength pro- use on any aircraft. They are offered with
vide excellent rock and tear resistance. It pinked edges only. They come in 25-yard
finishes well and fills with normal applica- rolls, except 2˝ which comes in a 50-yard
tions of dope to a smooth surface. Meets roll. Offered in widths from 1˝ to 6˝.
the requirements of TSO C15d.
Our classic standard duty tape most gen-
RECOMMENDED AIRCRAFT: erally used on Ceconite 101 and 102 fabric. CECONITE BIAS TAPES
Aerobatic and bush planes, ag aircraft, All pinked C-102 tapes comes in 25-yard
and warbirds. rolls except 2˝ which comes in a 50-yard PINKED EDGE BIAS TAPES
roll. Offered in widths from 1˝ to 6˝.
CECONITE 102
STRAIGHT EDGE
Ceconite 102 is considered our standard C-102 TAPES
fabric. It is a good replacement in finish
for Grade A Cotton. Recommended for
all service on a wide variety of aircraft
regardless of wing loading or horsepower.
Meets TSO C-15d.

RECOMMENDED AIRCRAFT:
All classics, antiques and contemporary
designs that anticipate normal on-airport Bias tapes are designed to form around
operations. curved shapes like wing tip bows and tail-
feathers without heat shrinking or notching.
CECONITE All have pinked edges and come in 25-yard
UNCERTIFIED LIGHT Designed for Citabrias, these tapes have
a heat-slit straight edge. All straight edge rolls. They are offered in either 2, 3, or 4˝
Uncertified light is recommended for cov- C-102 tapes come in 50-yard rolls only. widths. When pulled around curves, they
ering plywood surfaces on any aircraft Offered in widths from 1˝ to 6˝. shrink about 1⁄3 their normal width. In other
and on any ultralight aircraft that is not words, a 3˝ bias tape will pull down to 2˝
certified. On certified aircraft, it is only wide when stretched around a curve.
approved for covering plywood surfaces.
This fabric is unstamped.

RECOMMENDED AIRCRAFT:
Experimental ultralights and very light
and experimental aircraft only.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 95

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
OTHER TAPES INTER-RIB BRACING TAPE POLYESTER
RIB LACING CORD
POLYESTER
REINFORCING TAPE

Polyester twill used to brace ribs before

covering. See manual for use. Comes in
a roll 36 yd by 1⁄2˝.

Reinforcing tapes are used to strengthen

the fabric to resist cutting under rib lacing, Two styles of lacing cord are available,
pop rivets, or PK screws. Reinforcing tapes both impregnated with micro-crystalline
are applied directly over the fabric that fungicidal wax.
overlies rib cap strips. Rib lacing or other
mechanical attachments are then applied 1 - Standard round 4 ply, .035˝ dia., 60 lb
over or through the reinforcing tape. Re- tensile strength. Packaged 600 yards per
inforcing tapes are made of an extremely spool.
strong polyester twill with a sticky back
THREADS
for ease of application. 2 - Flat braided cord, .012˝ thick x approx-
POLYESTER MACHINE imately .080˝ wide, 50 lb tensile strength.
SEWING THREAD Recommended when the minimum rib
Reinforcing tapes are offered in 1⁄4, 3⁄8, and
1
⁄2 inch widths. When rib lacing, select the cord protrusion is desired. Packaged 500
yards per spool.
same exact width tape as your rib cap
strip, no more, no less. If your ribs are
wider than 1⁄2 inch, use two or more tapes
positioned side by side. When using
screws, rivets. or clips, use 1⁄2-inch tape
for all rib widths.

CLOTH ANTI-CHAFE TAPE

10 lb tensile strength 4-ply thread. Pack-

aged 500 yards per spool.

POLYESTER HAND
SEWING THREAD
POLY-FIBER IRON
CALIBRATION
Used to mask and smooth sharp corners
THERMOMETER
and metal edges under fabric. Apply to Made specifically for “taking your iron’s
any substructure that requires additional temperature” when calibrating it. Scale
padding or has protrusions that could has 225°, 250°, and 350° settings. Accu-
chafe the fabric. Apply before covering. rate ±10°.
Comes in a 60-yard roll. Resistant to mois- 15 lb tensile strength. 3-ply uncoated
ture over the years and will not discolor. thread. Packaged 250 yards per spool.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 96

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
FABRIC CEMENT Shelf Life: Guaranteed two years
unopened. Temperatures over 100° F
Mixing: Combine one part Phosphoric
Etch with two parts clean water in a
NEW SUPER SEAM can damage the cement. If the cement plastic, porcelain, or stainless steel con-
has been exposed to heat in storage, it tainer.
will turn whiskey colored. Do not use
cement unless it is perfectly clear. Application: Wear rubber gloves and
eye protection. Apply water-diluted solu-
tion with a sponge or brush, keeping the
ACID TREATMENTS surface wet from 1 to a maximum of 5
FOR ALUMINUM minutes. The longer the solution contacts
the aluminum the greater the effect. Scrub
Acids are used to prepare aluminum for heavily corroded surfaces with an ultra-
priming and painting. E-2310 Phos- fine Scotch-Brite pad. Rinse with cold
phoric Acid Etch is used to clean only water and follow with a clean rag.
old aluminum prior to priming. It is not
NOTE: Acid residue must be removed
necessary on new aluminum. E-2300
from rivets heads or seams; air blow areas
Chromic Conversion is used on both
Use: New Super Seam is an improvement where acid could be trapped.
new and old aluminum prior to priming
of the original Ceconite Super Seam
and painting. On old aluminum, it is Shelf Life: Guaranteed four years in
Cement. This new formulation is clear,
used after E-2310 Phosphoric Acid an unopened container in protected
vinyl-based cement that may be over
Etch. On new aluminum, E-2300 is the storage. Avoid long-range storage above
coated with all Randolph dopes with no
incompatibilities. New Super Seam has only treatment required. Acid treatments 100° F. Avoid freezing.
twice the peel strength of original nitrate- insure the best possible corrosion control
based Super Seam or Rand-O-Bond. and primer bond for painted aluminum.
The “New” on the can differentiates New E-2300 CONVERSION COATING
Super Seam from the original.
E-2310 PHOSPHORIC ACID ETCH
Note: New Super Seam is a vinyl-based
cement that should not be added to
nitrate dope to enhance dope adhesion.
In the past, some erroneously added nitrate
cements like Rand-O-Bond or Super Seam
to nitrate dope to help tape adhesion. In
fact, while this seemed to help in applying
tapes, the high solids mixture that resulted
from this unwise addition actually promoted
tape delamination during service life. In
any case, DO NOT add New Super
Seam to nitrate dope for any reason.

