Hello,

I'm new to dope finishes, and need help before I make a mess.

When I cover with Monokote/Ultracote and glue on the tail section after covering,
I need to cut back the covering down to the bare wood at the glue joint so the epoxy has something to bite into.

Do I need to do the same thing (peel back the covering) with Silk and nitrate dope?
Or will the epoxy penetrate through the dope and give a good joint?

Should I mask off this area when prepping for silk, and make sure I don’t dope that section of wood?

FWIW, I'm using 5mm habotai silk from Dharma, Randolph Nitrate dope and thinner, and West System epoxy.
I'm going to glue a test piece later today, but was wondering what the the accepted process is here.

Thanks in advance!

I guess I do it the hard way.  I cover after the plane has been assembled.  The epoxy and cloth go inside the fuselage/wing joint before the top/bottom blocks go on.  On profiles I usually don't cover until the wing and stab are glued in.   

There was an aticle years ago abut glue joints and glue.  A lot depends on the type of joint and use.  I can remember covering combat wings completely before gluing the tail booms on.  Same with engne mounts.  Of course the engine mounts usually had a dowel down thru the mount and leading edge.  Never had one come loose from the covering. 

That is the way I was told when I first started flying.  Worry about finish after you can fly your best.  Also concentrate on building light and straight.