Laminating, Soldering, Gluing, Painting
Building RC planes is becoming a lost art. There is a certain pride and satisfaction to building your own planes then seeing them fly. While building you will also learn the basics of how to repair your plane if it needs service or repair.
Watch our building videos on this web site. Even if the video isn't for the exact plane you are building you can see how we handle the foam, glue, spars and electronics. Here are some additional ideas to help you as you build.
We include clear laminate in our kits. We get a lot of questions about how to laminate correctly. See the videos below and watch the techniques.
There is a secret. The laminate sticks from about 180 degrees to 220 degrees. You want to stay as close to the bottom temperature as possible and you will have fewer wrinkles. The higher temperature will melt and distort the foam and warp the wing. The thinner foam in the elevons and at the trailing edges of the wings is more sensitive to the heat because the foam can melt and distort if your iron is too hot. You don't need an inferred thermometer to laminate but it does help. Before you start ironing on the wing and elevons take a few laminate scraps and iron them to your box. Turn your iron down to where the laminate just barely sticks without wrinkles. After the laminate is stuck down you can turn the iron up a little for a final once over to make sure it is stuck down and shrunk as needed. You want the iron cool enough that a scrap of foam will stick to the box but not so hot a drop of water will boil on the iron.
The small hobby irons do not have good thermostat control. They can fluctuate wildly. In testing I can have a 50 F degree swing without changing the heat setting even on my name brand irons. My hobby iron tends to overheat if I leave in on the bench for too long between times it is used. I also have a standard iron for clothing that has much better thermostat control that is easier to use in some cases. It also heats almost instantly and the temperature is usually within 15 degrees during use.
When I am using a small hobby iron I keep a wet rag on the bench and cool the iron if it has been sitting so I don't cause problems with the laminate... especially on the elevons. I have used a water spray bottle before to cool the iron but it may get moisture in the wing and edges and keep them from sticking.
There is a method that works better to get your wings laminated without wrinkles. Start with an iron set at 180 degrees. Lay out your laminate with about 2" extra on all edges. I like to make a long straight stroke down the middle of the wing as your first stroke of the iron then work the laminate to the edges to get out the wrinkles. If you work from a corner or an edge, the wing can warp. It also helps to get a flat wing if you iron the laminate on the bottom of the wing first.
When the iron is too hot a couple of things happen. First the laminate starts to shrink before it is touching the foam so you get wrinkles. This is more common on the thinner elevons that can quickly overheat. The reason the laminate adhesive doesn't stick as well with too hot of an iron is that the hot glue doesn't cool and set fast enough before the laminate has come back off the overheated foam. Also the hot air expands and leaves air bubbles under the laminate that can lift it off the foam. If your iron is too hot and you try over and over to stick the laminate down, your laminate picks up some overmelt from the foam and then the laminate adhesive is deactivated. Closely watch for distortion in your airfoil and the elevons as you laminate. The foam melts and changes shape with too hot of an iron so you get flat areas on the wing and thin sections and wrinkles on the elevons?
The laminate we use in our kit is the easiest laminate to control I have used. It is stronger and easier to apply because it doesn't shrink as much as Monocoat or Ultracoat and doesn't split with a hard landing. You will do a better job if you understand its properties before you use it the first time. You need to learn a how it behaves at different temperatures. The second plane is always easier than the first. Several of our plane videos show how to laminate so watch the demonstrations before you start.
Scotch Extreme Tape makes the planes tough.
The E-tape has a failure strength of 150 lbs per inch making it a major component to crash resistance on our planes. When used with with the Shock Cord and the laminate on the EPP foam our planes get very durable. Don't use too much reinforced tape behind CG because it is heavy. You can use less a head of CG if you want on light builds than we show and just use strips of the 1" to save weight but don't give it up entirely because it does make a big difference. It does not stretch so it is different from just adding extra layers of laminate that will stretch and allow the wing to flex.
We have had flyers in foreign lands who couldn't get bidirectional reinforced tape and used the single direction tape. Single direction reinforced tape will still work fairly well if you can find a brand of tape that will stick to EPP foam and not all tapes adhesives stick to EPP foam. If you are going to use the single direction reinforced tape you would apply the tape per the instructions EXCEPT on the hinge line. If you have to use the single direction tape on the hinge line you need to cut small 3/4" strips and put them down the hinge line so the fibers cross the hinge line and then cover them with the laminate. This is a hassle to do but works fairly well.
