Anyone used Oratex ?

[muleyman78]

Hey guys. Almost ready to cover my bird and was going to use stewarts system but recently I've been considering Oratex. I like the idea of not sealing or painting all of it. I do want to have a certain graphics on the plane so i was thinking of covering the whole plane in white then paint my graphics on over the oratex. Anyone done this ?

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Mark Goldberg has covered his LSA with it. There are one or two who are actively covering with it. Do a search on Oratex and you’ll find several lengthy discussions on the topic. It’s gaining traction.

[svyolo]

Going to Google and searching on Oratex Bearhawkforums works better than searching an online forum. Most forum search platforms are not that great.

[rodsmith]

I have also been taking a hard look at it. One of my concerns is matching whatever I paint the forward aluminum with to the fabric, carrying trim lines across etc. Yes they have paint that matches their fabric but you have to pay hazmat charges shipped from Europe so it ends up being very expensive. Hard to get good info on what other paints will work, what prep would be needed when vendors only want to talk about their system. What I am starting to look into is a no paint plan. I decided early on that my wings were going to be polished aluminum. Vinyl covering is starting to gain popularity for covering metal aircraft like RVs and Zenairs. If done right it looks like the plane was painted, even up close, it is lighter than paint. So a "paint scheme" could be devised using vinyl on the cowl, boot cowl and doors, with trim lines or design carried back onto the oratex covering. Sounds like eventually both the vinyl and oratex will fade from UV exposure so this is only a viable option for a plane that will be hangared. Even if I don't use it on the exterior I think oratex is a great option if using a fabric interior. I asked Paul Mills with oratex about using the 600 grade in the interior. He advised for a utility plane that the 6000 might be better. Sounds to me like a better option than spraying coverings in a tight space. I am not yet sold on the oratex for exterior covering but will be doing a lot more research into it. Would love to hear anyone's experience with it.

[whee]

There was some Oratex talk in this thread:https://bearhawkforums.com/forum/too...y-guns-systems

[rodsmith]

Just found this, ton of info positive and negative from those using it, lots of helpfull info on installing it, 7 pages, no time to go thru it all right now http://www.supercub.org/forum/showth...x-Fabric/page1

[Tim213]

I will be using the Oratex for the exterior covering, and am waiting for it to ship to me now. I researched it extensively and like previous mentioned there are pros and cons. I found a builder (not a Bearhawk) using it at Hawthorne airport and had several frank discussions with him on it. I then went to see it In person. There is a learning curve like any new process and he showed me what he did right and the areas he made mistakes. The biggest one was he had a wrinkle he was trying remove and he turned up the heat a bit to remove it which it did. However the extra heat removed the sheen on the fabric and it was noticeable, not good. But overall his covering looked nice to me and the process is much simpler and faster so it confirmed my use of Oratex. Only major downside is it is more expensive.

[rodsmith]

What are you planning for the wings and fuselage aluminum?

[schu]

Everything has pros/cons. For me the Oratex finish is lacking, and it's expensive. Those are bigger issues for me then being less toxic, lighter, and quicker, so others with different priorities love the stuff.

[whee]

For the past while I have debated sharing my very limited experience with Oratex and I guess I will. I hope everyone understands that when I share my experiences/opinions/thoughts that's all I'm doing. It doesn't mean that I'm right or that I think someone else is wrong or that my opinion won't change. I'm here to share my experience and learn from others so that I may end up with the best BH for me and help other end up with the best BH for them.

Here is my initial impressions from a couple years ago:
I don't have any real fabric experience either. Couple years ago a local guy gave me some Ceconite and Stewart's glue to mess around with. It was really easy to use and make look good. I don't have any experience with Stewart's paint.

I ordered the Red and Blue Oratex samples. I really like the red.

I made up some frames so I could see how it was to work with.

It really wasn't too bad and with some practice you could make the round corners look better.

There were pretty much 4 things that made me change my mind:
1. It was a little harder to work with. Ex: you couldn't iron out wrinkles on the curved tubes like you can Stewart's.

2. The color is really thin and easily rubs off when ironing.

3. Because you aren't painting the tape edges are left exposed. I don't like how that looks and feels.

4. Cost. Quote I got from Oratex was $4500 if I cut and glued my own tapes and $6000 if I got the package they recommended. The quote I got from Stewart's was $2500 for everything.

I was willing to pay the extra cost just so I didn't have to paint but the other things things I didn't like pushed me back to Stewart's.

So we had pretty much decided to use Stewarts but we put the Oratex samples on my dad patio for a year and this is what we got:



It is important to note that when I ordered my samples they were out of the heavy 6000 series fabric in blue so they sent my the light weight 600 series in blue but said the color was the same. The Orange is 6000 series. Both fabrics held up to much abuse (me jumping on them when glued between tubes) when they were new.

The orange color, which I really liked, faded significantly.

The blue color didn't fade as much but it did fade some. While handing the framed sun exposed fabric I poked it hard with my finger and was able to poke a hole in it. I realize this is the light weight fabric but if it degraded that much with just a year of exposure then how long would the 6000 series last? After poking the hole in the blue sample I went back to the orange and tried my best to make a hole with my finder but couldn't.

The fading and weakening of the lighter fabric is what ultimately made my decision. My airplane will see lots of sun so this is a major factor for me. If your airplane will be hangared 100% of the time except when you pull it out to go a for a ride then it may be no factor for you.

[svyolo]

Whee;
Good info.

When I found out the price, I was at first taken aback with the Oratex. If I had to justify my "crazy project" and its price, to my spouse, I wouldn't touch it.

I doped enough fabric on model airplanes a very long time ago and never liked it. Most of us transitioned to a mylar shrink film (Monokote) or a cloth similar to Oratex, but 4 dollars a yard instead of $$$.. Because I am a bit time/space/environmentally challenged to paint an airplane, it makes more sense for me to use the Oratex. Also, for me looks are not that important, as I think I will be abusing the heck out of the plane Easy repair is a bigger factor for me than initial looks.

So I guess I am going to use it as a rational decision for my needs, but a bit reluctantly based on price. I don't think the price justify the small weight savings, if weight savings is your primary motivator. Other factors push it over the top for me.

What I really want to do is female molded composite, but it will take about the same number of hours for me as traditional cloth. I am going to ask the local DAR what he thinks. I doubt I will do it, at least for the initial covering. Maybe the re-cover in 10 years. Right now I want to get an airplane in the air.