Double covering fabric covered wings

I just found out about a method being used by some experimenters to
cover their wings that is intriguing. They are literally covering the
wings twice with fabric.

The technique involves covering the wing initially with a heavy grade
fabric, taughten it with the iron as specified, apply the rib tape and
then stitch the ribs as normal. Up to this point, everything is
absolutely by the book.

But then, they apply a lightweight second layer of fabric on top of
the original covering using polytack. The second layer becomes a
defacto enormous tape. What I mean is normally, the next step after
stitching is to cover the stitches and leading edges with pinked
tapes. In effect this method is doing that, it's just that the tape
is the width of the entire wing.

This second layer is then ironed with the iron at it's lowest
calibrated setting.

I got to inspect two wings side by side, one with the finished double
covering and the other one with just the single fabric (prior to it
getting the second layer). The difference between the two wings was
incredible. The double layered wing seemed like it was covered with
sheet aluminum compared to the single layered wing. Snap your finger
on the double layered wing and you heard a reasonant "PING". Do the
same to the single layered wing and you hear a dull "thud".

The guy doing the covering said that he understood that this method
for wing covering was a certified process for the Beech Staggerwing.
He's seen several airplanes with the two layers at airshows and they
really impressed him.

Why would anyone want to do this? Well it makes a very stiff fabric,
no bulging up between the ribs. It also eliminates the pinked tapes
applied on top of the stitches and elswhere because the second layer
constitutes those tapes. There is much less sanding required because
you don't have to spray and sand around each of the pinked tapes.
Basically you just spray the proper silver and primer, scuff slightly
and you're ready for the color coat.

Has anyone else heard of this method?

Corky Scott

wrote:

I just found out about a method being used by some experimenters to
cover their wings that is intriguing. They are literally covering the
wings twice with fabric.

The technique involves covering the wing initially with a heavy grade
fabric, taughten it with the iron as specified, apply the rib tape and
then stitch the ribs as normal. Up to this point, everything is
absolutely by the book.

But then, they apply a lightweight second layer of fabric on top of
the original covering using polytack. The second layer becomes a
defacto enormous tape. What I mean is normally, the next step after
stitching is to cover the stitches and leading edges with pinked
tapes. In effect this method is doing that, it's just that the tape
is the width of the entire wing.

This second layer is then ironed with the iron at it's lowest
calibrated setting.

I got to inspect two wings side by side, one with the finished double
covering and the other one with just the single fabric (prior to it
getting the second layer). The difference between the two wings was
incredible. The double layered wing seemed like it was covered with
sheet aluminum compared to the single layered wing. Snap your finger
on the double layered wing and you heard a reasonant "PING". Do the
same to the single layered wing and you hear a dull "thud".

The guy doing the covering said that he understood that this method
for wing covering was a certified process for the Beech Staggerwing.
He's seen several airplanes with the two layers at airshows and they
really impressed him.

Why would anyone want to do this? Well it makes a very stiff fabric,
no bulging up between the ribs. It also eliminates the pinked tapes
applied on top of the stitches and elswhere because the second layer
constitutes those tapes. There is much less sanding required because
you don't have to spray and sand around each of the pinked tapes.
Basically you just spray the proper silver and primer, scuff slightly
and you're ready for the color coat.

Has anyone else heard of this method?

Corky Scott

I saw a Tri Pacer at Kerrville (SWRFI) a few years ago that had been\
double covered. The "look" of the wings is what caught my eye, and I
asked the owner about how it got to be that way.
He used 3.2 oz first, then a layer of 1.7.

You are absolutely right about how fine it looked.

However, except for the show plane finish, I'd be a little skeptical
about the extra weight (filling two layers of fabric!) as well as
strength of the final fabric cover (if the first layer were not finished
out normally).

The first layer of fabric should be properly filled with Poly Brush
(3 coats) before the outter skin goes on. Otherwise, I'd wonder about
how strong that outter layer of thinner fabric would be...

Another concern is about using Poly Tack to attach fabric to fabric.

The Poly Fiber manual specifically recommends NOT to do this because
Poly Tack, when dry, it too hard to stand up to the flexing of the
fabric.

That would mean using Poly Brush to attach the second layer - and how
now do we shrink the second layer???


Richard Lamb

On Thu, 06 May 2004 15:04:54 GMT, Richard Lamb
wrote:

The Poly Fiber manual specifically recommends NOT to do this because
Poly Tack, when dry, it too hard to stand up to the flexing of the
fabric.

That would mean using Poly Brush to attach the second layer - and how
now do we shrink the second layer???


Richard Lamb

I dunno. The second layer of fabric might be applied with polybrush
and not polytac. I'm not familiar enough with the process to state
accurately. I'll find out.

As to shrinking the second layer, that's done with the iron calibrated
for 250 degrees. I've seen the results and even without any anything
applied to the fabric to seal it yet, it looks very nice.

