I keep getting this question on forums, here on the
blog and in direct mails...There are 2 ways of deciding how many meters you
need to cover your plane. It is true that, as it is an “all inclusive” price,
it appears expensive and you want to be careful not buying too much or stand
there with a piece a few centimeters short…
1) Get a roll of brown paper, or paper tablecloth, cut it to the same width(s) as Oratex and cover your plane with it using sticky tape. Cut out the pieces and use them to make a puzzle on a fresh length of your roll of paper. (Remember to mirror mirrored pieces!) This way you will know how much you need and how you can optimize the pieces without trial and costly error using the real stuff and without having to trust someone else's incomprehensible logic of how to best cover a plane....
2) Ask Fred and buy what he bought. Then you have someone to blame if it was too much or not enough… That is always good as we live in times where, when anything goes wrong, it is always someone else's fault... I ended up with more Oratex than I needed but as I cannot blame myself I suspect the supplier to have been generous when cutting the requested lengths...
For everything except the wings:24 meters of 900 mm Oratex UL600
For the wings:9 meters of 900 mm Oratex UL6009 meters of 1800 mm Oratex UL600
Other stuff..:
About 2 liters of hotmelt glue. Note that the shelf life of the hotmelt is limited and you might not want to buy all upfront but only when you will really use it. If you start with the fuselage get only 1 liter upfront.
Edge bands to your liking. They are sold in different widths, pinked or straight and pre glued. Could be cut out of scrap and glued as normal as well... I did not rib stitch, there is really no need for it on the Avid Flyer with 1 inch cap strips so no bands needed there…
Silicon paper used for protection when using the iron.
Some matching paint also from Oratex.
A good iron and a good heat gun, both with reliable temperature settings (and both highly reusable).
1) Get a roll of brown paper, or paper tablecloth, cut it to the same width(s) as Oratex and cover your plane with it using sticky tape. Cut out the pieces and use them to make a puzzle on a fresh length of your roll of paper. (Remember to mirror mirrored pieces!) This way you will know how much you need and how you can optimize the pieces without trial and costly error using the real stuff and without having to trust someone else's incomprehensible logic of how to best cover a plane....
2) Ask Fred and buy what he bought. Then you have someone to blame if it was too much or not enough… That is always good as we live in times where, when anything goes wrong, it is always someone else's fault... I ended up with more Oratex than I needed but as I cannot blame myself I suspect the supplier to have been generous when cutting the requested lengths...
For everything except the wings:24 meters of 900 mm Oratex UL600
For the wings:9 meters of 900 mm Oratex UL6009 meters of 1800 mm Oratex UL600
Other stuff..:
About 2 liters of hotmelt glue. Note that the shelf life of the hotmelt is limited and you might not want to buy all upfront but only when you will really use it. If you start with the fuselage get only 1 liter upfront.
Edge bands to your liking. They are sold in different widths, pinked or straight and pre glued. Could be cut out of scrap and glued as normal as well... I did not rib stitch, there is really no need for it on the Avid Flyer with 1 inch cap strips so no bands needed there…
Silicon paper used for protection when using the iron.
Some matching paint also from Oratex.
A good iron and a good heat gun, both with reliable temperature settings (and both highly reusable).