Here are some sources for the E-tape:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=scotch+bidirectional+extreme+tape&ref=nb_sb_noss
http://www.findtape.com/shop/product.aspx?id=328&idx=3&tid=2&info=bidirectional%2b&setscreen=1&width=1024&height=475
The advantages of our clear laminate are:
We include it in the kit at no extra charge.
It offers great UV protection of the foam and of the Extreme Tape.
It doesn’t need a spray adhesive (3M90 or 3M77) to get it to stick.
If you use a spray adhesive you are adding weight to your plane.
It is stronger than Ultracoat.
It is easier to apply because it has less shrinkage.
Repairs and wrinkles are almost invisible because the laminate is clear.
You can see the structure of the plane through the covering making it easier to see if there is damage.
You can add decals and colored packing tape to get color.
You can use colored packing tape that adds color and a 3D dimension to the appearance of the plane.
The clear laminate is the product of choice If you are adding LED lights.
We still see a lot of planes covered with the Ultracoat. They do look good. I have used it myself.
There are other laminates available
I have used Monocoat and Ultra coat and Econocoat iron on laminate on many planes. Monocoat has a higher melting temperature so you have the risk of melting the foam and changing the shape of the wing before the Monocoat is hot enough to stick. Ultracoat sticks at a lower temperature and can be used if you want the bright colors. Both of these laminates have an adhesive that will not stick to EPP foam so you have to spray the wing with 3M77 or 3M90 spray adhesive before covering. The spray adds weight and steps to the build process.
Watch our building videos on this web site. Even if the video isn't for the exact plane you are building you can see how we handle the foam, glue, spars and electronics. Here are some additional ideas to help you as you build.
We include clear laminate in our kits. We get a lot of questions about how to laminate correctly. See the videos below and watch the techniques.
There is a secret. The laminate sticks from about 180 degrees to 220 degrees. You want to stay as close to the bottom temperature as possible and you will have fewer wrinkles. The higher temperature will melt and distort the foam and warp the wing. The thinner foam in the elevons and at the trailing edges of the wings is more sensitive to the heat because the foam can melt and distort if your iron is too hot. You don't need an inferred thermometer to laminate but it does help. Before you start ironing on the wing and elevons take a few laminate scraps and iron them to your box. Turn your iron down to where the laminate just barely sticks without wrinkles. After the laminate is stuck down you can turn the iron up a little for a final once over to make sure it is stuck down and shrunk as needed. You want the iron cool enough that a scrap of foam will stick to the box but not so hot a drop of water will boil on the iron.
The small hobby irons do not have good thermostat control. They can fluctuate wildly. In testing I can have a 50 F degree swing without changing the heat setting even on my name brand irons. My hobby iron tends to overheat if I leave in on the bench for too long between times it is used. I also have a standard iron for clothing that has much better thermostat control that is easier to use in some cases. It also heats almost instantly and the temperature is usually within 15 degrees during use.
When I am using a small hobby iron I keep a wet rag on the bench and cool the iron if it has been sitting so I don't cause problems with the laminate... especially on the elevons. I have used a water spray bottle before to cool the iron but it may get moisture in the wing and edges and keep them from sticking.
There is a method that works better to get your wings laminated without wrinkles. Start with an iron set at 180 degrees. Lay out your laminate with about 2" extra on all edges. I like to make a long straight stroke down the middle of the wing as your first stroke of the iron then work the laminate to the edges to get out the wrinkles. If you work from a corner or an edge, the wing can warp. It also helps to get a flat wing if you iron the laminate on the bottom of the wing first.
When the iron is too hot a couple of things happen. First the laminate starts to shrink before it is touching the foam so you get wrinkles. This is more common on the thinner elevons that can quickly overheat. The reason the laminate adhesive doesn't stick as well with too hot of an iron is that the hot glue doesn't cool and set fast enough before the laminate has come back off the overheated foam. Also the hot air expands and leaves air bubbles under the laminate that can lift it off the foam. If your iron is too hot and you try over and over to stick the laminate down, your laminate picks up some overmelt from the foam and then the laminate adhesive is deactivated. Closely watch for distortion in your airfoil and the elevons as you laminate. The foam melts and changes shape with too hot of an iron so you get flat areas on the wing and thin sections and wrinkles on the elevons?
