Advice needed covering fuselage

wdoubleday · Jan 28, 2018

I’m now ready to cover my Javron fuselage with the Stewarts system. I plan on covering the bottom first, using the bottom longerons to attach the fabric. My question is how best to cover sides and top. Instead of using aluminum strings along the top of the rear deck, I welded on 5/8 inch tubing which ties into the wing root channeling and the top skylight channeling structure to define the top shape of the fuselage back to the vertical stabilizer. I was planning on using the central top tube to attach the fabric for one side and the bottom fuselage fabric to overlap the bottom fabric using the 1 inch rule for fabric overlap. If I do this, the overlap on the top for the second fabric side also needs to overlap by 1 inch, and will need to use a 3 inch tape to ocver the top ridge overlap.

Is this the best way to go or am I missing something?

Appreciate your help in advance

Wendel

cubpilot2 · Jan 28, 2018

Sounds good to me.
Piper basically did that for years on most of their products.
Covering the bottom first protects your longerons from moisture and dirt buildup, and the overlaps are hidden underneath.

You can use the Stewarts system on a certified cub and attach it the same way even with the stringers. Polyfiber and Ceconite has added restrictions against stringers. ( this is an often discussed point of contention with many due to the wording in their manual)

bob turner · Jan 28, 2018

But you are experimental, and can do it the easy way. You can glue to the stringers, and you can glue a mid-span splice so your fin can be a separate piece. Wastes less fabric. Bottom, sides, fin, and finally two pieces on the turtleback. 4" tape on the splice between fin and sides/tops, and a little extra Ekofill on the pinked edges and you will never see it!

Steve's Aircraft (Brian) · Jan 28, 2018

With a solid center stringer you can easily glue to that and use two separate sheets... sounds like you already have that set up and would be an easy way to attach your fabric..

I have been cutting out the sheets and doing a sewn seam down the center stringer and glueing to the vertical fin and lower longerons...

Here is a pic of the sheets before sewing...

Laying out to glue...

Keeping the seam down the center..

Glueing to the lower longerons....

Glue to the vertical...

After stretching...

These pics are from a Cub project I did in 2011... have done 2 others the same and a Pacer with a similar piece but glued to the top longerons... makes for a nice transition up the vertical stab...

Brian

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

wdoubleday · Jan 28, 2018

bob turner said:
But you are experimental, and can do it the easy way. You can glue to the stringers, and you can glue a mid-span splice so your fin can be a separate piece. Wastes less fabric. Bottom, sides, fin, and finally two pieces on the turtleback. 4" tape on the splice between fin and sides/tops, and a little extra Ekofill on the pinked edges and you will never see it!

Thanks Bob. Like this idea for not wasting fabric.

wdoubleday · Jan 28, 2018

Appreciate the pictures. This really helps

robertc · Jan 28, 2018

wdoubleday said:
I’m now ready to cover my Javron fuselage with the Stewarts system. I plan on covering the bottom first, using the bottom longerons to attach the fabric. My question is how best to cover sides and top. Instead of using aluminum strings along the top of the rear deck, I welded on 5/8 inch tubing which ties into the wing root channeling and the top skylight channeling structure to define the top shape of the fuselage back to the vertical stabilizer. I was planning on using the central top tube to attach the fabric for one side and the bottom fuselage fabric to overlap the bottom fabric using the 1 inch rule for fabric overlap. If I do this, the overlap on the top for the second fabric side also needs to overlap by 1 inch, and will need to use a 3 inch tape to ocver the top ridge overlap.

Is this the best way to go or am I missing something?

Appreciate your help in advance

Wendel

Wendel, that is how I attached to fuselages. The three inch tape works great. I stop the 3" tape before the upward curve of the vertical stabilizer and use bias tape from there to the top of the vertical stabilizer. It saves a lot of iron work to fit the compound curve. It is a short enough run of the bias tape that it avoids the seam in the tape. You can see where to two tapes meet in front of the vertical stabilizer. Have fun.

mike mcs repair · Jan 28, 2018

wdoubleday said:
I’m now ready to cover my Javron fuselage with the Stewarts system. I plan on covering the bottom first, using the bottom longerons to attach the fabric. My question is how best to cover sides and top. Instead of using aluminum strings along the top of the rear deck, I welded on 5/8 inch tubing which ties into the wing root channeling and the top skylight channeling structure to define the top shape of the fuselage back to the vertical stabilizer. I was planning on using the central top tube to attach the fabric for one side and the bottom fuselage fabric to overlap the bottom fabric using the 1 inch rule for fabric overlap. If I do this, the overlap on the top for the second fabric side also needs to overlap by 1 inch, and will need to use a 3 inch tape to ocver the top ridge overlap.

Is this the best way to go or am I missing something?

Appreciate your help in advance

Wendel

sounds like you have a good plan, bottom, side, side....that how most are done.... only difference is i usually fully tape out belly and add grommets and stuff and fully finish belly before i put the sides on, so don't have to do that stuff upside down... I make sure not to putty wrong filler where fabric will be glued along longerons.

bob turner · Jan 28, 2018

Two comments: I think that sewn seams can be hideous. To hide them make sure they are one side or the other of the stringer, not on top. And before final shrink, put a shrinkable surface tape over the seam and shrink the seam area, making it flat.
Bias tape is good. I plan to haunt the guy who used bias tape everywhere on our new Cub, not bothering to cut off the diagonal splices! Not needed on a Cub at all, so long as tapes are not pre-shrunk.

wdoubleday · Jan 28, 2018

What a great support group! Thanks for all of your suggestions and pictures. They really help take away the mystery for us first timers.

Charlie Longley · Jan 29, 2018

bob turner said:
Two comments: I think that sewn seams can be hideous. To hide them make sure they are one side or the other of the stringer, not on top. And before final shrink, put a shrinkable surface tape over the seam and shrink the seam area, making it flat.
Bias tape is good. I plan to haunt the guy who used bias tape everywhere on our new Cub, not bothering to cut off the diagonal splices! Not needed on a Cub at all, so long as tapes are not pre-shrunk.

Haha what an ass on the bias tapes! They’re a lot more expensive too. I try and use as little as possible.

Steve's Aircraft (Brian) · Jan 29, 2018

bob turner said:
Two comments: I think that sewn seams can be hideous. To hide them make sure they are one side or the other of the stringer, not on top. And before final shrink, put a shrinkable surface tape over the seam and shrink the seam area, making it flat.
Bias tape is good. I plan to haunt the guy who used bias tape everywhere on our new Cub, not bothering to cut off the diagonal splices! Not needed on a Cub at all, so long as tapes are not pre-shrunk.

Your right on the seam on the stringer... Those pics are from the first time I did one, the last couple I set the seam next to the stringer and it is not as visible as that one was...
Funny thing on those pics... That particular cub was wrecked not to long after the restoration and I covered it again putting the seam off of the stringer...

Brian.

Advice needed covering fuselage

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