Home Page
How To Cover Your Model With Tissue #2 - by Jack Sugameli
Updated 03-Oct-2010
Back to Covering your Old Timer Airplane
13.  As you reach the wing tip you may find a few wrinkles showing up which cannot be stretched smooth. If this happens, attach the tissue to the second rib from the tip and cut it there. Cover the wing tip separately as shown. On some wing tips you may have to cut the tissue again at the first rib, using two pieces of tissue to cover the tip. It really depends on how much it is curved. Most of the time, one piece of tissue is enough. 14.   When you've covered the top side of the wing, turn it over and trim the tissue about 1/4" away from the framework. Now cut slits around the wingtip curve as shown and overlap the tissue along the whole edge of the wing. Brush the dope onto the wood rather than the tissue. 15.  Now run the razor blade lightly (just enough to cut the tissue) inside the whole wing edges as you see it in the picture. All you do now is lift off the extra tissue and you should have a nice clean trim. If the extra tissue won't pull off, brush on a little dope to loosen it.
16.  Cover the bottom of the wing as you would any flat surface--stretch the tissue smooth--a few inches at a time and don't stick it to the ribs. Run the razor blade along the edge, trimming it neatly. Do not cover the wing center bottom. This should be left open because it's going to be glued. 17.  The stabilizer and rudder are usually flat and can be covered with one piece of tissue for each side. When the dope dries, trim the edge about 1/8" away from the framework and slit it as you did the wing tip, around the curve. Dope and overlap the edges as you did the wing. If the tissue overlap does not want to stay down, you can coax it by moistening your finger with saliva and running it along the edges. Now cover the other side and trim. 18.  All of the covewred parts of your airplane should be glued together carefully, checking with the plans. When it's all assembled, spray the model lightly with water to shrink the tissue. Use a mouth spray, hand spray or atomizer is best. Wet the tissue but don't get it too wet---handle the model very carefully so you won't make holes in it. Let the water dry off.
 
19.  The tissue covering shrinks as it dries until the whole surface gets a stretched smooth look. Now it's ready for it's protective coating of dope. Brush on one coat of clear dope and let dry-- add one or two more coats later. This will give the tissue a finished look and will make it easier to handle. Smaller models have a weaker framework which will warp if the dope is too thick or too strong. Be sure the dope you use is O.K. for the job. 20.  After your airplane has it's finished tissue work, glue on the finished nose cowl or nose block. You should paint all wood parts, like struts, landing gear and such with colored dope to match or compliment the color of the tissue you used. Add the finishing touches---main wheels, tail wheel or skid, propeller and license numbers and the like. Many thanks to Jack Sugameli and Don Garofalow of Supercraft Models for the scan of the original Comet hand out that has resulted in these two pages. Please visit their aite at http://www.supercraftmodels.com/ for Plans, kits and model accessories, motors auctions etc. all for the Old Time Modeler.
Top of this page