The laminate we use in our kit is the easiest laminate to control I have used. It is stronger and easier to apply because it doesn't shrink as much as Monocoat or Ultracoat and doesn't split with a hard landing. You will do a better job if you understand its properties before you use it the first time. You need to learn a how it behaves at different temperatures. The second plane is always easier than the first. Several of our plane videos show how to laminate so watch the demonstrations before you start.
Scotch Extreme Tape makes the planes tough.
The E-tape has a failure strength of 150 lbs per inch making it a major component to crash resistance on our planes. When used with with the Shock Cord and the laminate on the EPP foam our planes get very durable. Don't use too much reinforced tape behind CG because it is heavy. You can use less a head of CG if you want on light builds than we show and just use strips of the 1" to save weight but don't give it up entirely because it does make a big difference. It does not stretch so it is different from just adding extra layers of laminate that will stretch and allow the wing to flex.
We have had flyers in foreign lands who couldn't get bidirectional reinforced tape and used the single direction tape. Single direction reinforced tape will still work fairly well if you can find a brand of tape that will stick to EPP foam and not all tapes adhesives stick to EPP foam. If you are going to use the single direction reinforced tape you would apply the tape per the instructions EXCEPT on the hinge line. If you have to use the single direction tape on the hinge line you need to cut small 3/4" strips and put them down the hinge line so the fibers cross the hinge line and then cover them with the laminate. This is a hassle to do but works fairly well.
Here are some sources for the E-tape:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=scotch+bidirectional+extreme+tape&ref=nb_sb_noss
http://www.findtape.com/shop/product.aspx?id=328&idx=3&tid=2&info=bidirectional%2b&setscreen=1&width=1024&height=475
The advantages of our clear laminate are:
We include it in the kit at no extra charge.
It offers great UV protection of the foam and of the Extreme Tape.
It doesn’t need a spray adhesive (3M90 or 3M77) to get it to stick.
If you use a spray adhesive you are adding weight to your plane.
It is stronger than Ultracoat.
It is easier to apply because it has less shrinkage.
Repairs and wrinkles are almost invisible because the laminate is clear.
You can see the structure of the plane through the covering making it easier to see if there is damage.
You can add decals and colored packing tape to get color.
You can use colored packing tape that adds color and a 3D dimension to the appearance of the plane.
The clear laminate is the product of choice If you are adding LED lights.
We still see a lot of planes covered with the Ultracoat. They do look good. I have used it myself.
There are other laminates available
I have used Monocoat and Ultra coat and Econocoat iron on laminate on many planes. Monocoat has a higher melting temperature so you have the risk of melting the foam and changing the shape of the wing before the Monocoat is hot enough to stick. Ultracoat sticks at a lower temperature and can be used if you want the bright colors. Both of these laminates have an adhesive that will not stick to EPP foam so you have to spray the wing with 3M77 or 3M90 spray adhesive before covering. The spray adds weight and steps to the build process.
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Soldering See the soldering and other videos on our web site
Building RC planes requires some soldering of plugs and leads, usually on the ESC. Soldering is simple, but it takes a little practice. I’ve seen some pretty scary solder connections. Here are some soldering tips.
Cut wires to be soldered to the plug the same length. If you are changing a plug on a battery, don’t short out the battery by cutting both wires at once. Cut the wires one at a time. Strip just enough of the insulation off the wire to expose the wire the length of the tab to be soldered to. Twist the inner wire strands together and make a good end for soldering. Put your heat shrink tubing on the wire first! If you forget, you have to un-solder and re-solder the connection which can make an ugly connection.
My favorite soldering iron is a 30W pistol-style soldering iron. Clean the tip of the soldering iron and remove the build up from previous use with fine sandpaper or a little emery cloth. It is easier if the iron is hot. Always use electrical flux and get the right amount of solder on each part to be soldered before soldering them together. Flux is the magic ingredient. Flux is like a wax that melts and vaporizes as you solder. It sucks the solder into the wire and makes the solder want to stick to the plug tabs. Flux makes the solder flow. Flux both the wire and the plug tabs to be soldered. I use more flux than most but I am confident with the joints I solder. On small plugs, I plug the them into another plug to act as a heat sink to keep the plastic parts from melting.
