Radio Control Giants - 2009/12

How-to: Fuselage lacing on cloth-covered aircraft
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Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Above: Cut several 9/16-inchwide
Solartex strips. The
length is determined by your
model. Ron Prestin’s are 49
inches long for the S.E.5a. It
takes two strips of material to
complete one lacing/stitching.
Right: Fold each strip at the
3/16-inch mark, using a ruler
edge, onto itself (glue side to
glue side). Seal with a
covering iron. The total width
of each strip is now 3/8 inch. Using a fine-point marker, mark every 1/2 inch, centered
on the doubled portion of the strip. This is
where you will install the eyelets.
Using a sharpened brass tube or similar
tool, punch out the holes. A drill bit will
also work. Do not use a knife; it could
promote a tear.
Insert the eyelet from the outer side of the
fabric—not the side against the model.
Install eyelets using the eyelet-setting tool.
Soft backing, such as leather or even
cardboard, will help set the eyelets; hardsurface
backing will distort the soft eyelet.
Once all eyelets are installed, iron the
completed strips. First, make a pencil line
where the two strips meet. In addition,
stagger the eyelets to form a zigzag
pattern.
Cut the end of the waxed cotton cord at a
sharp angle. Soak the end with thin CA to
form a sharp point like a needle. Shown is
an over/under stitch, which looks nice.
A fuselage side panel should look as shown.
Practice with a few on scrap material, to
get the hang of it. Neatly hide the loose
end in the seam.
The S.E.5a’s turtledeck has lacing along
the center spine, as shown. At this point,
the scale detail can be finished and painted
with the rest of the model.
WELCOME BACK TO the RC Giants
column. I’ll take this opportunity to wish all
readers and their families a happy and
healthy holiday season. Whatever your
beliefs, it couldn’t hurt to pass along some
good will toward men.
Every so often, I get the opportunity to
share great modeling ideas with readers.
Adding scale details to an airplane can
transform it into an authentic miniature.
AMA member and RC Giant modeler
Ron Prestin of Huntington, New York,
provided the accompanying technique for
fabricating scale-looking fuselage
stitching/lacing that is found on many World
War I and early fabric-covered aircraft. I
have seen many ways to make scale rib
stitching for wings, but I have seen little
about replicating lacing on the fuselage.
To start, I’ll list the materials you need to
accomplish this task. I am going to assume
that all aeromodelers have basic tools
readily available, such as scissors, X-Acto
knife, straightedge ruler, etc., so following
are only the special items you’ll need.
• Solartex covering material, available from
Balsa USA. Ron used the antique-colored
fabric.
December 2009 107
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• 1/16-inch short aluminum eyelets, available
from Volcano Arts.
• An eyelet-setting tool, also available from
Volcano Arts.
• Waxed cotton cord, available at your local
craft store, such as Michaels.
Ron developed this process while
working on his 1/4-scale Royal Aircraft
Factory S.E.5a, and he was kind enough to
photograph the sequence so he could share
it with us. Follow along with the
photographs and captions to find out how
this detailing technique works.
You’ll need to modify the lacing pattern
to suit your individual project. Ron used
1/2-inch spacing for his model. If you are
lucky enough to have a full-scale aircraft
nearby, you can take its measurements and
scale them down appropriately for your
airplane.
Nice work, Ron, and thanks again for taking
the time to share this procedure with your
fellow aeromodelers.
Please let me know if you have any
questions regarding Ron’s technique for
lacing. I’m sure he would be happy to
respond.
I’ll be back in the January 2010 issue! MA
Sources:
Balsa USA
(800) 225-7287
www.balsausa.com
Michaels
(800) 642-4235
www.michaels.com
Volcano Arts
Box 1
Volcano CA 95689
www.volcanoarts.biz
International Miniature Aircraft Association
www.fly-imaa.o