LiteFilm

Model Airplane News, May 2002 by Yarrish, Gerry

NELSON HOBBY SPECIALTIES

Lightweight and wrinkle-free

This extremely light (0.6 oz./sq. yard) covering material is ideally suited for RC hand-launch gliders, indoor and backyard flyers. Manufactured in the UK, Nelson LiteFilm is a very easy to apply, iron-- on material that's available in seven standard and four transparent colors. To apply LiteFilm properly, you must use the proper temperature. For initial tacking and bonding the film to the airframe, 175 to 195 degrees F should be used; if applying over a sheeted surface, use 175 degrees. To shrink the material and for stretching around curved areas, use 230 to 250 degrees. As with all iron-on coverings, your model should be sanded smooth and cleaned off with a tack rag. This is particularly important for the transparent colors, as you can see all the structures clearly. Don't use an excessively high temperature while applying the film; it won't tighten the film more but will cause it to wrinkle and slacken later.

I covered an indoor model with LiteFilm and began by cutting the material slightly larger than the surface I was covering. I removed the backing and placed the film over the first wing bottom. I tacked it into place at the root corners and then at the wingtip corners. I then tacked it to the main spar, and I sealed the leading and trailing edges while pulling the wrinkles out as I went. I did this for the other wing surfaces, and after both panels were covered top and bottom, I used the iron to shrink the material tight All the minor wrinkles disappeared, and the wing looked great. More important, the film shrunk perfectly without warping or twisting the lightly built wing out of shape. In a couple of places where the film had stuck to the main spar, I used a piece of tape to "pop" the film off the underlying structure. When I applied heat to the dimpled area, it quickly shrunk tight.

Priced at $10.95 per roll (27 3/8 inches wide x 78 inches long), Nelson LiteFilm is an excellent covering material that's very easy to work with. LiteFilm is available in solid white, black, silver, cream, yellow, and red and transparent yellow, red, blue and green. If you build light and fragile models, give this material a try; you will really love the results. -Gerry Yarrish

Nelson Hobby Specialties, 2900 Cornelius Pass Rd. #762, Hillsboro, OR 97123; (503) 259-8899.