Poly Fiber and a Pink Interior
Welcome back to part 2 of the Poly-Fiber Stinson L-5G restoration blog. After making the decision to use the Poly-Fiber system on my L-5 restoration the first thing I did was get the Poly-Fiber "How to Cover" manual. Reading the first chapters gave me a really good impression of what was waiting for me in the next month during the restoration and covering process. From the looks of it the manual didn't seem like witchcraft and a good challenge for anyone who has to left hands.
The last pages were the most important to me because I needed to figure out how much material I would need. The information about material estimates were a good guide to start. In Germany we do not have an official Poly-Fiber distributor, so I started looking at other European countries. I found a company which gave me good support and was very helpful.
Poly Fiber has the Solution
During the process there was a point where I was thinking about a solution to solve the problem with the colored (pinkish) Poly-Brush. The inside of my L-5 is not covered with leather or other fabric. You´ll see the inside of the covering job everywhere and honestly I don't want to have a pink military airplane, in which everything is flat olive drab.The former restorer also made the same mistake and used the blue colored fluid on the previous covering job.
BUT even for this case Poly-Fiber had a solution for me. They offered Un-tinted Poly-Brush. Working with this product was a little difficult because you don't see it as as good as with the pink stuff where you already have brushed it.
But with a little logic its the perfect way to cover a former US Air Force airplane. Another important thing to remember is when someone wants to tell you that it's okay to use un-certified Poly-Fiber Fabric on a certified plane, they are wrong. These "Leroy's" will tell you there is no difference and that nobody is keeping an eye on the stamp. Please read the manual, read the STC! Use certified fabric on your certified plane (referring to the manual however, you can use un-certified fabric on plywood covered surfaces).
I ordered my desired amount of Poly Brush, Poly Spray, Reducer, Tapes, BIAS Tape, Rip Lacing Cord and received it within a week. Ordering from the US was not ideal, because the shipping cost is huge. Dangerous goods shipping is not cheap. Getting the stuff from a closer company was really nice. Soon the car was loaded with boxes full of fluids, fabric and accessories to finally start rebuilding my airplane.
So let the fun begin! The next blog will feature the first steps of the covering process. Preparing the fuselage and measuring the fabric.