Translations:KAVAN Covering film - Instruction manual/4/en

The KAVAN iron-on film is manufactured from a high strength yet very thin and light polyester polymer coated by a layer of heat-sensitive adhesive with high quality pigments. Covering is done using separate pieces of the KAVAN film to each surface of your model. Do not try covering a whole wing or fuselage by wrapping around a single sheet of the film. Always cut over sized piece (extra 2-3 cm along the straight edges, 4-6 cm along the wing tips/curves). Before application, peel off the clear protective liner and lay the film (adhesive side down) over the part of your model and iron-on.

Wing

Cover each panel separately, with one piece (or more in the case of a polyhedral wing) of the film for the underside and another piece(s) for the upper surface. Covering the half of a polyhedral wing using four pieces of the KAVAN film: (A) bottom side of the wing panel, (B) bottom side of the wing centre section overlapping at least 0.5-1 cm at the centre, (C) top wing panel, (D) side of the wing centre section overlapping at least 0.5-1 cm at the centre.

Fuselage

Apply four pieces one by one: bottom side, left and right sides, top side.

Corners (e.g. in the tail area)

Cover the corner by a narrow (2-3 cm) strip of the film and then apply the film to the large surfaces in the same manner as with the wing.

Preparation for Covering

A little extra time spent in thorough preparation will pay of later. With just slight exaggeration, the final appearance of your model depends more on the quality of the airframe surface than on the covering film itself. The aim is to have a smooth even surface all over your model. Fill all holes and cracks with a suitable filler and sand smooth. The filler may not be much harder than balsa around, otherwise it is difficult to get smooth surface as balsa would sand off easier. Remember, any lumps or unevenness will show through the covering if not sanded smooth. Pay extra attention to hard non-porous surfaces (plywood, veneer). You can treat them with a thin coat of a heat-sensitive glue before covering.

Note: If you are covering e.g. a wing bottom and top side, you are about to trap the air inside between the ribs. Drill a series of small holes (1 mm is OK) through the ribs allowing venting the air. Otherwise, following the natural law, the heated air will expand as you shrink the film. Once cooled down again, you will be left with ugly loose film.

Finally, sand the entire surface of the model with a very fine sand paper (No. 360 or finer). Before covering, remove thoroughly dust using a vacuum cleaner and dry soft cotton cloth.

Caution: Do not touch the surface of your model with the tip of your vacuum cleaner.