This is the point you decide how much solder you want in the connection. It doesn’t take very much solder. More is not always better, especially on a circuit board. Don’t hold the soldering iron. Put the soldering iron in a vice and bring the work to the iron. Most of our parts are so small it’s easier to do it this way. It’s like having three hands. I also do better if I am sitting down and resting my elbows on the table, because it makes my hands steady. I usually place the wire on the tip of the iron and wait for the solder to flow and then touch the plug to it, and lift both off as soon as the solder flows together.
Look for any stray solder or wires that might be connecting the tabs being soldered to. Stray solder can short the plug. If there is any question of the integrity of the solder joint I will do it over at this time. If I have too much solder I will remove it by heating it up and letting the excess flow onto the tip of the soldering iron.
Slide the heat shrink over the connection and shrink it with a lighter. If you are soldering a plug on a battery, solder and heat shrink the first connection before starting the second to prevent accidental shorting. Watch the videos below for more information.
Building RC planes requires some soldering of plugs and leads, usually on the ESC. Soldering is simple, but it takes a little practice. I’ve seen some pretty scary solder connections. Here are some soldering tips.
Cut wires to be soldered to the plug the same length. If you are changing a plug on a battery, don’t short out the battery by cutting both wires at once. Cut the wires one at a time. Strip just enough of the insulation off the wire to expose the wire the length of the tab to be soldered to. Twist the inner wire strands together and make a good end for soldering. Put your heat shrink tubing on the wire first! If you forget, you have to un-solder and re-solder the connection which can make an ugly connection.
My favorite soldering iron is a 30W pistol-style soldering iron. Clean the tip of the soldering iron and remove the build up from previous use with fine sandpaper or a little emery cloth. It is easier if the iron is hot. Always use electrical flux and get the right amount of solder on each part to be soldered before soldering them together. Flux is the magic ingredient. Flux is like a wax that melts and vaporizes as you solder. It sucks the solder into the wire and makes the solder want to stick to the plug tabs. Flux makes the solder flow. Flux both the wire and the plug tabs to be soldered. I use more flux than most but I am confident with the joints I solder. On small plugs, I plug the them into another plug to act as a heat sink to keep the plastic parts from melting.
This is the point you decide how much solder you want in the connection. It doesn’t take very much solder. More is not always better, especially on a circuit board. Don’t hold the soldering iron. Put the soldering iron in a vice and bring the work to the iron. Most of our parts are so small it’s easier to do it this way. It’s like having three hands. I also do better if I am sitting down and resting my elbows on the table, because it makes my hands steady. I usually place the wire on the tip of the iron and wait for the solder to flow and then touch the plug to it, and lift both off as soon as the solder flows together.
Look for any stray solder or wires that might be connecting the tabs being soldered to. Stray solder can short the plug. If there is any question of the integrity of the solder joint I will do it over at this time. If I have too much solder I will remove it by heating it up and letting the excess flow onto the tip of the soldering iron.
Slide the heat shrink over the connection and shrink it with a lighter. If you are soldering a plug on a battery, solder and heat shrink the first connection before starting the second to prevent accidental shorting. Watch the videos below for more information.
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Glue Tricks... Watch the building videos on this web site.
We like to build quickly without having to wait for the glue to dry. The hot glue cools fast and the CA glue with the baking soda only takes a little time before we can go on to the next step. Even the way we paint the plane is designed to be quick and easy.
If you use the liquid glues, like the white glues or Gorilla glue or Goop or Shoe Goo, you have to wait every time you make a glue joint for the glue to dry. If I want to build a plane in one day, I need fast setting glues. If I choose the wrong glue I may be sitting and waiting for the glue to dry.
The one exception to hot glue is if you live in an extremely hot location. Hot glue can soften if the model is left in a very hot car or on a black hot runway in the sun. I also recommend that if you use hot glue that you don't paint your model black or dark blue. Just like a car the dark colors get hotter in the sun and the heat can soften the hot glue. My second favorite glue is Goop if I need to build for a hot climate.
We live in Utah where the temperature can get over 100 F degrees. I use the hot glue on most of my models and haven't had a problem as long as I don't leave the planes in a hot car or on a paved street in the sun.
I use the regular thin CA glue that you get in the hobby shop. Unlike the EPO and EPS foams the CA glue doesn't eat the EPP foam. I wait to continue building when using CA glue until I can't smell it which means the chemical reaction is complete.
The baking soda is a catalyst. It makes the CA glue cure so fast it can smoke and even create enough heat to give a blister. Don't breath the vapors. They are nasty.
