VCOTE FROM VMAR

LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

The authors and/or suppliers and/or disseminaters of this information and/or product expressly disclaim any warranties or representations, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of fitness, accuracy, timeliness or applicability of the information and/or product provided here. In no event will the authors and/or suppliers and/or disseminaters of this information and/or product have any obligation arising from contract or tort, for loss of revenue or profit, or for indirect, special, incidental, consequential or other damages of any sort arising from this information and/or product. In using this information and/or product, the user accepts all responsibility for and all liability associated with such use.

• With VCOTE the graphics are pre-applied to the covering... not stuck on top. No Decals! No Layers! No Strips! No Stripes!
• VCOTE utilizes a tough heat shrinkable film and our SURE SEAL system to ensure that the seams stay down!
• VCOTE is fuel proof to 15% nitro fuels and fuel resistant to higher nitro fuels provided that any raw unburned fuel is removed quickly. We recommend dabbing up any raw unburned high nitro fuel as a precaution.

By pre-applying the the graphics... we've eliminated the need for decals or overlays completely and reduced the need for maintenance to a minimum. No decal or overlay edges to pick up, and very few seams. With VCOTE you will have a great model that looks terrific right out of the box and spend more time flying and less time applying and reworking the covering!

VCOTE from VMAR!

Question: I inadvertently left my model locked in my closed van all afternoon in the hot desert sun? Will this have any effect on the VCOTE covering?

Answer: Nothing permanent but you will likely have some sagging at least the first and second time you do this. Generally not a good idea. Temperatures can easily exceed 50C (122 F) under such conditions and if your model is stuck in this environment with no circulation for hours and hours, sagging is often the result.

We recommend avoiding this type of problem. Keep the model out of situations where the temperature is extreme with little or no circulation.

If it has occurred, there is no point in crying over spilt milk...  if you see sagging, don't panic! BEFORE you do anything at all, please review the Tip on Tightening VCOTE.  Sagging is fixable (a whole model can be done in less than an hour) but only if you go about it properly. If you jump into this with your heat iron and heat gun assuming you know how to do this because you've fixed Monokote sags and bubbles for years, you have a high probabilty of making a botch of this and you will be stuck with a rather unpleasant result.

Question: I have been flying my model using a glow or gasoline engine. I have some oil residue on the model along with some bug guts and a bit of dirt from a less than perfect landing. How do I clean it up?

Answer:  To clean VCOTE after flying we recommend Fantastic household cleaner and disposable paper towels. You can use other similar cleaners but avoid cleaners with solvents or abrasives. It is a good idea to always test a small out of the way spot first. Wipe along seams, not across. To really show off your VCOTE covering, after cleaning wtih Fantastic... use a bit of Armorall and buff dry & shiny.

Please carefully review the following information and take particular note if you are planning on using Simple Green, 409 or similar non-approved cleaners.

Question: I have a VMAR ARF model aircraft. What should I be aware of when cleaning it after flying?

Answer: Couple of general suggestions here and a few DO NOT DO caveats. See the additional information below for more details. We recommend Fantastic household cleaner and you can dilute it 50/50 with water. Always test any cleaner on a small out of view area first. Avoid overspray on plastics. Spray cleaner lightly (do NOT flood) and wipe away cleaner and dirt/oil with disposable towels as soon as possible after spraying. Do NOT NOT NOT NOT use SIMPLE GREEN, 409 or similar materials to clean a model airplane.

Additional Information: VMAR models are covered in V-Cote, POLYCOTE ECS and VCOTE-2 3DS. All of these materials are heat shrink film. V-Cote is flatter in gloss and tolerates up to 15% nitro fuel well. Higher nitro fuel can soften V-Cote graphics if allowed to sit on the surface for extended periods of time. POLYCOTE ECS is higher in gloss. VCOTE-2 3DS has a medium gloss and has 3D indentations for some panel lines and rivets. POLYCOTE and VCOTE-2 3DS can tolerate high nitro fuels and other fuel types. Always wipe away raw fuel quickly in any event.

All of these covering materials clean well with Fantastic and many other household cleaners. We recommend Fantastic diluted 50/50 with water. Always test on a small out of view area first when working with any cleaner. Do NOT flood or over spray. Avoid spraying directly on plastic components and canopies. Wipe away cleaner and residue immediately after spraying with cleaner using disposable paper towels. 

