Oratex?

James L · Post by **James L** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 12:31 am

Hi all.

At last year's Rally I saw The Light Aircraft Company's Sherwood Ranger, which was covered with a material called Oratex. It looked good.

I would like to re-cover my Avid Speedwing. I have ordered a sample pack of Oratex UL600 from TLAC and looks OK.

Before I commit to a purchase, it would be helpful to hear if anyone on here has any first-hand experiences of covering an aircraft with it?

Many thanks,

James

Brian Hope · Post by **Brian Hope** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:53 am

Hi James, the only person I know to have used it is Terry Francis of Reality Aircraft, though there are of course others. Terry will be exhibiting at the Rally so you can check out his Oratex covered aircraft and chat with him as an independant user of the material. He has always come across to me as enthusiastic about the material, application wise it does what it says on the tin so to speak, though he also comments that it does work out quite a bit more expensive than a doped ceconite finish.

tnowak · Post by **tnowak** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 8:09 am

Someone at my local airfield used Oratex to recover a tailplane in the last few months. I can ask him to get in contact with you.
Also, PM sent.
Tony N

James L · Post by **James L** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 8:54 am

Thanks Brian and Tony. Am going to the Rally. In fact was going to go help Nigel set up tomorrow, work permitting. I will check out this Oratex Escapade and see if I can find Terry.

Colin Thompson · Post by **Colin Thompson** » Sun Sep 04, 2011 11:11 pm

I was going to cover my Avid Hauler with this fabric , but the factory really let TLAC down by sending tapes and cloth of different types .
The adhesive for mk11 tapes has only just been tested , and now having used polyfibre to cover the aircraft , Oratex seems some what translucent in comparison .

James L · Post by **James L** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 10:55 am

Thanks Colin.

I got a sample pack from TLAC and had a play with it last night after a chat with another LAAer who used it to cover part of his VP1.

It's dead easy to use. My only criticism is that it didn't seem to tighten-up as much as Ceconite does. It's also way more expensive - am just trying to weight up the costs vs Ceconite + paint etc...

Bill McCarthy · Post by **Bill McCarthy** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 10:57 am

I saw the Oratex demo last year where they covered a small "picture frame" sized sample. After taughtening they battered the sample with a fist, causing quite a serious deformation in the fabric. On treating the affected area with the iron the defect came out returning the fabric to its original condition. I doubt that a doped example would tollerate that treatment. Another advantage in the material is that it has a matt finish which can mask many imperfections. A glossy finish shows up these like a sore thumb. The only major disadvantage of course is the price of the stuff - or maybe it has come down a bit since then.

Ian Law · Post by **Ian Law** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 12:03 pm

I'm considering using Oratex for my Boredom Fighter project, mainly to save weight and time. The matt finish is also more appropriate for the “BF”. Fuselage and tail unit are nearly ready for covering now, but I’m holding back until I can be sure it is suitable.

This process seems promising, but not yet widely used in the UK. Perhaps an item in the magazine sometime soon would be useful, looking at and testing the system objectively? I understand that the relative ease of application and not requiring any further finishing/ doping/painting may well offset the extra cost of the material quite significantly.

Ian

James L · Post by **James L** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 12:07 pm

I've requested a price on covering materials in Poly-Fibre. I had a go covering a wing in this at last year's rally and it looked like a nice system - goes solid as a rock, strong, pretty easy for an idiot like me to get a nice finish.

More to follow...

Bill McCarthy · Post by **Bill McCarthy** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 12:32 pm

Have you investigated "Stewart Systems" method of fabric covering. Take a look on Youtube for a demo on its application.

James L · Post by **James L** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 12:56 pm

Just checked the videos out. Looks like great stuff - could probably convince the girlfriend to help if it's not gassing off VOCs!

Anyone selling this in the UK? Can't see a supplier.

Bill McCarthy · Post by **Bill McCarthy** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:14 pm

The glue is water based I believe, therefore no need for prohibitive H&S measures. Agents are Aircraft Spruce and Speciality Co and LAS Aerospace in the UK deal with them.

Brian Hope · Post by **Brian Hope** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 3:07 pm

Hi James, the European distributor is based in France, see www.stewart-systems.eu
I have known Frank Vogels for some years, he is actually Dutch but lives in France, speaks very good English though. He is currently building a new facility (probably now completed) in North Burgundy about 100 miles south of Paris where you can do a course on covering with the Stewart System. I have been invited down for a course and hope to find the time to attend soon.
I could probably get him to come over and hold a seminar in the UK if there is sufficient interest and we can find a suitable location. I know he is keen to break into the UK market. There would need to be a charge but I think it could be done for a reasonable cost per person. The system has a US STC so should not present a problem with UK approval for Permit aircraft, though Engineering would need to be consulted.

Bill McCarthy · Post by **Bill McCarthy** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:58 am

A course in Burgundy - now that sounds like a good excuse for a get together !

James L · Post by **James L** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:01 pm

Thanks Brian. I do like the look of it, but having to get approvals etc sounds like I might be in for a wait. For the purposes of getting the job done, I'll stick with a tried-and-tested process this time.