Fabric systems for the 48

[T. C. Downey]

we have 4 ura type fabric systems on the market, who has a favorite and why?

Stewarts, Poly fiber, Superflite, and airtech, are all STCed for the 170.

Stewarts, is a waterborne, air dried system, and is cleaned up with soap and water thus you have no catalyst, driers or solvents to buy. their fabric is 50 cents per yard cheaper than any one else. thus they are the cheapest system to apply. requires a 2 coat brushed on base (UV protection) then several coats of sprayed base, then top coat.

Poly fiber (Stitz) is well known, requires a brushed on base coat, minimum 4 coats of silver, then top coat. this system requires all the catalyst, driers, thinners, thus is the most expensive system.

Superflite, I don't know much about this system, but pricing (IAW the web) is same range as polyfiber.

Airtech is a old crop duster favorite that is fire proof, ura based system that is the easiest to apply, three sprayed coats of base, sand and shoot top coat. It does require all the support chemicals for application, thus is slightly more expensive that the other systems.

[lowNslow]

I have used cotton (yes, cotton years ago) and Poly. I hadn't done any fabric work in quite a while and was asked to redo the flight controls on our glider clubs Schweitzer 1-26. I forgot how smelly the Poly system is. While it is not as flammable as the old cotton and butyrate system it is still messy. I think next time I will try the Stewarts system to see how that compares. No matter which system you use the actual fabric is actually pretty cheap compared to the dope and finish so does not comprise a huge amount of the cost.

[n3833v]

Some of our chapter members are using the Stewart system due to the environmental friendlyness.

John