Getting close now. I still need to put thin balsa on sides between cowling and front cockpit to mimic the sheet metal; put a couple of stringers down the sides behind that; fill, final shape and sand. As of now, the top wing is still removable. The "I" struts will be removable when finished, but I'm struggling with a decent way to make the entire wing removable. As of now, the cabane struts will be epoxied into the upper center section after everything is covered. The sole reason I'd like a removable top wing is so I could play with the angle of incidence, if necessary. But this isn't going to be a stunt machine, so it's probably fine as is.
I have both Koverall and heavy silkspan. My initial thoughts are to cover the fuselage and tail with silkspan and use Koverall on the wings. Fill the weave with nitrate. The only reason I'd use Koverall over silkspan on the wings is that I'm less likely to punch a hole in it. I don't really care about mimicking fabric weave because this isn't a spot-on accurate reproduction of the plane my dad built (like Fred Cesquim's beautiful Smith Miniplane), but just the best I could do using a picture of the plane, set of calipers, my limited skills and judgement calls on realistic vs. buildable vs. flyable. And the truth is, you couldn't see the weave on the real plane either, because I spent a hundred hours wet sanding coat after coat of silver as a kid.
After covering though, I'm stuck. I absolutely cannot spend a ton of money on dope/paint/supplies because I answer to my other half. And the paint scheme is fairly complex (see bottom picture of plane dad built). I have some white Sig, but probably not enough. I have some red Sig, but it is too light. I have some dark red Brodak I had mixed from clear (darker than dad's plane, but close enough). I have some black (if it isn't too thick by now, and I fear it is). I could buy some additional dope if I go that direction. OR, I thought about using spray can enamels. But I'm fearful the fuel will make a mess of it. And no matter how careful I am, I'm like Pigpen when it comes to fueling and starting an engine. Another option is two-stage auto paint, but based on the stuff I bought 20 years ago, a three-color scheme would make that $150 minimum, so that's probably not in the cards.
If the plane flies and isn't destroyed, it probably won't be flown more than 20 times or so before it is hung from a ceiling near the N numbers cut out from the real plane when it was recovered a few years ago. I could change my mind on that though.
Is spray enamel over nitrate OK ?? Is it fuel proof enough (fuel for Saito .56) ?? Is it pretty enough ?? I generally build 10 footers (I'm not capable of the finishes you guys are). If I'm lucky, this will be a five footer. The thought just warming up and shaking cans, and of not having to set up a spray rig, finding thinner/retarder is mighty attractive. I haven't finished a plane in probably 18 years, so the easier and more fool-proof I can make it, the better.
Thanks for any suggestions/tips/advice.