I need to finish an all-sheeted plane and would like to use dope and silkspan.  It's been a long while since I've done this and need some advice.

How do I remove the folds and wrinkles in the silkspan before applying?  Considering ironing or possibly wetting and laying out flat to dry before applying. Some of what I have is quite wrinkled from being badly rolled.  This just needs to be a utilitarian finish, not a prize winner.

An option is is 3/4 oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin, which I have.  Something lighter and simpler is my goal.

Thanks, Jim

with silkspan , silk and tissue, I iron it first until it's free of wrinkles.

The glass cloth is stronger because of its continuous threads. It will make a stiffer surface, especially if you use epoxy. I've found the epoxy/glass to be marginally lighter than epoxy/veil, because it seems to take less epoxy to fill. Weighing like-quality and -sized dope/glass and epoxy/glass samples, I've found them to be close in weight, with the glass lighter. With the epoxy resin, you get more mess and sanding work, but with the dope, you have to keep re-coating, as the dope shrinks into the weave. I think the dope can float the glass some, making it heavier. I let a microscopically thin epoxy first coat dry to a tack as it adheres the rolled-in glass, before I squeegy on a second coat to fill the weave. That keeps the glass down against the wood. The second coat can be a real pain to get right though, if the resin sets too fast (spread it out in a foiled paper plate).

Thanks, Gerald. I need to try that. When I get it close but uneven, it IS difficult to sand, without sanding into the glass in places.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.  Thus far I've put two thin coats of nitrate on the wings and tail and steam ironed a few sheets of tissue.  The tissue came out better than I thought.  The fold line can still be seen even though the sheet is now flat and wrinkle free.  The plan is to stick with dope and tissue - just because I want to.  It's close to impossible to dope inside; I can't take the fumes. Weather makes it impossible outside as well.

I've done quite a few r/c planes with glass cloth and resin.  I use the West Systems resin and lightweight cloth.  I lay the cut piece over the part then dribble a line a resin along the length.  A small 2" bondo spreader is used to squeegee the resin over the part starting in the middle and moving to the edges.  I'll used a folded piece of paper towel to remove any excess.  The goal is to not see any shiny resin on the surface when the part is viewed from an angle.  The second coat goes on the same way, scraping hard with the spreader to leave only the thinnest film.

What I hate about the epoxy resin method is the clogging sandpaper when sanding.  It does leave a hard and durable surface though.

Lots of good tips have been posted.

Jim

melt silk? It's organic and (they tell me)  you can catch it on fire.
In relearning how to apply the stuff, I had a compound wrinkle and I got frustrated...I have a heat gu and ...ya know, if a little is good, a lot is better. (poof)
It was the 5mm silk from Cal that works pretty well actually.