Do NOT NOT NOT use SIMPLE GREEN, 409 or similar materials to clean a model airplane. Simple Green and 409 are good products for cutting grease and other industrial/commercial type applications but they are intended for use on non-porous materials and contain powerful chemicals that are not compatible with adhesives, balsa wood and other material found in a model aircraft. Use a web search engine to search on Simple Green and/or 409 and note the warnings and chemicals appliable to these and similar products. Do NOT NOT NOT use other cleaners having similar chemicals to those found in Simple Green or 409.

Here is a link to information related to 409: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~jsmith/MSDS/FORMULA%20409%20CLEANER.htm

What can SIMPLE GREEN, 409 and similar cleaners do to your model? Well... it depends. If you are not concerned about the safety aspects of these products and spray these materials on a paper towel and then use the damp towel to wipe down your model (avoid plastics) these products seem to do a good job of cutting grease and cleaning the model and many modelers like these cleaners. However, if you spray the material on to the model rather than the towel, you run the risk of the cleaner running into seams, cavities, hinge slots, covering joints and onto plastic components etc. These type of cleaners are intended for non-porous materials and if they wick or run into adhesive joints, hinge slots or under covering they can loosen the covering (this has been going on for years and modelers sometimes fight back with CA on the joint) AND react with some adhesives to soften and weaken the bond. We have also seen these type of cleaners react with adhesive commonly used to glue hinges and canopies into place and leave an ugly looking dark green stain under the covering where it has wicked further into the wooden substrate. This cannot be repaired and will continue to spread if more Simple Green, 409 or similar cleaner finds its way into the same area. We have also seen these type of cleaners attack plastic... generally the plastic does not dissolve or soften, instead it gets dry, hard, brittle and will over time crack and flake off.

In summary it would be best to use the cleaner and the techniques we recommend. If you are fond of your particular cleaner then at least make sure you follow the techniques we have outlined above. Test first. Do not flood or overspray. Wipe away quickly. Best to spray on the towel rather than the model. Make sure no cleaner can get into the model substrate such as the balsa or plywood materials... stay away from hinge slots, seams, cavities, joints, adhesive bonds etc. Protect plastics from direct contact with cleaners and/or long term exposure to cleaners.

Related Articles:

For each type of covering we use, there may be additional articles related to cleaning that particular covering. To check for Related Articles please use the Search tool near the top left of the Knowledge Base window and search on the word "Clean". Type just the letters Clean (clean) into the search box and then click on the button marked Search. The search tool will return a list of articles having "Clean" in the header or body. We suggest reviewing the articles related to the covering on your particular model.

Question: I have my model all assembled and have a few streaks or other residue on the VCOTE covering. How do I clean these off.

Answer:  VCOTE has very few seams and we use our SURE SEAL system to really lock the seams down. Upon initial inspection if you see a thin streaky film on any of the covering when looked at under bright light this is a residue from the SURE SEAL process. Use alcohol with a paper towel and wipe the residue away. VCOTE and the graphics detailing are resistant to alcohol but it is always a good idea to test alcohol or any other cleaner or solvent you are using on a small out of the way area first! Change towels frequently. If you want to accentuate the gloss of VCOTE even more, use a bit of Armorall and buff shiny with a clean paper towel. Test the Armoral on a small out of the way area first! Discard all soiled paper towels into a metal garbage can stored outdoors.

Question: VCOTE is tough stuff! How do I cut it?

Answer: VCOTE is made from a thermally reactive film. Where possible, use scissors to cut VCOTE. Scissors work well. Otherwise use a new sharp #11 Blade. The blade must be SHARP.

Question: I've been flying my VMAR model for a while and it looks great. Is there anything that I need to do protect the finish to ensure it lasts.

Answer: VCOTE is pretty tough stuff and does not need kid glove handling. If you do the following you should get good durability for the life of the model.

• Most Importantly - Follow the Cleaning instructions. Use the recommended Cleaners and Method.
• Secondly, Avoid getting raw fuel higher than 15% on the model. Remove any raw fuel from the finish as soon as possible. Dab it off gently and then clean with Fantastic.
• Test anything you apply to any covering, plastic or component. It's a good idea to assume that whatever is made there is something that can attack it. Test any glue, paint, cleaner, sealer, wax or anything else you may feel inclined to try on your model by applying the material to a small out of the way area first. If you get a reaction, a small blemish is better than having your canopy curl up or the covering turn black overnight. We've run into some very strang situations over the years... 99.9% of these would have been avoided by testing first.
• Avoid hours and hours sitting in the direct sun. UV light can play hell with pigments especially dark colors and flourescents. This does not mean you need to go around covering your model every 15 minutes but if you can get it out of the sun after a few hours we would suggest that's a good way to go.
• Patch holes and tack down any loose seams as soon as possible after the problem is noticed.

