LOL, loving Carl's simile. Koverall has its place. It is very durable and between heat shrink and a couple of coats of dope it produces a very taut covering. I think there is still a picture in my gallery of the VK triplane I built back in the 90's and covered with coverall and Sig dope. How are you planning to dye your silk? It will probably pre-shrink the silk a little bit and you should probably pin it flat on a board so that it can dry smoothly. Alternatively, if you are going with electric power you have a lot more freedom in what you do for paint. Nitrate dope will act as a primer for almost any paint. I did a doped tissue finish on my 1/2A sized Mercury old timer but since I went with electric power I was able to use a light coat of model car lacquer for the trim color. In terms of a realistic covering, just do enough pigment to get the color you want. This is where the colored silk or tissue is really nice as it saves a significant amount of weight. Much respect for doing an RC version of the triplane. Micro servos and brushless motors really make it a feasible project. As to the question of temperature; dope doesn't care except to the degree that the solvents will evaporate more quickly in warmer weather. The temperature will likely have more impact on how quickly the silk dries when you shrink it. If you are comfortable, it is probably warm enough.
Last edited by mgnostic; 02-01-2018 at 08:58 AM.