Packaging: Gallons, quarts. Use: Conversion Coating provides a

clear passive oxide coating on aluminum
Mixing: Use directly out of the can with
(unlike Alodine which leaves a gold col-
no mixing. If the cement thickens or begins Use: Phosphoric Acid Etch is used on old ored coating). This oxide coating serves
to dry in use, add MEK to bring it back to aluminum after stripping or directly on two purposes: it helps prevent corrosion
original viscosity. weathered aluminum that has never been
and forms a very fine textured surface to
painted. Acid Etch burns away oxidation
Application: Apply with a one-inch brush help primer bond. On old aluminum, first
and removes light contaminates. It also
directly to the surface. Lay the fabric brightens unpainted weathered aluminum etch with E-2310 Phosphoric Acid Etch,
directly into the wet cement and force the to prepare it for polishing and waxing. then apply E-2300 Conversion Coating
cement through the weave with protected within 8 hours. No need to use E-2310
fingers or a squeegee. Cement only 12 to Packaging: One-quart and one-gallon on new aluminum; the only product
18 inches at a time to prevent the cement plastic bottles. required is E-2300 Conversion Coating.
from drying. Cement directly to epoxy-
primed metal, epoxy-varnished wood, or Coverage: One gallon will treat approxi- Packaging: One-quart plastic bottles.
epoxy-primed composite surfaces. mately 1000 square feet of aluminum. Not available in gallon bottles.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 97

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
Coverage: One quart will treat approxi- Epoxy primers come in two colors: white and allow sitting for 30 minutes induction
mately 250 square feet of aluminum. or dark green. Both have identical prop- time before thinning.
erties and ingredients and vary only by
Mixing: Combine one part E-2300 color. Cured epoxy primers are completely 2. Add 50% E-500 Epoxy Thinner (two
Conversion Coating with two parts solvent resistant and are not wrinkled or
parts catalyzed primer to one part E-500
water in a plastic, stainless steel, or lifted by fabric cements or dopes. White
porcelain container. is the easiest color to use under any color Thinner.) Additional thinning may be
paint and is always a better choice for required in warm weather or with some
Application: Use rubber gloves and eye aluminum, steel, or composites that will spray rigs.
protection. Apply with a brush or sponge; be topcoat painted. Dark green is actually
keep the surface as wet as possible for 5 white primer tinted green for those who Application: Use spray equipment rated
to 7 minutes. Rinse with clean water or want to simulate the color of WWII zinc for lacquers or enamels. Spray three light
wet rags to neutralize and flush. Insure chromate on warbirds. There are three coats 20 minutes apart, allowing each coat
that all residue is wiped off with clean parts to an epoxy primer kit: (1) EP-420 to become tacky before spraying another.
rags. Unlike Alodine, E-2300 does not Primer, (2) EP-430 Catalyst, and (3)
Do not flood or apply thick coats as you
change the color of the aluminum; there- E-500 Thinner. All are required, and
fore E-2300 may be used over buffed there are no substitutes. would automotive filler primers; crawling
natural aluminum. or cratering will result. Unlike automotive
Use: Epoxy primer is used to coat steel, primers, this aerospace primer is put on
Shelf Life: Guaranteed four years in an aluminum, and composite surfaces before in light coats and does not dry with a
unopened container in protected storage. painting. It has superior anti-corrosive chalky texture. When three coats have
Avoid long-range storage above 100° F. properties that exceed one-part zinc chro- been applied, the result will be a slick,
Avoid freezing. mate primers in all levels of performance. hard surface that may be slightly trans-
Epoxy primers may be used under parent. There is no need to paint over
Mark II for Metal, Ranthane Polyure- the top of Epoxy Primer when used in
EPOXY PRIMERS thane, and a variety of other topcoat internal structural components like 4130
paints. Epoxy primers may be applied steel tube fuselages or aluminum wings.
W-2248 EP-420W EPIBOND directly over old one-part primers like
EPOXY PRIMER The primer itself is sufficient to act as an
zinc chromate or red iron oxide to pro- internal coating. Scuff sand cured epoxy
(WHITE) vide a solvent-proof barrier coat to protect primer with an ultrafine Scotch-Brite pad
from fabric cements and dopes. and wipe with a cloth slightly damp with
C-2210 Paint Cleaning Solvent before
Packaging: Each component (Primer, applying topcoat paint.
EP-430 Catalyst, and E-500 Thinner) is
sold individually or as part of a kit. Dry/Cure Time: Epoxy primer will dry to
the touch in 30 to 60 minutes in most
Gallon Kit: 1 gallon Epibond or Rand-O- conditions. However, it takes a full seven
Plate Epoxy Primer, 2 quarts EP-430
days at 70° to chemically cross-link to
Catalyst, 1 gallon E-500 Thinner. Yield:
full solvent resistance. So in simplest
21⁄2 gallons sprayable primer when mixed.
terms, if you rush applying solvent-borne
topcoat paints or fabric cement over the
Quart Kit: 1 quart Epibond or Rand-O-
top of primer that has not cured for seven
Plate Epoxy Primer, 1 pint EP-430 Cat-
B-6433 EP-420G alyst, 1 quart E-500 Thinner. Yield: 21⁄2
days, you risk wrinkling the primer. This is
RAND-O-PLATE quarts of sprayable primer when mixed. most probable in the hours immediately
(DARK GREEN) following primer application. As time
Coverage: One gallon of catalyzed passes in the seven-day cross linking
thinned primer will cover approximately period, the primer gets more solvent
1000 square feet with one coat. resistant and the probability of wrinkling
decreases. After seven days, it is imper-
Mixing and Thinning: Primer may hard vious to all solvents.
settle in storage. Make sure all compacted
material is mixed well with a paddle to get Pot Life: The sooner applied after induc-
everything off the bottom of the can. Once tion, the better the service life durability.
paddled, agitate on a paint shaker for 5 Maximum pot life is seven hours at 70°.
minutes, minimum. Discard mixed primer when it increases
in viscosity or becomes stringy. Do not add
1. Add exactly two parts Primer to one thinner to “save” primer that has become
part EP-430 Catalyst. Stir thoroughly viscous or is beginning to harden.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 98

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
Cleanup: Use E-500 Epoxy Thinner. E-500 EPOXY THINNER Application - Epoxy Varnish: Add one
MEK may be substituted but does not to a maximum of three fluid ounces to a
clean tools and spray guns as well as E- quart of catalyzed and thinned varnish.
500 Epoxy Thinner. Do not allow primer Do not exceed 3 fluid ounces per quart.
to dry in the gun; it will be almost impos-
sible to remove. Clean gun as soon as
you finish work. VARNISH
Shelf Life: Primer and Thinner, four EV-400 EPOXY VARNISH
years in an unopened container; Catalyst,
two years in an unopened container.