That's about it. Nothing to really sweat over... basically common sense.

Question: Some of my control surfaces have arrived from the factory with tape holding them in place during shipment. Is there a correct method for removing the tape.

Answer: When removing tape from VCOTE (or any covering for that matter), peal the tape back on itself so that the pulling is parallel to the surface of the covering. If the tape is near or across a seam or an edge, peal towards the edge or seam. Do NOT pull the tape up at right angles to the covering or away from a seam or edge.

If you use your own tape during the assembly process, use a low tack masking tape and remove it using the procedure noted above.

Question: I have a puncture in my VCOTE.  How do I patch this?

Answer:  If you puncture VCOTE, thoroughly clean any oil residue from the area of the puncture. We clean using Fantastic and a paper towel. Once you have all the oil residue removed, wipe the area again with a fresh clean towel moistened with water or plain alcohol. The patch should be 1/2" (13 mm) bigger than the hole on all sides.

It may be difficult to match colors or patterns. When you run into this challenge, you might want to take a different approach. Rather than try to match the color or pattern, deliberately use a black white or silver patch and cut it into the shape of a panel hatch. Detail this with lettering and a perimeter line and it will look like the hatch is supposed to be there. Another trick is to cut the patch into a shape of a letter, flag or aircraft marking.

We recommend using after market VCOTE patch material. You can also use polyester covering such as POLYCOTE, ULTRACOTE or ORACOVER. Monokote or SolarFilm covering material will also work. Cut the patch with rounded corners. Seal the patch in place with a heat iron with sock set at 225F first and then tighten the patch and the original covering around the patch using a heat gun as outlined in the tightening section above. To repair larger more extensive damage areas, you may wish to obtain the appropriate VCOTE covering set for this model.

Question: One of the seams on my model has come loose. What have I done wrong? What should I do to reseal it?

Answer: Although we are very careful to tack all seams down and then to seal them as well, we are not perfect (although we're trying!) so the loosening of a seam may not be due to anything you are doing. Once a seam is in place properly we advise being very careful when cleaning the model to avoid wiping across the seam... wipe parallel to it. There are very few seams on VMAR models.

Generally seams are located at:

• The trailing edge of the wing (hidden by the aileron),
• The leading edge of the wing if swept or tapered,
• The leading and trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer,
• 1 or more seams on the bottom of the fuselage,
• Some models with shaped turtle decks may have a seam at the top of the fuselage running more or less along the spine.

If you do have a loose edge, clean any oil residue from the area and the edge and reseal with thin CA.

Question: My model is covered with VCOTE and I have noticed that there are some sags in the covering. What is causing this? Can I fix it? What should I do?

Answer: It helps to understand how the sags develop before we get into tightening things up to get rid of the sags.

In low humidity air such as is found in the hot desert areas or in continental winter conditions where cold outside air is brought inside and heated to 22C ( 70F), the underlying structure is drying and shrinking. Many modelers feel that the sags are caused by heat and to a point they are correct because hot conditions are often dry and most definitely heat is the key to solving the problem. However, the real underlying cause is low humidity air drying the structure out and as the structure drys it gets lighter and smaller. VCOTE will not shrink at normal room temperatures and you end up with,  in effect,  more covering on your model than you need!

The way to get rid of the sags is to shrink the VCOTE with a heat gun and rub it down into the substrate with a soft cloth once it has shrunk. Before you start firing up your flame thrower, please note the following procedure... if you get the method down pat, you will get a good result and not have to do this more than 1-2 times... 3 times at most. However if you assume that VCOTE is like Monokote or SolarFilm, you will make a hash of it and you will not be happy with the outcome. VCOTE is a thermal shrink film  and the technique for shinking it is similar to that used for ORACOVER (ULTRACOTE) without the use of a heat iron.

Remember SSB! As in 

SECURE the perimeter.

SHRINK to fit

BOND to the structure.

