Building Tips and technical articles. > Paint and finishing
How I Cover With Silk
Bootlegger:
Larry B, how much do you thin your dope that you apply to the silk?
My wing is ready for some clear, and I would like some thoughts/suggestions on this.
Oh, I would like thought's/ suggestions from thr other men on this also..
Thanks.
One more P S the dope that I am gonna use is Tautening Randolph clear for the silk.. :##
larry borden:
I usually thin the butyrate clear at least 50-50, but I spray the coats on. I use nitrate tautening, for the first few coats, then switch to butyrate NT. I use Randolph dope for everything, except I use Brodak's crystal clear for the final coats after all graphics have been put on.
Jim Kraft:
For applying the silk, and the first few coats with a brush, I thin butyrate about 65 to 70%. That will be thin enough to keep it from running through, and if it does there won't be enough solids to make a blob. The 5mm Dharma silk will be filled after about 3 coats of this mix. Since I do the complete finish with a brush, I just continue brushing clear dope at slightly thicker until I get a nice sheen. At that point I wet sand everything with 400 grit. I then apply a few more coates of clear dope thinned at least 60%. If it looks good at this point, I go ahead and do the color coats with the color thinned at least 60% also. I then go with a couple of coats of clear again thinned at least 60%. If you keep your dope thin it will keep brush marks to a minimum and I usually don't even sand the plane except for that one time. When it is all done and for a super finish, wet sand with 600 grit wet, and then rub it out with Dupont white rubbing compound.
When I do the trim colors, I mask off for the color, and use a small brush to paint clear along the edge of the tape to keep the colors from bleeding under the tape. After applying the color, and before removing the tape, I give the trim colors a coat of clear. That keeps the colors from smearing when applying the overall clear coats later on. Some colors won't smear, but others will without the clear on them first.
I use a good quality camel hair brush for all doping, and don't ever brush the dope more than three strokes per brush load of dope.
There are many tricks to getting a good finish with a brush that I think you just have to learn by doing. I have been brushing all my planes for the last 16 years, and just do a lot of things without really thinking about it.
DanielGelinas:
Thanks for the info!! 8)
Looking forwand to trying this.
Question: Can someone tell em where I can get Non taunteneing dope products? Sig?
Seems sike brodaks just has the tauntening dope...
Thanks,
-Dan H^^
larry borden:
I use Randolph dope with the exception of Brodak's crystal clear. I get mine from Tex-Air in Fort Worth. Any aircraft maintenance supllier should be able to get it. All Randolph colors are non-tautening, I called and asked.
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