The spray catalyst for CA glue does the same thing as the baking soda but it leaves a residue that you don't want on the model. I used to use it but the laminate wouldn't stick well after I used it. g.
Decals and Colored Packing Tape
I recommend colored packing tape that comes in 2" rolls to add color to your plane. It is easy, durable and fast and can be seen on many of the planes on our home page.
The bright florescent colors are great. Colors like gray and light blue and other pastel colors are hard to see. Stick with the bright and bold colors with lots of contrast like red, white, dark blue. Different colors show up with different light conditions. Be careful of dark colors on the top of foam and fiberglass planes in the summer. I have a black foam plane that heats up so much in the sun, it can soften the hot glue I used to build it. I once had a fiberglass plane that warped in the sun where it was painted black, but was fine where it was painted white.
Design the covering on your plane differently one the top and bottom, to help you stay oriented. For true beginners, I recommend they put a white band around the right wing with a piece of tape that can be removed. This way a new RC pilot can say “right-white” to help them stay oriented. If you push the transmitter stick to the right, the white wing always goes down.
You can design and print your own decals on your printer with any art, CAD or card program. You will apply the decal after you have laminated your plane. After you have a design you like and have decided on a size, print the decal on photo paper (or a sticker paper that has a photo finish). You don't have to use sticker paper. Use 2" clear tape or a small piece of laminate over the top of the decal to protect it from peeling off and to protect if from moisture if it was printed on an ink based printer so it won't smear.
Spray Adhesives are not needed with the laminate in our kits.
The EPP has a waxy powdery surface that most things won’t stick to. There are only certain products that will stick without a spray adhesive. These products that will stick to EPP without a spray adhesive include the clear laminate that comes in our kits and in the Scotch Extreme Tape.
If you want to use Ultracoat or packing tape you will have to use a spray adhesive. We highly recommend only the 3M77 and the 3M90 spay adhesives that are available at many hardware stores. 3M makes both 3M90 and 3M77. 3M90 dries entirely and 3M77 stays tacky. I like the 3M90 best, even though it leaves a rougher surface. If you want to apply color or decals directly to the foam, spray the entire area to be taped or covered. Allow the adhesive to dry overnight. If you don't let it dry you can trap a lot of moisture under the laminate that adds weight to your plane.
There are some budget brands of spray adhesive on the market. I have tried several of them and had one eat the foam and another that would not stay stuck. Before you spray your model with any other spray adhesive do some testing to make sure it won't eat your foam.
Paint under laminate
In the Assassin laminating video above you will see how we laminate over paint. The laminate will stay stuck if you follow a few basic rules.
Use the right kind of paint. Some builders use rattle can paint under the clear laminate to get rid of the white foam look. You have to be careful because some paints eat the foam and paint adds weight. You can use the Krylon Fusion paint for plastics on the EPP foam.
Laminate it as soon as the paint is dry enough to be handled without leaving finger prints. The paint seems to help the laminate stay stuck. The laminate on the painted plane in the video is still as good as new, except for a few combat hits.
Don't use too much paint. Several light layers of paint work better than one wet sticky layer. Colors tend to be pastel in appearance over the white EPP foam. The laminate also lightens the color but still lets the color show through.
I have tried using my airbrush and latex paint and had the laminate release and come off after a few wrecks. Latex paint does not work. I know flyers who use 3M77 or 3M90 spray adhesive both under and over the paint to bind it to both the foam and the laminate but this adds weight and building steps.
Be careful not to add to much weight. I still think about how I can get the weight down on every plane I build. Even covering and paint is optional. There are heavy ways and light ways to build. Light planes fly slow, heavy planes fly fast and land fast. Planes that are too heavy just don’t fly right.
-Lee
We like to build quickly without having to wait for the glue to dry. The hot glue cools fast and the CA glue with the baking soda only takes a little time before we can go on to the next step. Even the way we paint the plane is designed to be quick and easy.
If you use the liquid glues, like the white glues or Gorilla glue or Goop or Shoe Goo, you have to wait every time you make a glue joint for the glue to dry. If I want to build a plane in one day, I need fast setting glues. If I choose the wrong glue I may be sitting and waiting for the glue to dry.
The one exception to hot glue is if you live in an extremely hot location. Hot glue can soften if the model is left in a very hot car or on a black hot runway in the sun. I also recommend that if you use hot glue that you don't paint your model black or dark blue. Just like a car the dark colors get hotter in the sun and the heat can soften the hot glue. My second favorite glue is Goop if I need to build for a hot climate.
