Hatz Biplane Association

Hi All,

I stumbled upon this neat link http://spenceraircraft.com/poly-fiber-c ... /hatz.html and I was wondering if other who have used this system can comment on the quantities that the estimator advises a Hatz builder to order.

Those quantities look about right except forget about the bias tape. You can get a much nicer job by heat forming a regular tape.
Regarding the process, I personally wouldn't use anything else, although I do use Ranthane for the topcoat when a really glossy finish is the goal. You do need a fresh air breathing system if you're shooting any 2 part catalyzed products though.
Mark

I ordered all my materials from Stewart Systems. They provided a materials list and I bought what they suggested. I made some changes and needed to order a few different quantities. I ended up using 1" reinforcing tape on the stringers instead of 2" and needed to order two additional 25yd rolls. 4 rolls total and I have most of one roll left. . I have 3 rolls of two inch left over some 3", 4" and most of a roll of 3" bias. 1 roll of 4" and 2 rolls of 3" was enough for the project. I used one piece of bias tape (70") for the vertical fin leading edge and another piece on the concave portion of the center section trailing edge. I have a few yards of ceconite 102 from a 55yard roll left over. If you go Stewart's; 3 gallons of blue-green and 1 gallon of linen (you'll have left overs of each if used carefully). I thinned out 1 quart of linen 10% then brushed and wiped the fuselage to simulate a linen look inside the cockpits. All other reinforcements on the fuselage got linen EkoBond. I have no blue-green EkoBond left and 3 pints of linen left. In learning, I wasted blue-green EkoBond in doing too many small jobs over too many session and too many brushes.

I bought two boxes of 2" brushes (36 pcs.) and two boxes of 1" brushes (36 pcs.) and a couple dozen 2" foam brushes from Harbor Freight so far. I took scissors and snipped the "flagged" ends of the brushes. This helped me force the EkoBond throught the fabric's weave. I've used 4 or 5 boxes of blue paper towels. I found cutting each towel in half reduced waste and wiped just as good as a whole towel. I found a pair of rotary Florian pinkers on EBay and had them reconditioned. Regular pinking shears would not cut the ceconite. I used nearly 200 unwaxed paper cups for the EkoBond.

I used an old Black and decker iron to shrink larger areas. The older irons don't shut off unless you tell 'em to. For smaller areas I used a Black Baron iron used by modelers on coverite coverings. I put Teflon tape on the bottom of the smaller iron to help it glide better over pinked edges and glued seams. The poly fiber spiral bound book was helpful even though I was using Stewart's. I put all my leftovers and covering tools in a box for future use.

I've seen references to Stewart's in this forum but I'm not sure anyone used it for their Hatz. For me, once I learned the best way to brush and wipe progress moved right along. I have a basement shop and there was never a complaint from above about any noxious smells. It's a very forgiving system.

I'm about to start the EkoFill painting with the waterborne system as all covering is complete. Hopefully colors before the snow melts. Good luck with your project and make haste slowly.

Hope some of this helps.

Thanks for the post! Taking the time to post details like this has saved me countless hassles, hours, and re-do's. I'm sure glad folks take the time to post.