Warbird Information Exchange

Does anyone have a source for new Grade-A cotton aircraft fabric? I need quite a bit, but even a source for tape would be helpful!

Thanks,
Taylor

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Taylor Stevenson

Whoops! Meant to post this in the Restoration forum... Moderators please move when able.
Thanks,
Taylor

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Taylor Stevenson

Taylor,
Did you give Univair a call? I remember they used to still list it in the 90's and I had thought I was told by them that they took it off the catalogue but still had it in a back warehouse.

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

The Univair catalog still carries Grade A finishing tapes:
http://www.univair.com/categories/paint ... t=alphaasc

Tough to find, but you might try here:

http://www.vintagefabrics.co.uk/home/

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

I am not sure if we still have it, as there was talk about giving it away to a club, but we did have a ton of Cotton tape rolls. At least I believe they were cotton. They were however old, at that was why we were trying to get rid of them. Ill check tomorrow to see if we still have them.

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Tyler Pinkerton
Active Member of Air Heritage Inc. of Beaver Falls, PA.
Aircraft: C47B, C-123K, Fairchild F-24, Funk Model B, L-21B, T-28B, T-34B
Static: F-4C Phantom II, F-15A, T-3 Provost

Awesome! Thanks y'all. I'll check on this today!

T

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Taylor Stevenson

Cotton and dope is incredibly flammable. Please reconsider if you are thinking of using this on a flyable plane. Ray Stits made an excellent video showing how Cotton and dope go up like a roman candle compared to modern covering systems. No organization that has credibility will penalize a restoration for using a safer covering process. (except maybe the Brits, who are really retarded sometimes regarding certification IMHO)

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All I did was press this red button here...

LOL.

NMUSAF at Wright-Patt insist on it for WWII restos.

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

A couple of years ago I was picking up some Ceconite and dope from a fairly old, large, and established distributor and during conversation I casually asked him where I could find Grade A cotton fabric were I to need it. The question stumped him cold. He thought about it for abit and then stated that he'd have to sit down and give his phone a workout but overall he was skeptical about finding it. I'd like to find some myself (later on) as I've never covered an airplane with cotton and it's on my "bucket list". Dope's not particularly dangerous (unless you're a real WW1 purist and do the whole blasted thing in nitrate dope, in which case you're just asking for it!) but there's something about the smell of dope for me (even on Dacron) that just screams "flying machine". The scent of the pink stuff, though wonderful to use, just doesn't do it for me. You might try ringing up the boys at Old Rhinebeck. The WW1 German "lozenge" fabric is (was?) custom printed on cotton so they'd likely know a source. If you strike gold send me a PM.

Dan

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

Just buy some grade-A bedsheets at Wal-Mart... (just kidding)

You could get some dollar patches (warning, they actually cost $1.50- inflation), but it would take an awful lot of them: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/c ... kkey=34902

http://www.aircraft-spruce.com/catalog/ ... fabric.php

You may have to go to sources in the UK or Downunder for what you want if it is for a flyable aircraft. Otherwise you might be able to source some fabric and have it tested to Grade-A specifications. Another possibility for something similar is Irish Linen, but again there probably isn't a source for certified aircraft materials in the US.

Wouldn't work - bedsheets come pre-shrunk.

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

Last two days in a row I have been at the museum and have forgotten to look. However I just set myself a reminder for when i go so I will have an answer 2maro for ya.

Tyler

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Tyler Pinkerton
Active Member of Air Heritage Inc. of Beaver Falls, PA.
Aircraft: C47B, C-123K, Fairchild F-24, Funk Model B, L-21B, T-28B, T-34B
Static: F-4C Phantom II, F-15A, T-3 Provost

I have a friend up here in Washington who just recently came into possession of some Grade A cotton for a project he is working on and I asked him where he got it from. He mentioned that his source of the fabric got it from England around 2003. I guess there is no domestic source here in the US for Grade A cotton...

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Fly Low, Fly Fast!
http://kristopherlhull.zenfolio.com