EP-430 EPOXY
PRIMER CATALYST

Use: Used to thin Epibond and Rand-

O-Plate primer as well as EV-400
Epoxy Varnish. Follow thinning direc-
tions on the primer and varnish cans. Do
not substitute other solvents or thinners
in these epoxy products.

Packaging: One-quart and one-gallon cans. Use: EV-400 Epoxy Varnish is a two-part
varnish that gives superior protection and
Shelf Life: Unlimited in closed containers. performance over older one-part “spar”
varnishes. EV-400 is completely impervi-
EX-501 ous to fabric cements and dope when
EPOXY ACCELERATOR cured, so there is no need to use a dope-
Use: Catalyst for either Epibond White proof paint over it. Epoxy varnish may be
Epoxy Primer or Rand-O-Plate Green used on either old or new wood. It can be
Epoxy Primer. brushed or sprayed and is applied without
harm directly over old varnishes to provide
Packaging: One-pint and one-quart cans. superior solvent resistance and protection
from fabric cements and dopes.
Shelf Life: Two years in an unopened
container. Avoid storage above 100° F. Packaging: Each component (Varnish,
EV-410 Catalyst, and E-500 Thinner) is
Use: See instructions under epoxy sold individually or as part of a kit.
primers above.
Gallon Kit: 1 gallon EV-400 Varnish,
two quarts EV-410 Catalyst, one gallon
E-500 Epoxy Thinner. Yield: 2.5 gallons
when all components are mixed.
Use: Accelerates the drying time of epoxy
primer or varnish in cold weather. Quart Kit: 1 quart EV-400 Varnish, one
pint EV-410 Catalyst, one quart E-500
Packaging: Half pints only. Epoxy Thinner. Yield: 2.5 quarts when
all components are mixed.
Application - Epoxy Primers: Add one
to a maximum of two fluid ounces of Coverage: One gallon Epoxy Varnish
accelerator to a quart of catalyzed and base component catalyzed and thinned
thinned epoxy primer. Do not exceed 2 25% will cover approximately 600 sq ft
fluid ounces per quart. with one coat.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 99

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
MIXING PROCEDURE: Add exactly one plastic or plastic lined containers used for EV-410 EPOXY
part EV-410 catalyst to 2 parts EV-400 mixing or measuring will cause crawling. VARNISH CATALYST
base component. Ratio must be accurate Spray gun head should be dismantled to
for best characteristics. Stir thoroughly and remove residue from previous coatings
allow 30 minutes induction time before before applying Epoxy Varnish.
thinning. In high humidity weather allow
1 hour induction time to avoid curing agent POT LIFE: The sooner Epoxy Varnish
“bloom.” Avoid shaking which causes is applied after the induction period, the
small bubbles in thick solution. Thinning better the durability. Maximum pot life is
eliminates bubbles. Filter thru a 60x48 five hours at 70°F. Discard materials
mesh or finer paint strainer cone. when viscosity increases or becomes
stringy when tested between the fingers.
THINNING – New Wood: After the EV-400 Do not add Thinner to extend pot life
and EV-410 components are mixed, reduce after thickening occurs. Mix material
50% with E-500 Epoxy Thinner (2 parts fresh for each coat.
catalyzed varnish to 1 part Thinner) and
brush on for good surface penetration. CLEAN UP: Use E-500 Epoxy Thinner
Second and optional third coats may be for final flush cleaning before the varnish Use: Catalyst for EV-400 Epoxy Varnish
brushed or sprayed on using following starts to polymerize in the equipment. only. Add one part EV-410 Catalyst to
spray gun directions. MEK does not dissolve and flush all the two parts EV-400.
epoxy resin from the equipment.
Spray Gun Directions: After the EV-400 Packaging: One-pint and one-quart
and EV-410 components are mixed, thin DRYING AND FULL CURE TIME: Dry cans.
25% with E-500 Epoxy Thinner (4 parts to handle 3 to 5 hours. Full cure to develop
catalyzed Varnish to 1 part Thinner) (19 solvent and chemical resistance is 7 days Shelf Life: Guaranteed two years
to 21 seconds with a #2 Zahn viscosity at 70°F. Lower ambient temperatures unopened. Avoid storage above 100° F.
cup). Additional thinning may be required require a proportionally longer period.
in hot climates. Three spray coats are Full cured varnish will not be lifted by
recommended at 3 to 4 hour intervals. adhesives, fabric coatings, enamel or
lacquer top coats. TAUTENING DOPE
Floorboard Application: After two to three PRODUCTS FOR USE
sprayed-on coats at 25% reduction, imme- RECOATING: Varnish coats which have
diately spray on a fourth coat reduced 50% aged more than 4 days should be dry ON COTTON OR LINEN
with E-500 Epoxy Thinner which will bite scuff sanded with fine sandpaper or
into initial coats and flow out to provide a Scotch-Brite pads to break the gloss sur-
ONLY
smoother, higher gloss. face and provide tooth adhesion. Wipe
the scuffed surface with C-2210 Paint 210 TAUTENING
CURE ACCELERATION: To shorten the Surface Cleaner using new, clean rags NITRATE DOPE (CLEAR)
cure time in cold weather, add EX-501 or paper towels to thoroughly remove the
Epoxy Accelerator at a ratio of 1 to a sanding residue.
maximum 3 liquid oz to 1 qt of catalyzed
Varnish, unthinned. Stir thoroughly. One SHELF LIFE: Guaranteed shelf life,
oz of EX-501 will reduce the pot life from unopened, in protected storage at room
5 hours to 3 hours and the curing time temperature is four years from date of
from approximately 7 days to 4 days at manufacture. Avoid long-range storage
70°F. Do not exceed 3 oz per qt. above 100°F. Not affected by freezing.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Epoxy

varnish may be applied with any spray
equipment rated for lacquer or enamel.
Flooding spray or brush coats will cause
crawling and cratering over old finishes
or dry first coats on new wood. Recom- Use: 210 Nitrate Dope is used to seal and
mended dry coat thickness 1 to 1.5 mils. shrink organic fabrics: Grade A Cotton,
Contamination from oil base coatings Irish Linen, or silk and silkspan for model
leaching from old pressure pot hoses or airplanes. It is not recommended for use
contamination from unclean or soluble on Ceconite or other synthetic polyester

June 2008 Revision – pg. 100

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
fabrics. Polyester fabrics are shrunk by the 9701 TAUTENING NON-TAUTENING
application of heat; applying tautening BUTYRATE DOPE (CLEAR)
dope after heat shrinking can produce
NITRATE DOPES FOR
undue tightening of the fabric and defor- USE ON CECONITE
mation of underlying structure.
G-6302 RAND-O-PROOF
NOTE: We recommend using only 9701 (GREEN)
Butyrate Dope on Grade A Cotton or
Irish Linen. Butyrate Dope is superior in
all ways to nitrate dope on organic fabrics.
We offer nitrate only for model airplanes
or exact antique restorations where
service life is not important.

Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon

pails, and 55-gallon drums.
Use: 9701 Tautening Butyrate Dope is
Coverage: One thinned gallon covers used to shrink and seal organic fabrics,
approximately 200 square feet. Grade A Cotton and Irish Linen. Apply in
multiple coats until the fabric reaches an
Thinning: Thin to spray viscosity with acceptable level of tightness. Due to its
286 Nitrate Thinner usually one to one. shrinking characteristics, it is not recom- Use: Rand-O-Proof is a non-tautening
mended for use on Ceconite or other nitrate dope specially formulated for the
Application: For best results, apply using polyester synthetic fabrics. Polyester fab- first coats on Ceconite polyester fabric. It
a spray gun. Allow each coat to dry before rics are shrunk primarily by heat; also is also used to apply finishing tapes and
spraying another. Do not rush coats; all applying a tautening dope after heat to pre-coat large surfaces of wood or metal
dopes work best when ample drying time shrinking could produce undue tightness that will be covered with fabric. Pre-coating
is allowed between coats. In cool or humid and deformation of the underlying struc- wood or metal with nitrate dope promotes
weather, slow down application or wait ture. 9701 Tautening Butyrate Dope is adhesion and helps prevent pinholes in
for better weather. Applying multiple thick the recommended product for use on subsequent coatings. Rand-O-Proof is
coats in a hurry can cause splitting or organic fabric rather than 210 Tautening tinted transparent green for visibility upon
wrinkling of the dope film. Nitrate Dope. application. Nitrate dope is always applied
as a first coat to Ceconite; butyrate dope
Dry Time: 15 to 45 minutes, depending Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon of any form will not stick to polyester fabrics.
upon temperature and thinning. pails, and 55-gallon drums.
Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon
Shelf Life: 2 years unopened. Do not Coverage: One thinned gallon covers pails, and 55-gallon drums.
store in excessive heat. Dope should be approximately 200 square feet with one
clear, do not use if discolored to a brown coat. Coverage: One thinned gallon covers
or golden color. approximately 200 square feet with one
Thinning: Thin to spray viscosity with coat. See material estimates in the rear
9703 Butyrate Thinner, usually one to of this manual for the amount suggested
one. for specific aircraft.

Application: For best results, apply with Thinning: Thin to spray viscosity with
a spray gun. Allow each coat to dry before 286 Nitrate Thinner, usually one to one.
spraying another. Do not rush coats; dopes
work best when ample drying time is Application: For best results, brush on
allowed between coats. In cool or humid the first coat of thinned Rand-O-Proof.
weather, slow down application time or Spraying the first coat will result in poor
wait for better weather. Applying multiple penetration of the fabric weave and sub-
thick coats in a hurry can cause film sequent poor adhesion. Ceconite polyester
splitting or wrinkling. fabric will not absorb liquids; therefore, the
first coat must encapsulate both sides of
Dry Time: 15 to 45 minutes, depending the fabric for proper adhesion. The best
upon temperature and humidity. way to encapsulate is to brush the first
coat; when done properly, the mechanical
Shelf Life: Four years unopened. action of brushing wets both sides of the

June 2008 Revision – pg. 101

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
fabric with no runs on the inside surface. Use: E-4964 Non-tautening Nitrate Dope Use: W-8350 Clear Butyrate is the rec-
Avoid inside runs; they may show when is used exactly as G-6302 Rand-O-Proof ommended second product applied to
the aircraft is finished. Tapes are applied (see above). E-4964 is completely clear fabric in sequence over the nitrate dope
with Rand-O-Proof, thinned one to one. and is used on open-cockpit aircraft fuse- coats in the Ceconite/Randolph process.
Do not add any type fabric cement to lages or anyplace where tinted nitrate is Nitrate dope is used only for the initial coats
Rand-O-Proof when applying fabric tapes; not desired. Packaging, coverage, mixing, on Ceconite; butyrate is used for all others.
doing so will degrade long-term tape thinning, application, dry time, and shelf
Clear butyrate is used as a build coat to
adhesion. Once tapes are applied, two life are identical to Rand-O-Proof.
add thickness and body to the dope film
additional coats of thinned Rand-O-Proof while retaining flexibility. W-8350 Clear
are sprayed over the taped aircraft surfaces. 286 NITRATE THINNER Butyrate is tinted transparent tan to help
see the product as it is applied.
Dry Time: Fifteen to thirty minutes,
depending upon temperature and humidity. Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon
pails, and 55-gallon drums.
Shelf Life: Two years unopened.
Coverage: One thinned gallon will cover
200 square feet with one coat. See material
W-7868 NON-TAUTENING estimates section in the rear of this man-
NITRATE DOPE (BLUE) ual for an estimate for a specific aircraft.

