Stewart System

[Ray36048]

Re: Stewart System

No matter what system you use, follow the instructions very carefully. Too many times people think they know a better way than what the instructions say.

I have used Poly Fiber on several aircraft without any problems. I talked to a guy who used it for the first time and had nothing good to say about it. The fabric was extremly loose. I went back and reviewed the instructions, there is a warning about overheating the fabric during shrink. There is only about 10 degrees difference between the correct number of 350 and having the fabric start to melt and lose all tension, forever.

[N96337]

Re: Stewart System

The Blue River system is NOT the Stewart's System! They are totally different.
There were lots of problems the Blue River system, fabric, glue, and topcoat...
While Stewart's is not hard to apply or work with, it IS different. It's not the same as the "tried and true" systems that you could just slop stuff on and get results that weren't that much different than the guy that really was careful and didn't stray from procedures. If you can't read and explicitly follow directions to the letter, you're not going to get the type of results that are possible with a little attention to detail. Like I said before...not hard, just different.
The "rumor mill" never ceases to amaze me! Humans will blame everything else but themselves for anything that they do wrong 99.9% of the time! Then the "report" gets better and better every time someone tells it!
I remember one time a guy called me on the tech line, mad and complaining about a bunch of runs in his topcoat, claiming there must be something wrong with the paint! I responded that he must've gotten a batch that was mistakenly sent out with runs in the cans! After a rather long pause, he calmed down, we went over what he'd done (and hadn't done) and he was in a much better mood when he hung up. Later he called back and told me he'd strained the runs out of that can and all went well.
I've had students set an iron on a control surface, only to have it melt right through the fabric...they immediately blamed the fabric...what we found was that the iron was set all the way on high (back when you could still get a really good iron) and they finally admitted that they hadn't checked temps with a thermometer.
I love to catch people having problems with paint, when they have NO idea what ratios or exact proportions they just mixed, or what the exact viscosity is!
What I'm trying to get across here is that anything that is "new" or "different" is going to have alot of BS spread about it, and almost all of it, even if there is a "golden thread of truth" in it, will be exaggerated, and blamed on everything but the person that most likely screwed it up in the first place.
If you've read the PolyFiber manual, you'll have seen "Leroy" the expert... seems that aviation is full of them. They've got no real experience to back it up, but they sure have an opinion and are more than happy to share it.
I've used Stewarts for years...long before it was Stewart's. I've tried about every fabric system I could find in the past 30 years.... haven't had alot of problems with many, but did have some problems with a few. I love Stewarts and am more than happy to recommend it! My advice to you Magman, would be to try it yourself, then if you don't like it, you have your own reasons, not the rumor mill's reasons!
John

[magman]

Re: Stewart System

The reason I'm pursuing this is there are a few folks that will be starting

fabric projects in the near future & want me to RECOMMEND a process.

Most of them have very little fabric experience.

Past projects like this went well after first doing a 1 foot square

test panel.

Going SLOW can be good!



WHAT was "Stewart's" before it became "Stewart's"?


It is secondary if I "like" a system going on; but I could LOVE it for staying on!


Yes; I realize Irish Linen is not coming back!

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Stewart System

Man, I LOVED working with Grade A cotton and Nitrate, then Butyrate dope. I learned from two of the BEST (Al and Mary Jenkens) and he would throw you out of the shop for just talking about synthetic fabrics. He could patch a hole in a cotton/dope surface and you couldn't even see it. Great memories.
Hank

[magman]

Re: Stewart System

After working with some of that stuff I'm amazed that ANY brain function

remains at all!

At times Piper used "pre-doped fabric". (clear)

Taylorcraft?

[midniteflyer52]

Re: Stewart System

Greetings all,

Did anyone ever come up with a ballpark estimate of what it would cost to recover a Tcraft or Cub using this system? I emailed Stewart and never got a response.
Thanks,
Glen Broduer
TF # 42

[N96337]

Re: Stewart System

Magman, sorry I didn't see the question about what it was called before until just now.... It was Aircraft Finishing Systems before.

Here's a link to a recent thread over at SC.org about it...

http://www.supercub.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=22432&highlight=

Midnight... I haven't sat down and done an estimate for a long time... but one thing to remember, you're not going to pay hazmat shipping, nor is the "thinner" very expensive (pure water), so that would make it comparable, or maybe even a little less expensive???

John

[magman]

Re: Stewart System

John

Good lead.

As I stated there are a few folks considering the different processes.

Sellers tout the +'s & ignore the -'s.

Most comments seem to be:

1. Less ( or NONE) chemical exposure.

This refers primarily to fumes.

Toxicity via CONTACT? ( I'm sloppy)

2. Using the same paint on fabric & metal eliminates color match problems.

Some years ago the "Aviation Mechanics Journal" featured a cover

that appeared "multi-colored".

It all came out of the same can.

If sub-strates are identical then you should get matching colors.

Also matching fade rates .

To me that's a plus.


3. Haz-mat charges can be out of this world.

We can substitute "Lake Erie's Finest".


We have a thing we call "Wing Night".

Originally it was applying Air-Tech on an Ercoupe.

Of course we finish the night with Pizza & -----.

This would be a good time to dig up old rudders or ailerons.

I have fabric already.

Maybe we can order coatings & try it on a cold Feb night?

[asq]

Re: Stewart System

Greetings all,

Did anyone ever come up with a ballpark estimate of what it would cost to recover a Tcraft or Cub using this system? I emailed Stewart and never got a response.
Thanks,
Glen Broduer
TF # 42

Glen,
Your Stewart's quote would be somewhere under $3200. They are having problems with their internet provider. Verison sold to Frontier? and they are losing emails. Try again or call 888 356 7659 or 509 782 3626 and talk to Marjie. Tell her Larry Huntley sent you.
I have been working with this for about 5 yrs and will never use any other. It is cheaper and lighter and you don't get the permanent stain marks like you do with Polytone.
If you want to see what it looks like ,I just recovered a set of wings on an Ercoupe for a fellow in Hartford, Conn. I can put you in touch w/ him.
Larry Huntley, Dundee, NY

[n6346m]

Re: Stewart System

I have heard that Stewart System is very sensitive to temperature during installation. 70-75 degrees required. Although my hangar is heated, I am cocerned about field repairs in lower temperatures. We can duct tape until summer I guess, but even in the summer it doesn't get very warm in Alaska. How well does this process hold up in -20 weather. We have a lot of fabric covered airplanes here in Alaska but I find very few who have used it. Almost all rebuilders use poly-fiber here and it is difficult to find anyone with any history with the Stuart process.

[N96337]

Re: Stewart System

Try Vicki, up in Fairbanks (http://www.tamarackair.com/index.htm )...she's using it alot and loving it from what I hear.
JH

[midniteflyer52]

Re: Stewart System

Hi Larry,

Thank you for your helpful response.

Regards,

Glen Brodeur