Covering With Solite Page 3

Tack down the covering to the spar out at the wingtip for a couple of inches, and voila! Those ugly wrinkles you were hoping to see go away will now stay there on their own. Don't worry about it! Note that when I say wingtip, I mean the very last vertical rib. The overhang we left in the covering earlier will be used for the wingtip itself.

At the leading and trailing edge near the center of the wing, precisely forward and aft of where you tacked the covering to the spar, stick it to the wing. Pull it tight before tacking it down, of course. The wrinkles will double up and become diagonal on you.

I should point out that all of these steps I'm doing on both halves of the wing at the same time. Do one side, and then the other for every little step. That way you're not fighting loose covering when you're nearly done one side:

Do the same at the last rib, pulling tight mostly across the wing, but slightly outboard to tighten any slack between the tip and root where you've tacked the covering down, as shown below:

My favorite method of pulling the covering tight, holding the wing, and ironing all at the same time with only two hands is to use the weight of the wing to help you. As seen below, the leading edge is still on the table, but I'm holding the trailing edge up and pulling the covering at the same time:

Work your way along both the leading and trailing edges tacking the covering down along the whole distance. If you get some minor wrinkles, leave a bulge in the covering and a 1/4" un-ironed space on either side of it. Do NOT just iron it down or it could become permanent.

Leading Edge

Once that's accomplished (and don't forget to do the other side) go around the entire wing, ironing down the covering to the very outer edges of the wing. Don't fold the covering around any edge yet, as that's coming up after some trimming.