Thinning: Thin to spray viscosity with

9703 Butyrate Thinner, usually one to one.

Application: For best results, apply with

Use: 286 Thinner is used to reduce G- a spray gun. Allow each coat to dry before
6302 Rand-O-Proof, W-7868 Non-taut- spraying another. Do not rush coats; dopes
ening Nitrate Dope (Blue), and E-4964 work best when ample drying time is
Non-tautening Nitrate (Clear). allowed between coats. As a rule of thumb,
two coats a day is a good spraying rate.
Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon
pails, and 55-gallon drums. In cold or humid weather, slow down
application time, use Y-9910 Blush Re-
Mixing: Usually mixed one to one with tarder, or wait for better weather. Applying
nitrate dopes for brushing or spray viscosity. multiple thick coats in a hurry can cause
film splitting or wrinkling. Wet-sand the
Shelf Life: Unlimited in closed containers. last coat with 320 wet or dry sandpaper.
Use: W-7868 Non-tautening Nitrate Dope
is used exactly as G-6302 Rand-O-Proof
Dry Time: 15 to 45 minutes, depending
(see above). The major difference is the
color. Packaging, coverage, mixing, thin-
NON-TAUTENING upon temperature and humidity.
ning, application, dry time and shelf life
BUTYRATE DOPES
are identical to Rand-O-Proof. FOR USE ON Shelf Life: Four years unopened.
CECONITE
E-4964 NON-TAUTENING W-8350 NON-TAUTENING
NITRATE DOPE (CLEAR) CLEAR BUTYRATE
(TRANSPARENT TAN)

June 2008 Revision – pg. 102

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
A-1690 NON-TAUTENING coat. See the material estimates section Shelf Life: Unlimited in unopened clean
BUTYRATE (CLEAR) in the rear of this manual for the amount containers.
suggested for specific aircraft.
FAA APPROVED
Mixing: Stir thoroughly with a paint pad-
dle before using; insure all the silver is
TOPCOAT PAINTS
bladed from the bottom of the can. Then
FOR CECONITE FABRIC
put the can on a double-action paint shaker
for at least five minutes to insure that all
COLORED NON-TAUTENING
the silver is in suspension.
BUTYRATE DOPE
Thinning: Thin to spray viscosity with
9703 Butyrate Thinner, usually one to one.

Application: Rand-O-Fill must be sprayed

Use: A-1690 Clear Non-tautening in even coats to insure proper UV pro-
Butyrate is used exactly like W-8350 tection for fabric. Four cross coats are
(Transparent Tan) Butyrate described usually sufficient (two coats sprayed per-
above. It is made with no tint at all for pendicular).
surfaces that will be seen from the inside,
like an open cockpit. Packaging, coverage, Do not rush coats, dopes work best when
mixing, thinning, application, dry time and ample drying time is allowed between
shelf life are exactly like W-8350. coats. As a rule of thumb, two cross coats
a day is a good spraying rate. In cool or
G-6303 RAND-O-FILL humid weather slow down the application Use: Non-tautening Colored Butyrate
(SILVER) time, use Y-9910 Universal Retarder, or Dope is the final color coat applied over
wait for better weather. Wet-sand as fabric in the Ceconite/Randolph system.
necessary between coats with 320-grit Randolph Colored Butyrate Dope is FAA
sand-paper. Insure all sanding residue is approved as topcoat paint used over
washed off to insure proper adhesion of Ceconite. The only other FAA approved
subsequent coats. choice for use on Ceconite fabric is our
Ranthane polyurethane; no other topcoat
Dry Time: 15 to 45 minutes, depending may be used under the Ceconite STC.
upon temperature and humidity. Both Colored Butyrate Dopeand Ranthane
are available in 50 standard colors which
Shelf Life: Four years unopened. represent the most popular classic colors
from the vintage years of aviation. These
colors are available in any quantity from
9703 BUTYRATE THINNER Randolph distributors; they are produced
on tinting machines to a standard formula
in each distributor’s facility. Colored Butyrate
Use: G-6303 Rand-O-Fill is the third Dopes produced on a tinting machine
product applied in sequence over fabric match the samples on the 2004 Randolph
in the Ceconite/Randolph system. It is a color card but may not be exact matches
pre-mixed silver butyrate dope that for colors made in batches in past years
primarily provides UV protection for fab- at the old Randolph facility. Additionally,
ric. Four cross coats (one cross coat is dopes age over time and thus change
two coats sprayed perpendicular) are color no matter how well protected the
aircraft is in storage. When repairing dope
usually sufficient to provide lasting UV
finishes, hold a 2004 Randolph color card
protection. Fewer coats will provide less
up to the existing finish to check for the
protection and will markedly shorten the best color match. Do not rely on color
service life of the fabric. names or numbers alone; the color card
is the only way to determine a match with
Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon paints produced today from tinting machines.
pails, and 55-gallon drums. Use: 9703 Butyrate Thinner is used to The Ceconite/Randolph system with
reduce all butyrate products, tautening or Colored Butyrate Dope topcoat has the
Coverage: One thinned gallon covers non-tautening, to spray viscosity. It is nor- advantage of ease of repair and the ability
approximately 200 square feet with one mally used 1:1 with butyrate dopes. to be rejuvenated to increase service life.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 103

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
Packaging: One-gallon and one-quart cans RANTHANE POLYURETHANE Pot Life: Six hours, depending upon
only. Since all colors are produced on temperature and humidity.
tinting machines, 5-gallon pails and 55-
gallon drums are not available. Thinning: Thin 33% with G-4200
Ranthane Thinner. As a rule of thumb,
Coverage: One thinned gallon covers this is about 3 parts catalyzed Ranthane
approximately 200 square feet with one to one part G-4200 Ranthane Thinner.
coat. NOTE:Yellow and red are translucent For best results, thin 33%, then spray a
colors; for best coverage and hide, use vertical surface test area with a moderate
white dope as a pre-coating. See estimates coat to insure that the film has no orange
for specific aircraft in the rear of this manual. peel and is not too runny.

Mixing: Thin to spray viscosity, usually Application:

one to one, with 9703 Butyrate Thinner.
WARNING: AS WITH ALL CATALYZED
Application: For best results, apply with Use: Ranthane is a high-solids, flexible POLYURETHANES, A FRESH-AIR
a spray gun. Three coats are usually suf- two-part polyurethane that is FAA approved SUPPLIED SPRAY MASK IS MANDA-
ficient for hide and color, although yellows for use on Ceconite fabric. Other polyure- TORY. CHARCOAL MASKS WILL NOT
and reds may require more. If you plan to thanes are not approved on the Ceconite PROTECT FROM POLYISOCYNATES
polish or sand the colored dope, apply at STC. Although extremely flexible, Ranthane IN THE SPRAY MIST!
least four coats. Wait at least one hour is also optimized for use on primed alu-
between coats; more is better. Never rush minum, steel, or composite surfaces. Ranthane may be applied directly over
application; as a rule of thumb, two coats Ranthane is offered in 50 colors as pre- fabric surfaces when the Rand-0-Fill silver
of dope a day is about right. Avoid spray- sented on Randolph Color Card 2004. butyrate has dried at least 36 hours.
ing in cold or humid weather. If necessary, Ranthane has three separately packaged More drying time is better. Epoxy primer
wet-sand between coats with 400-grit components that are mixed before appli- should dry for one week over metal or
sandpaper. Insure all sanding residue is cation. All three components are required composite surfaces before applying
cleaned before additional coats are sprayed. and cannot be substituted: Ranthane Ranthane. Applying Ranthane directly
To increase glossiness, use Y-9910 polyurethane paint, AU-2X1 Catalyst, over fresh sub-coats may result in bubbles
Universal Retarder. Mix one part Y-9910 and G-4200 Ranthane Thinner. in the Ranthane from trapped sub-coat
Retarder with four parts 9703 Butyrate solvents.
Thinner, then thin the colored butyrate Packaging: Gallons and quarts.
one to one with this mixture. Wait at least Before committing to spraying a whole
Required components are as follows:
24 hours before applying masking tape component, spray a vertical test area. If
for trim colors; more is better. Dope can orange peel results, add more G-4200
Gallon Components:
be polished out to a brilliant gloss with a Ranthane Thinner; if the test area results
• One gallon Ranthane polyurethane paint
variable speed automotive polisher equipped in runs, spray less. Spray a light coat;
• Two quarts AU-2X1 Catalyst
with a foam pad. Use polishing compound allow this coat to dry for 10 minutes or
• One gallon G-4200 Ranthane Thinner.
and follow with a quality carnauba based until tacky. Follow with a full coat, wet
These components will yield over two
automotive paste wax. enough for coverage and color, but not
gallons of sprayable Ranthane.
heavy enough to run. Wait 45 minutes
Dry Time: 20 to 45 minutes, depending between coats. Two coats should be suf-
Quart Components:
upon temperature and humidity. Y-9910 • One quart Ranthane polyurethane paint ficient for color and hide. If you wait
Universal Retarder will double normal • One pint AU-2X1 Catalyst more than seven days between coats,
drying times. • One quart G-4200 Ranthane Thinner. lightly scuff the surface with an ultra-fine
These components will yield over two Scotch-Brite pad.
Shelf Life: Four years unopened. Insure quarts of sprayable Ranthane.
that all residue is scraped off the bottom Dry Time: 30 to 45 minutes, depending
of cans in long storage, shake with a Coverage: One gallon of mixed compo- upon temperature and humidity. Wait at
double-action paint sprayer. nents (two gallons sprayable) will yield least 24 hours before turning components
300 square feet with one coat. See spe- on sawhorses to avoid damaging the
cific aircraft amounts in the rear of this fresh paint. To speed up drying, use 1
manual. ounce of D-7201 Accelerator per quart
of catalyzed Ranthane.
Mixing: Mix two parts Ranthane with
one part AU-2X1 and stir. Allow to sit for Shelf Life: Four years unopened. Insure
20 minutes induction time before use. contents are fully mixed before use.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 104

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
AU-CAT-2X1 D-7201 RANTHANE isocyanate, thus normal safety equipment
RANTHANE CATALYST ACCELERATOR (a charcoal filtered spray mask) is suffi-
cient. You do not have to use a supplied
air respirator when spraying Mark II.

Packaging: Mark II comes in two-part

kits: part one is a can of the colored
paint; part two is a separate can with an
equal volume of Mixing Liquid. Mixing
Liquid contains the catalyst and thinner.
Kits are packaged in quarts and gallons.
A gallon kit consists of one gallon of
paint and one gallon of Mixing Liquid. A
quart kit consits of one quart of paint and
one quart of Mixing Liquid.
This product accelerates the drying time
of Ranthane. Used to speed drying in Coverage: One mixed gallon kit (one
Use: AU-CAT-2X1 is the only catalyst gallon paint, one gallon Mixing Liquid)
cooler spraying temperatures (60s), or to
approved for Ranthane. Other products accelerate drying time when airborne dirt yields two gallons of sprayable paint.
cannot be substituted. See mixing instruc- contamination is a problem. These two gallons will cover approxi-
tions in the Ranthane section above. mately 400 square feet with one coat.
PACKAGING: Quarts.
Mixing: Combine one part of paint with
Packaging: Pints and quarts only. SHELF LIFE: Four years unopened. one volume Mixing Liquid. Let stand for
20 minutes to allow the catalyst to work.
Shelf Life: Two years unopened. Do not MIXING: Add AU-CAT-2X1 Catalyst to
use if the catalyst becomes milky or stringy. Ranthane before adding D-7201 Accel- Thinning: For most conditions, try using
Catalyst reacts with humidity; once opened, erator. Use up to 4 fl oz per catalyzed it directly out of the can with no thinning.
gallon (one fl oz per catalyzed quart). If orange peel results, thin 5 parts mixed
it may react in contact with any moisture. Finally, add G-4200 Thinner as instruct- paint to one part Mark II Thinner.
ed above.
Application: Spray two or three coats
G-4200 THINNER one hour apart. Two coats may be suffi-
FOR RANTHANE MARK II for METAL cient. Allow overnight drying before mov-
(NOT FOR USE ing parts. Mark II takes longer to dry
ON FABRIC) than one-part paints. It may be slightly
tacky for 24 hours.

Shelf Life: Four years in unopened

storage.

Mark II Mixing Liquid

Use: G-4200 Thinner is a special blend

of solvents specifically formulated for use
with Ranthane polyurethane paint. Other Use: Mark II for Metal is available in the
products cannot be substituted. See mix- same 50 colors as Colored Butyrate
ing instructions in the Ranthane section Dope. Mark II is used over primed metal
above. or composite parts and is too brittle to be
used over fabric.
Packaging: Quarts and gallons. Mark II is a tough, long-lasting topcoat Use: Mixing Liquid is a combination of
paint. Although Mark II is a two-part cat- catalyst and thinner to be used only with
Shelf Life: Unlimited in closed containers. alyzed paint, it is not catalyzed with an Mark II for Metal paint.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 105