We live in Utah where the temperature can get over 100 F degrees. I use the hot glue on most of my models and haven't had a problem as long as I don't leave the planes in a hot car or on a paved street in the sun.
I use the regular thin CA glue that you get in the hobby shop. Unlike the EPO and EPS foams the CA glue doesn't eat the EPP foam. I wait to continue building when using CA glue until I can't smell it which means the chemical reaction is complete.
The baking soda is a catalyst. It makes the CA glue cure so fast it can smoke and even create enough heat to give a blister. Don't breath the vapors. They are nasty.
The spray catalyst for CA glue does the same thing as the baking soda but it leaves a residue that you don't want on the model. I used to use it but the laminate wouldn't stick well after I used it. g.
Decals and Colored Packing Tape
I recommend colored packing tape that comes in 2" rolls to add color to your plane. It is easy, durable and fast and can be seen on many of the planes on our home page.
The bright florescent colors are great. Colors like gray and light blue and other pastel colors are hard to see. Stick with the bright and bold colors with lots of contrast like red, white, dark blue. Different colors show up with different light conditions. Be careful of dark colors on the top of foam and fiberglass planes in the summer. I have a black foam plane that heats up so much in the sun, it can soften the hot glue I used to build it. I once had a fiberglass plane that warped in the sun where it was painted black, but was fine where it was painted white.
Design the covering on your plane differently one the top and bottom, to help you stay oriented. For true beginners, I recommend they put a white band around the right wing with a piece of tape that can be removed. This way a new RC pilot can say “right-white” to help them stay oriented. If you push the transmitter stick to the right, the white wing always goes down.
You can design and print your own decals on your printer with any art, CAD or card program. You will apply the decal after you have laminated your plane. After you have a design you like and have decided on a size, print the decal on photo paper (or a sticker paper that has a photo finish). You don't have to use sticker paper. Use 2" clear tape or a small piece of laminate over the top of the decal to protect it from peeling off and to protect if from moisture if it was printed on an ink based printer so it won't smear.
Spray Adhesives are not needed with the laminate in our kits.
The EPP has a waxy powdery surface that most things won’t stick to. There are only certain products that will stick without a spray adhesive. These products that will stick to EPP without a spray adhesive include the clear laminate that comes in our kits and in the Scotch Extreme Tape.
If you want to use Ultracoat or packing tape you will have to use a spray adhesive. We highly recommend only the 3M77 and the 3M90 spay adhesives that are available at many hardware stores. 3M makes both 3M90 and 3M77. 3M90 dries entirely and 3M77 stays tacky. I like the 3M90 best, even though it leaves a rougher surface. If you want to apply color or decals directly to the foam, spray the entire area to be taped or covered. Allow the adhesive to dry overnight. If you don't let it dry you can trap a lot of moisture under the laminate that adds weight to your plane.
There are some budget brands of spray adhesive on the market. I have tried several of them and had one eat the foam and another that would not stay stuck. Before you spray your model with any other spray adhesive do some testing to make sure it won't eat your foam.
Paint under laminate
In the Assassin laminating video above you will see how we laminate over paint. The laminate will stay stuck if you follow a few basic rules.
Use the right kind of paint. Some builders use rattle can paint under the clear laminate to get rid of the white foam look. You have to be careful because some paints eat the foam and paint adds weight. You can use the Krylon Fusion paint for plastics on the EPP foam.
Laminate it as soon as the paint is dry enough to be handled without leaving finger prints. The paint seems to help the laminate stay stuck. The laminate on the painted plane in the video is still as good as new, except for a few combat hits.
Don't use too much paint. Several light layers of paint work better than one wet sticky layer. Colors tend to be pastel in appearance over the white EPP foam. The laminate also lightens the color but still lets the color show through.
I have tried using my airbrush and latex paint and had the laminate release and come off after a few wrecks. Latex paint does not work. I know flyers who use 3M77 or 3M90 spray adhesive both under and over the paint to bind it to both the foam and the laminate but this adds weight and building steps.
Be careful not to add to much weight. I still think about how I can get the weight down on every plane I build. Even covering and paint is optional. There are heavy ways and light ways to build. Light planes fly slow, heavy planes fly fast and land fast. Planes that are too heavy just don’t fly right.
-Lee