Corky Scott

wrote:

On Thu, 06 May 2004 15:04:54 GMT, Richard Lamb
wrote:

The Poly Fiber manual specifically recommends NOT to do this because
Poly Tack, when dry, it too hard to stand up to the flexing of the
fabric.

That would mean using Poly Brush to attach the second layer - and how
now do we shrink the second layer???


Richard Lamb

I dunno. The second layer of fabric might be applied with polybrush
and not polytac. I'm not familiar enough with the process to state
accurately. I'll find out.

As to shrinking the second layer, that's done with the iron calibrated
for 250 degrees. I've seen the results and even without any anything
applied to the fabric to seal it yet, it looks very nice.

Corky Scott

250 degrees is only the _starting_ point.

Last pass is at 350 degrees!

If the first layer has been coated with Poly Brush, the heat from the
iron will quickly soften the coating. PB starts melting at 200 degrees.

By the time the iron is up to full temp, it would be hard not to melt
into the previous PB layer - possibly causing fabric pulls and gouges.

Maybe the outter thin fabric doesn't have to be tightened that much?

As long as the first layer is strong enough, the second might only need
to be snug enough to pull out the wrinkles. Call it non-structural?
Second pass at 250 on light fabric _might_ do it?

Bottom line, Corky, I don't really know much, I've never tried it.
It seems like there may be some potential pitfalls in the doing part,
but it sure did look pretty on that Pacer.


Richard Lamb

On Thu, 06 May 2004 19:57:24 GMT, Richard Lamb
wrote:

250 degrees is only the _starting_ point.

Last pass is at 350 degrees!

If the first layer has been coated with Poly Brush, the heat from the
iron will quickly soften the coating. PB starts melting at 200 degrees.

By the time the iron is up to full temp, it would be hard not to melt
into the previous PB layer - possibly causing fabric pulls and gouges.

Maybe the outter thin fabric doesn't have to be tightened that much?

As long as the first layer is strong enough, the second might only need
to be snug enough to pull out the wrinkles. Call it non-structural?
Second pass at 250 on light fabric _might_ do it?

Bottom line, Corky, I don't really know much, I've never tried it.
It seems like there may be some potential pitfalls in the doing part,
but it sure did look pretty on that Pacer.

Right, 350 is the final pass for the first layer. But the way this
was explained to me, you definately do not want to go to 350 on this
outer layer.

I don't know whether you iron the pinked tapes or not, but if you do,
do you go to the full 350 degrees? I thought not but I haven't
actually covered a wing myself, I've just helped out here and there.

Corky Scott

wrote:

On Thu, 06 May 2004 19:57:24 GMT, Richard Lamb
wrote:

250 degrees is only the _starting_ point.

Last pass is at 350 degrees!

If the first layer has been coated with Poly Brush, the heat from the
iron will quickly soften the coating. PB starts melting at 200 degrees.

By the time the iron is up to full temp, it would be hard not to melt
into the previous PB layer - possibly causing fabric pulls and gouges.

Maybe the outter thin fabric doesn't have to be tightened that much?

As long as the first layer is strong enough, the second might only need
to be snug enough to pull out the wrinkles. Call it non-structural?
Second pass at 250 on light fabric _might_ do it?

Bottom line, Corky, I don't really know much, I've never tried it.
It seems like there may be some potential pitfalls in the doing part,
but it sure did look pretty on that Pacer.

Right, 350 is the final pass for the first layer. But the way this
was explained to me, you definately do not want to go to 350 on this
outer layer.

I don't know whether you iron the pinked tapes or not, but if you do,
do you go to the full 350 degrees? I thought not but I haven't
actually covered a wing myself, I've just helped out here and there.

Corky Scott


I pre-shrunk my tapes at 225 - 250.
Otherwise, the warm Texas sun could shrink them - after the fact...
and it would probably show after a while - big time.

Once in place (with PB), I did iron the _edges_ of the tapes to get
them down super flat. But it was generally a short quick swipe at 250.

If the tapes have not been pre-shrunk, they will shrink some at 250 -
usually unevenly - depending on how hot it gets where. Makes for
wiggly tape lines - not considered a Good Thing(tm).

If that happens, you _may_ be able to straighten the edges out by
adding 25 degrees (at a time) and ironing only the unshrunk areas.

Another tip is that slick backing paper from self adhesive sanding
disks, and such. With the slick glossy side down, I found I could
work a small model iron at 250+ and not make gouges - IF - I let the
surface cool down before trying to remove the paper.


Since my wing design doesn't allow rib stitching (foam ribs) I taped
every rib with 2" medium weight pinked tape (false ribe too).

Besides local reinforcement over the rib contact areas, they also should
act as a rip stop for puncture/rip type skin failures.

It's a little extra weight, but it makes me feel much mo betta.

Richard Lamb


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