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
Packaging: Usually sold as a kit with increasing amounts can result in semi- extra catalyst. In this case, each quart of
Mark II for Metal paint. Packaged in gloss or full military flat, depending upon semi-gloss flattened Ranthane will need
gallons and quarts. the percentage added. Flattening is an an extra pint of catalyst; each gallon will
inexact science; it is always best to spray need an extra quart. This is more than
See directions for mixing, thinning and a sample then let it dry to insure you are required, but will allow you to use all the
application above. achieving the flatness desired. flattened paint.
Shelf Life: Two years in unopened Packaging: Quarts and pints. To flatten Ranthane to full flat: Mix
storage.
two parts paint with one part Flattener
Shelf Life: Four years unopened. (16 fluid ounces of Flattener per quart of
Mark II Thinner paint). Then catalyze this flattened mix-
Mixing: Flattener must be stirred and ture normally (2 parts flattened paint to
shaken regularly to insure that all the silica one part catalyst).Then thin the catalyzed,
is in suspension. flattened paint normally (3 parts catalyzed
paint to one part G-4200 Thinner).
Application: First – get bigger containers
for mixing. Since Flattener always increases NOTE:YOU WILL NEED EXTRA CATA-
the volume of the paint, if you plan on LYST. Since the flattened paint yields more
flattening a whole quart or gallon at one sprayable product, you will need some
time, you will need empty cans or containers extra catalyst. In this case, each quart of
big enough to hold the flattened product. full-flat Ranthane will need an extra pint
For example, if you are going to flatten a of catalyst, and each gallon of full-flat
quart of Ranthane, you will need an empty Ranthane will need an extra quart and a
gallon can with a lid if you plan to store it pint. This is more than required, but will
after flattening. allow you to use all the flattened paint
with a little extra.
Use: Used to thin Mark II for Metal Second: Always do a test spray to insure
paint after it has been combined with
you are getting the level of flatness you
Mark II Mixing Liquid.
desire. Flatten a small amount, spray and
FAST-DRY
Application: Thinning is generally let it dry. Do this before you commit to ENGINE ENAMELS
unnecessary when Mark II is sprayed. painting your airplane. Adjust the amount
However, if orange peel results, you may of Flattener if necessary; again, flattening
use Mark II Thinner to increase flow out. is not an exact science. Test first!

Mixing: Combine one part Mark II Thin- To flatten Butyrate Dope or Mark II
ner with five parts mixed Mark II paint. to semi-gloss: Mix four parts paint
with one part Flattener (eight fluid
Shelf Life: Four years in unopened ounces of Flattener per quart of paint).
storage. Thin normally.

To flatten Butyrate Dope or Mark II

FLATTENER to full flat: Mix two parts paint with
Use: Flattener is a liquid product with sili- one part Flattener (sixteen fluid ounces
ca flattener added. It is used to reduce of Flattener per quart of paint). Thin nor- Use: Engine Enamels are formulated
the gloss of Butyrate Dope, Mark II, mally. to use on engine crankcases and cylin-
and Ranthane. Adding Flattener in ders, usually after an engine overhaul
To flatten Ranthane to semi-gloss: Mix or for general maintenance.They are heat
four parts paint with one part Flattener. resistant and provide good gloss and
(eight fluid ounces Flattener per quart of color retention.
paint). Then catalyze this flattened mix-
ture normally (2 parts flattened paint to Packaging: Quarts and gallons.
one part catalyst).Then thin the catalyzed,
flattened paint normally (3 parts catalyzed Coverage: One thinned gallon covers
paint to one part G-4200 Thinner). approximately 200 square feet with one coat.

NOTE: YOU’LL NEED EXTRA CATA- Shelf Life: Guaranteed four years
LYST. Since the flattened paint yields more unopened. Avoid long-range storage
sprayable product, you will need some above 100° F. Protect from freezing.

June 2008 Revision – pg. 106

 Appendix H: Product Profiles
Mixing: Stir thoroughly with a paint pad- 257 ENAMEL THINNER Mixing: Stir thoroughly with a paint paddle
dle, and then shake on a double-action before brushing. Insure that all the grit is
shaker for five minutes. in suspension and well mixed before
application.
Thinning: Mix five parts Engine Enam-
el to one part 257 Enamel Thinner. Thinning: Use directly out of the can. If
the compound is too thick for the intended
Application: Apply to absolutely clean use, it may be thinned 5 parts of compound
to 1 part toluene.
engine parts with a spray gun. Engine
Enamel is a slow-drying paint that can
Application: May be applied over a variety
remain tacky for long periods in high
of surfaces – epoxy-primed metal, wood,
humidity. For best results, add 2 ounces
fabric on wood, or composites. Insure
of E-9313 Enamel Hardener/Gloss
Use: Enamel Thinner is a special formula- that the surface is clean and free from
Additive per thinned quart of Engine contaminates before application. If applying
tion for Engine Enamel only. Mix one part
Enamel. Spray two to three coats twenty over old wing walk areas, remove loose
thinner with five parts Engine Enamel for
minutes to an hour apart. spray viscosity. If orange peel occurs, add or flaking old wing walk compound. Apply
more thinner. with a brush, mixing compound often to
CAUTION: All coats should be sprayed insure that the grit is suspended uniformly.
on the same day, and then set aside to dry. Packaging: Quarts and gallons. Apply multiple coats until the desired non-
Delays of more than a few hours between skid surface is achieved. Apply all coats
coats can result in wrinkling. Shelf Life: Four years unopened. in one day, or wrinkling may occur.

E-9313 ENAMEL Caution: Wing Walk will dry overnight,

HARDENER/GLOSS ADDITIVE WING WALK but will remain slightly tacky for days after
COMPOUND application. It can be walked on with care
after 24 hours, but for the first week after
application, take care not to unnecessarily
stress the new coating. In a few weeks, it
will become a long-lasting non-skid coating
that will provide excellent adhesion and
long service life.

345 ACID-PROOF
BATTERY BOX
BLACK PAINT
Use: E-9313 is a special drier additive
that modifies Engine Enamel into a stronger Use: Wing Walk Compound comes in
film that dries faster and creates an even, two colors: black and gray. Wing Walk is
glossier surface. Adding 2 fluid ounces a brush-on coating for wing walks or
per thinned quart improves the gloss and any areas where a gritty, non-skid walk-
removes the tendency for Engine Enamel way is desired. It is formulated to remain
to remain slightly tacky for long periods. relatively soft throughout its service life to
Do not add more than 2 fluid ounces; promote adhesion and prevent chipping.
more than this amount can cause the
Engine Enamel to curdle.
Packaging: Gallons and quarts.
Packaging: One-pint containers.
Shelf Life: Guaranteed two years from date
Shelf Life: Two years unopened. of manufacture in sealed container in Use: Battery Box Black Paint is an
protected storage. Avoid long-range stor- asphaltic coating used to provide pro-
age above 100° F. Protect from freezing. tection from battery acid in battery
boxes and compartments. It is general-
Coverage: One unthinned gallon covers ly applied with a brush or roller to any
approximately 150 square feet with one coat. metal area that may be exposed to leak-
ing battery acid.

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 Appendix H: Product Profiles
Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon FLOAT LACQUER C-2210 PAINT
pails, and 55-gallon drums.
SURFACE CLEANER
Shelf Life: Guaranteed two years from date
of manufacture in sealed container in
protected storage.