To tighten VCOTE, use a heat gun only. Do not use a heat iron. First, SECURE the perimeter by sealing and bonding the seams, edges and around perimeters. Use a heat gun set at around 225F and a soft cotton cloth or glove. Heat the perimeter edge in stages, just warm up a small area and then  press the warm covering down firmly with a soft cotton cloth to bond the perimeter of the covering to the underlying substrate. Do not overheat or the edge will pull back as the material shrinks. Always rub along seams, not across the seam. Higher temperatures may assist with complex curved surfaces. Avoid using more heat than required to prevent bubbles from forming beneath the covering or edges pulling back as the material shrinks. Remember you are just SECUREing the perimeter at this point. Be patient and work systematically starting with a small out of the way area first to gain experience.

AFTER SECURING the perimeter, SHRINK the interior areas to fit, using a heat gun set at around 225K. Heat about 1 square foot of area at a time, shrink the covering to fit and then rub the warm covering down firmly with a soft cotton cloth to BOND the covering to the underlying substrate. Over open bays heat the VCOTE until it is warm and sags slightly then remove the heat and the VCOTE will shrink tight over the open bay. Try this repeatedly until the covering over the open bay is tight. Higher temperatures may assist with complex curved surfaces. DO NOT APPLY EXTENSIVE HEAT NEAR EDGES & SEAMS. Always practise on the bottom of a less noticable section first. Be patient and work systematically. You will likely only have to tighten VCOTE once or twice to accomodate any shrinkage of the airframe in dry hot conditions.

To prevent or at least minimize the occurence of sags do not leave your model in a closed car parked in the sun. Here is some information that may help you avoid this problem.

Question: What would you recommend in the way of tools for working with Covering materials?

Answer: Here's a list of what we would suggest:

• A pair of sharp scissors
• An Xacto Knife with a SHARP #11 Blade
• A Heat Iron with controllable temperature (on VCOTE or VCOTE2-3DS use only for applying patches)
• A Heat Iron Sock (on VCOTE or VCOTE2-3DS use only for applying patches)
• A Heat Gun with controllable consistent output temperature
• A soft cotton cloth or glove.

Please note that the heat gun is particularly important. Unfortunately the standard RC covering heat gun has been driven down in price so that it is selling at times for usa$14.95-19.95. We say unfortunately because at that price we are getting exactly what we are paying for... a pretty crude unregulated heat producer. Even a decent hair dryer costs more!

Most of these low end RC covering heat guns do not monitor the heat coming out of the nozzle. They have a heating element that heats the air sucked into the back of the gun and a fan that blasts it out the front. The vanes at the back of the gun have a very limited effect on the output temperature. So... if you take a 1000 watt gun for example, and heat air that is at 50F flowing into the back of gun you get a fixed amount of temperature increase... lets say 350F and the outflowing air is at 50+350=400F. Now run the same gun with ambient air of 75F flowing into the back of the gun and the same 1000W of energy will increase this 75F air by 350 degrees to 425F. So depending on the ambient air temperature you get a different output temperature. To add to the confusion somewhat, adding a fixed amount of energy to dry air (low humidity) will change the temperature of the air more than if you add if you add the same amount of energy to moist (high humidity) air. This variation in output temperature due to changes in the ambient air and ambient humidity makes it very difficult to work out a reliable consistent technique when you are working with heat shrink covering. One day you get a "feel" for the right amount of heat, time and distance and everything goes great. The next day or a month later you try this with a different ambient air temperature and/or different humidity and your technique does not work... why? Because the temperature of the air flowing out of the gun has changed without you being aware of it.

What can you do about this to make your covering technique more consistent? Well sadly to say you either have to live with this problem or you have to dump the cheapy RC covering heat gun and get a heat gun that measures and controls the consistency of the temperature of the air flowing out of the gun.

There are a number of heat guns for shrinking heat shrink tubing that work well. They can be rather expensive but give you good control over the temperature you want AND hold that temperature consistently regardless of ambient temperature and humidity. It's nice to be able to select the temperature if you've got the cash to buy such a gun. If you need to watch your pennies a bit more carefully, we suggest opting for less control and go for consistency. Some of the lower priced heat guns intended for stripping paint do this. You will need to work out the distance and time technique that works for your covering but at least you will be doing so with a gun that is producing a reliable temperature output. We have used the Black & Decker #9756 with good results. This has two temperature settings, 500F and 1000F. Read the safety instructions that comes with the unit. Work with the 500F setting at a good distance at first (say 15") and move the gun frequently until you get a feel for it. Generally the closer you get and/or the hotter the air coming out of the gun, the quicker you have to move the gun (less exposure time) to avoid overheating the covering.