Greetings: I hate to be the bearer of very bad news but this impacts RC combat in all of its forms. According to Battler's Connection, the North American makers of silkspan have apparently ended production. BC was looking into European suppliers. When (and if) they find them, the price for European silkspan will be quite high given the fact that we will be asked to help pay off the Euro Debt Crisis. One can swap out gift wrap tissue paper from a Dollar General for the silkspan but it will be thicker. Independent builders like myself can make the switch but those following assorted rules for weight and penetration ability may have some issues. MMJR Astatula, FLA
There has been a long discussion thread about this on the MWCI email lists. Several alternatives have been suggested but no standard replacement has been decided upon.
I am glad I have a stock to tide me over till a good replacement is made; I bought two rolls as soon as I heard Easy Build Models might still have some. It's not the super-thin stuff, but it's far from the thickest I've seen used.
Greetings from Florida: I think I might have found a substitute for silkspan ! I tried a few sheets of gift wrap paper that I bought at Dollar Tree. It did not have the wax feel of the previous gift wrap paper I got from Dollar General. It seems to go well with model airplane dope and the paper adheres to the wood well. It is also thin and comes in a larger quantity than the Dollar General material. If the boat floats, well, I think the silkspan problem is resolved. MMJR
While searching for more silkspan I came across some info and a possible replacement. Info wise, we are hearing that K&S's (the silkspan supplier) silkspan manufacturer discontinued making it. K&S is reportedly searching for a new manufacturer, going as far as to send out samples of the original stuff. As for a replacement, I found a place in Alabama that cater's to small free flight and controline aircraft. They have a locally made product that sounds like it is near the same weight as 00 silkspan. I've ordered a roll of it and will report when it comes in.
Yup, looking into a number of alternatives here too. Not really worried about it as there are tons of options and pretty much any light tissue will do in a pinch. Heck we could probably sheet with good old public toilet single ply if we wanted to. Lots of options, just need to figure out how they stack up vs eachother.
Single Ply might actually work if it is the firmer rougher government grade. Just don't use the quilted type since it absorbs water and looks lumpy.
Don't go there, I will start thinking of Monty Python....... Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam! Nothing but Spam.
Welp, happy to report that the silkspan alternative came in today and it is usable. It is about 1.5 times thicker than 00 silkspan, which puts it around 000 weight silkspan. I wouldn't use multiple layers of it on the balsa like I do with 00 silkspan. Well, ok, perhaps two layers on one side at the most. heh. It is available from Easy Built Models (www.easybuiltmodels.com/parts.htm#silkspan) and comes in a 10' x 17.5" rolls for $7.99. It weighs 1.3 grams per square foot. By the way, 00 silkspan is 0.89 grams per square foot. It has a tighter grain but still translucent. I'll use it the next time I have to sheet a ship and report how it works out.
Let us know how it reacts to bb damage. It maybe possible to chemically modify the new stuff if it proves to be too strong to make a good substitute. Ron Hunt
Greetings from Florida: Somehow, a slightly thicker silkspan will not make a difference in penetration of a BB. Dreadnaught.
I doubt the test stuff will have any issues. I've personally seen BBs go through balsa treated with 5 layers total. The sheeting passed the drop test too.
Stronger thicker tissue will not stop a bb, and may pass the drop test, but may cause the holes to tear out larger chunks of balsa, especially with multiple hits in a small area. That is what happened to me when I tried the thick silkspan a long time ago, but we have a better overall understanding now about how to keep the holes small. Ron Hunt
With the latest run of battles that have been completed has anyone tried any alternative solutions or are people using the last silkspan they had? Just wondering...I've got 2 ships to sheet here by August and the supplies around here have dried up.
I've patched with generic tissue paper before and had no problems, but never sheeted a full ship with it. Still using the silkspan I've got. Have enough to make it through the year at least.
Although I did find and get an alternative model aircraft tissue, I did not get to test it during this past weekend battle. Next opportunity will be over the July 4th weekend.
This past weekend finally saw a combat test of an alternative silkspan tissue I ordered some months back. The stuff is about 50% thicker than the discontinued 00 Silkspan. Wanting a fair test, the new tissue was attached in a single layer on each side of the balsa using clear laquer. It had no problem at all passing the drop test. Overall, the alternative silkspan worked well. It prevented chunks and gave nice clean holes most of the time. There was still some gashes made by high angle hits. Hits did not spawn cracks. It is now my default tissue until/if 00 silkspan ever comes back on the market. The 00 silkspan stock in my garage will be used for patching only. The new tissue is available at http://www.easybuiltmodels.com/parts.htm#silkspan (11th item down the page) at $8.99 for a 10' roll x 17.5" witdth.
