I'm curious, do you apply one brushed coat of dope right before laying down the wet silkspan? Or do you apply do you lay the the wet silkspan on top of the previously applied 3 coats , already dried on the part?

I would brush on a coat, put the silkspan on wet then brush on another coat. Blushed like crazy.

MM

After sealing the wood (two/three coats sanded smooth or until the wood "clicks" when tapped with a fingernail) I do a thinned door on the perimeter of the part being covered. Then the slightly dampened covering is massaged/pulled into position and doped.down with the same thinned dope.

I fly smalls, so I may consider doping the frame and adhering.my covering with a glue stick and iron.

I put on three coats of dope on bare balsa, lightly sanding between coats.  Then I wet the silkspan with a spray bottle and lay it on the balsa and smooth out wrinkles.  Then I apply dope over the silkspan and rub with finger to get good adhesion.  Once dried, I  apply at least 3 more coats of dope, lightly sanding between coats.  Then it should be ready or close to being ready for primer.  If not using primer you may need several more coats of clear to fill the balsa grain.  I hope this helps, but it does work for me.

Don

Thank you for the feedback gentlemen. For solid surfaces, I have always brush a coat of clear then immediately put the wet silkspan over it. My theory is it ruins the flatness.

Kevin

Quote from: Kevin K on February 14, 2026, 06:45:35 AM
Thank you for the feedback gentlemen. For solid surfaces, I have always brush a coat of clear then immediately put the wet silkspan over it. My theory is it ruins the flatness.

Kevin

i apply 3 coats of thinned dope 70 % on the bare wood.. i dont apply any dope before laying down the wet silk or silkspan,pull it tight then apply dope and and rub it in with your fingers then apply more dope.....you can reaplly dope to soften the dope and pull out any wrinkles if you need too

ALL of the mentioned methods work OK.   Silkspan is totally forgiving of just about anything.   It usually will shrink enough to look like a pro job regardless.    Just rub it down around the perimeter with wet dope applied whether from virgin wood or pre-doped.   The doping underneath is mostly attempting to fill the woodgrain some.   A somewhat nicer end result is to fill the wood with the feather light spackling from any hardware store.   Spatula it on with an old credit card.   It will dry in around 30 minutes.  Then sand most all of it off with say 220 grit paper.   The wood will be fully filled and weigh NOTHING more than when you started.   Wipe all the sanding dust off with a swiffer or tack cloth.   Apply one thinned clear coat of dope which will become an adhesive for the silk span.   Once dry apply the silk span,  tea bag paper or whatever.    After about five coats of clear it should be ready for color.   For best finish wet sand the clear with 800-1000 grit paper before color.   This is about 90% sandpaper and 10% doping.    The wet sanding foam pads are superb for this. These are found in auto parts stores .  You can also order them on line through Ebay at a very much cheaper price.  Hardware stores usually sell only the much more course grits.   I'm getting 1000, 2000. 3000 grits and finally 5000 if I intend to rub out the final finish.  Go easy over the tops of the ribs as not to sand too deeply into the covering.   Once again clean the surface to remove grit before the color is applied.   Windex or rubbing alcohol and paper towels work ok. 

Dave