Coverage: 225 square feet per gallon

with one coat.

Mixing: Stir well before use.

Thinning: Use out of the can. If thinning

is necessary, thin five parts paint to one
part 286 Nitrate Thinner. Use: Float Lacquer is a time-honored sil-
ver coating for aircraft floats. Although it
Application: Apply with a brush. Three can be applied by brush, it is more suit- Use: A mild solvent cleaner used to clean
coats will provide the best possible pro- able for spraying. Float Lacquer is a surfaces before spray painting.
tection to epoxy primed metal surfaces. classic, low-tech way of coating floats.
Although its service life is far less than Packaging: One-quart and one-gallon cans.
today’s polyurethanes, its ease of applica-
701 ALUMINUM PASTE tion and repair make it a useful product. Shelf Life: Unlimited in unopened cans.
Apply over epoxy-primed metal or over
old float lacquer. Application: Caution! Insure parts are
well grounded, particularly in the presence
Packaging: Quarts, gallons, 5-gallon pails, of high static electricity. If the weather is
55-gallon drums. such that you are getting shocked on
doorknobs, ground the part with a proper
Shelf Life: One year in unopened containers. grounding cord; aggressive rubbing can
cause enough static electricity to ignite fumes.
Coverage: 225 square feet per gallon. Use sparingly on a barely damp clean rag
or paper towel. Do not soak the rag; insure
Mixing: Stir thoroughly before use. Insure it is only slightly damp. Wipe gently
all the silver is in suspension. over surfaces that are about to be paint-
Use: Aluminum Paste is added to clear
ed or between coats if you suspect
butyrate dope to make a UV-protective Thinning: Thin one to one with 286 contamination on the surface. If a wet
dope coating. Nitrate Thinner. film results, you are using too much. Fol-
low with a dry clean rag or paper towel.
Packaging: One-pound can. Application – Stripped or Bare Aluminum: Wait at least two hours for all solvents to
Use Phosphoric Acid Etch and conver- evaporate; again, use only sparingly as a
Shelf Life: Guaranteed two years from date sion coating. Prime with Epoxy Primer. cleaner. If you put it on wet and immedi-
of manufacture in sealed container in When dr y, scuff with an ultra-fine ately spray, the wet C-2210 can harm
protected storage. Scotch-Brite pad. Clean well, then spray the film.
three coats of 1:1 thinned Float Lacquer.
Application: Mix four ounces by weight
to one gallon of butyrate dope. Mix Application – Old Float Lacquer: Clean
thoroughly. well, scuff with an ultra-fine Scotch-Brite
pad, and spray Float Lacquer as
required for cosmetics. Can be brushed,
although spraying results in a better
coating.

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 Appendix H: Product Profiles
Y-9910 UNIVERSAL J-3000 BUTYSOLV with Rand-O-Fill Silver Butyrate using
a small brush. If necessary, spray two
RETARDER REJUVENATOR coats of Rand-O-Fill to give a good
sanding and filling base. Sand as
required and repaint with Colored
Butyrate Dope.

Dry Time: Although J-3000 Butysolv will

dry overnight, it is best to wait at least
three days before repainting to insure
the powerful solvents in J-3000 do not
damage the new paint.

Shelf Life: Two years unopened.

Use: Y-9910 is a mixture of slow-evapo-

Use: Rejuvenator adds fresh plasticizers
rating solvents that may be used with
to old, brittle dope coatings. It restores
either Butyrate or Nitrate Dope. It has
flexibility and suppleness in dope finishes
two major purposes: To help prevent
that are cracking, ringworming, or losing
blush when spraying any dope product
adhesion. It softens and slightly flows old
in humid conditions and to slow down
coatings to allow hairline cracks to close
drying to enhance dope leveling and
and fill. It does not restore color or gloss
gloss in final color coats.
to faded Colored Dope, nor does it fill
big cracks or voids.
Packaging: Quarts, Gallons, 5-Gallon
NOTE: Rejuvenator only works if Colored
Pails, 55-Gallon Drums.
Butyrate Dope is used as the topcoat;
it will not penetrate polyurethane paint of
Mixing:
any type.
Nitrate Dope: Add one part Y-9910
Retarder to three parts 286 Nitrate
Packaging: Quarts, Gallons, 5-Gallon
Thinner.
Pails, 55-Gallon Drums.
Butyrate Dope: Add one part Y-9910
Retarder to three parts 9703 Butyrate
Mixing: Mix two parts J-3000 Buty-
Thinner.
solv Rejuvenator to three parts 9703
Butyrate Thinner.
Thinning: Use the mixed thinners recom-
mended above to thin the appropriate
Application: Disassemble the aircraft, if
product one-to-one.
possible. It’s much easier to spray parts
on sawhorses than upside down under MANUFACTURING DATE CODES
Application: The manufacturing dates of all
the wings. Wash the fabric thoroughly as
To prevent blush: Spray a small test area liquid products are indicated on the
you would your car to remove dirt, grease
of thinned dope; let it dry and examine labels. The first two digits are the
and grime. Wet-sand the surface with
the dried dope. Blushed dope will exhibit year, the third and fourth digits the
280-grit sandpaper; flush all residue; dry
a slightly milky appearance. If there is no month, and the last three digits the
with clean rags. Mix two parts J-3000
evidence of blush, continue. If blush occurs, production batch number for that
Butysolv Rejuvenator to three parts
stop spraying and wait for less humidity. month.
9703 Butyrate Thinner. Spray one full,
Blushed dope will eventually fail or peel.
wet cross-coat (two passes of the gun at
To increase glossiness in final Butyrate PRODUCT WARRANTY
right angles). Wait 30 minutes until the
Dope color coats: Mix and thin as above; and LIABILITY
coatings become soft, then you may be
spray the final one or two coats. This Warranty limited to the replacement
able to use your fingers to smooth out
dope will dry more slowly which should of materials only. Since we have no
hairline cracks and small ringworms. (Be
increase gloss. control over the application of our
sure to protect your hands.) Wait two
hours and spray on another cross-coat products, we disclaim any guar-
Shelf Life: Two years unopened. antee of performance.
of thinned Rejuvenator. Let dry at least
overnight. Fill any remaining small cracks

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 Notes

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 Notes

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 Copyright © 2008
Consolidated Aircraft Coatings
Ceconite Division
P.O. Box 3129
Riverside, CA 92519-3129
951-684-4280
Fax 951-684-0518
Toll Free 800-362-3490
ceconite.com
randolphaircraft.com