cotton fabric is it any good?

[wally]

Hello, I have a 1937 "A" model The fuslege is covered in cotton never been out of garage since it was covered. it has a couple cracks in the paint.
Also I have all the cotton sewen envelopes for the rest of the plane it seems to be a shame to throw all of this away, is it practical to use this fabric that is already on the plane and the new fabric that isn't?
And does anyone live neer Rockford, IL that works with cotton.

[midniteflyer52]

Re: cotton fabric is it any good?

Hi,
Check with Tom Baker in Effingham, Ill. He has an A model and might be able to help you.

Regards,

Glen Brodeur

[flyguy]

Re: cotton fabric is it any good?

I'm hesitant to be bearer of bad news, but I'll just say a few words here.
I have yet to hear of anyone having to replace dacron that was silvered and coated correctly. It just seems to hang in there untlil you get worried about the condition of the airframe under it. It is damn near industructable if is protected from SUNLIGHT with the correct coatings.
Cotton, well, EVERYTHING likes to eat cotton. If you keep the airplane, you'll have to recover it again in a few years and if you try to sell it, no one will buy it. (except at a project price.)
Maybe you can make something else out of the linen.
Sorry
Darryl

[flyguy]

Re: cotton fabric is it any good?

Ok, I can't stand giving you all bad news .
What I would do. (I've owned 3 tcarts, one with cotton on it.)
If you can get at least 2 AI's to punch the cotton on the fuselage and say it is good, you can just cover the wings with a good dacron process and go fly your plane for a while. When the cotton gives up you just recover that part. It follows my keep sane policy of "fix a little, fly a little." that works for me.
You'll find the envelope price is small compared to the coatings.

All you airplane fixers in the group, chip in with an opinion here.
Darryl

[Robert Lees]

Re: cotton fabric is it any good?

There are some aviation establishments (flying museums, etc, the like of Rhinebeck and the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden) who like to rebuild aircraft as close to the original as possible. But, these cotton- and linen-covered aircraft require recovering a lot more frequently than when using dacron.

It might be fair to say that if they had dacron in the early part of the last century, early manufacturers would definitely have used it in preference to cotton.

Wally, my own opinion is to freely offer the cotton envelopes to your local aviation museum for the repair of their exhibits, and to use dacron on your own aircraft, unless you absolutely, have to, must have, definitely, the original fabric.

As Darryl says, keep going with the fuselage until it needs to be recovered, then use dacron.

Rob

[jrzangger]

Re: cotton fabric is it any good?

I restored my 46' in 1997 with Ceconite and Randolph dope. I have not seen any indication of ageing other than a little fading of the red paint on top of the wings and fuselage. I helped my dad recover a 46' in 1970 with Grade A. He has always kept the plane in a hangar and it is still in excellent condition. No weather cracking or any other signs of ageing either! There may still be some issues with today's Grade A and I would agree that a dacron product should be used on a new restoration but don't be afraid of the Grade A still on the plane if it tests OK. Keep your plane in a hangar as it is the least expensive insurance you can buy for your plane, without a doubt.