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Tail feathers, use 101 or 102 Ceconite

K

Kahles56

FRIEND
Pinehurst, NC.
How many of you have used the heaver 101 cloth on your tail Feathers and 102 on the rest of the aircraft.
Is it worth the time.?
 
Only used 102 once. Ice went through tail. Hard to even rib stitch without ripping fabric. Current project has 101 on bottom of tail feathers. Will not use 102 again. Was customer requested


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
Interesting. I haven't done any Super Cubs, just J3s. I never even considered 101. Alaska is different - you need the extra strength. I did do a set of gear legs in 101 with hand-cut 101 tapes. They still cracked after a while.

There was a short period of time when Stits went to a lighter fabric and recommended it - I did not realize that and was horrified when I went to pick up a champ - the owner said it was done in D103 or something! It was ok - still flying just fine.
 
Thanks for the input, would have hated to do the tail in 101, then found out that the 102 would have given me a problem later on the fuselage and wings.

Question change, what is the best paint remover that you have used , the remover I am using will not take off the base primer ( I think chromate primer) without scrubbing ?
 
Kahles56 said:
Question change, what is the best paint remover that you have used , the remover I am using will not take off the base primer ( I think chromate primer) without scrubbing ?
Click to expand...

be careful what you ask for.... 3+ decades ago NAPA sold something i think called Blast, with an additive... chemically removed all my finger tips.....

also watch for corrosion issues!!
 
Just to clarify- there are 3 weights of Ceconite as I understand it: 101 heavy, 102 medium/standard, and uncertified light. I’ve never used the heavy 101 for anything, and cover the entire plane in 102, and thought that was fairly standard. I can see maybe using the heavy on tail feather bottoms or ag aircraft, but don’t think it’s necessary for most. I suspect Mike means he uses medium 102, or do you actually use the heavy for everything?
 
Back in the day, mid 70 early 80 I worked in a body shop for summer jobs, the paint removers back then would remove the ugly on a "coyote" 100 yds. away.
Now all they do is evaporate before your eyes and cause you to strip the panel 3 more times to get the paint off and never really get down through the primers.

Looks like sanding will have to remove old stubborn aluminum primers from the 50's 60's and 70's.

Thanks for the help never less.

Ken
 
Interesting- I’ve never known anyone that did whole airplanes in 101, but then I don’t get out much... I’ve never had any ripping problems with the medium...
 
Mike is in Alaska. Airplanes are like pickup trucks. Here in the lower 48 most fabric airplanes are more for show and Sunday flying. The 102 makes a much better finish, and lasts longer than the paint. Except on the gear legs.

I still have my original tail feathers done in Stits 102 in 1969. I think back then it was 103, with 104 called "glider cloth". Went through a thunderstorm in the early '70's outside of Pensacola, and it tore the Butyrate finish off. Fabric still appears ok. Hanging on the wall . . .
 
I agree with bob turner. If you are using your airplane for a pick up truck, an ATV or a rock climber use 101. If you want a nice well filled finish use 102. The original Ceconite was 101. It required a lot of finishing to get a well filled finish. Even then you could always see the more difficult to keep clean weave. It always looked poorly when compared to a good cotton or Irish linen job. Then they came out with the 102, much nicer finish using less finishing materiel.
 
I have done the 101 an 102 on entire airplanes. I prefer the 102 for the above mentioned reasons. It is adequate for the average person. Alaska is a different animal. I have put the 101 on the bottom of tail surfaces and it is tougher, but I have seen it shredded from crust thrown up from skis under the right conditions. It's all about the mission. 102 is easier to work with and make look good. A few 30 yrs ones around here that still look good, but it's time to cover them. Especially if they are floated in the summer. Obviously just opinions. I like all fabric covered airplanes no matter what is on them. LOL
 
The Stits site is not too helpful on fabric weights. I know the light stuff is 1.6, medium is 2.7, what's heavy? Cheap polyester curtain lining from the fabric store seems to be the same as 1.6.
 
Poly fiber lists theirs at 3.4 and Superflite lists theirs at 3.7. The Superflite fabric is approved for all covering processes and I like there medium wt. and have had very good results with it.
 
For the guys that have not worked on fabric up here.

Weight is an important aspect of the recover job. Rarely (as in almost zero) will the fabric be filled and sanded to produce a smooth finish. Instead, the silver is sprayed on until sunlight is not shining through. Then color is added to just cover the silver. That's it.

So to the question of 101 vs 102; in this region, it's going to come down to needed strength, not finish.

Web
 
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