QUESTION:
Read your article in AMA Model Aviation. This is a very interesting process. I have been looking for a substitute to dope to finish SILK covering. I intend to cover structures more stiff than Guillos planes….maybe .049 size free flight wings. Will the Tissue Paste work as well on dampened silk? Also, what about the Eze Dope? How does it compare with dope? I really want to get the dope-like finish, and I wonder if the water dampening will get the covering taut enough without some dope shrinkage. Does the Ez Dope really provide a tight, smooth finish like dope? If so, what paint products can be used on top of it? Could I apply non-buterate dope over the Tissue Paste (I think the Sig Nitrate dope is supposed to be “non-shrinking” is that right?)
Thanks for any help you can provide,
Don S.
ANSWER:
Don,
Thanks for your interest in my MA article. As it turns out there are still a lot of questions about the various uses of Deluxe Materials new products. I am considering trying Tissue Paste as an adhesive for silk…I even have a rubber-powered ff scale project set aside to try it on. I’ll pass on what I learn. Same for the EzeDope.
As for the comparison with traditional dope it’s kind of like an apples/oranges deal in that everything FEELS different while you are working on it. My guess at this point is that to get a REALLY TIGHT tissue/silkspan covering job it might be necessary to add a shrinking top coat. That’s another one to work out as I go along.
As for the finish (slick, shiny etc.) I have been able to get the same results as with dope with about an equal amount of work. So far I have experimented only with using clear nitrate dope over it and I’m not sure yet. It SEEMS ok. Same answer for Tissue Paste…it appears to tolerate some clear nitrate over it. As for the Sig products, yes. The explanation I got from the guys there years ago was that their nitrate is “semi-plasticized” in order to provide just the right amount of shrinkage to pull Sig Koverall fully taut. I have tried that and it works.
Bob