HI
I DID silk and dope 50 years ago with extremely good results i use dope these days to fuel proof engine compartments and under monocoat any place i know fuel will get under the covering( is lighter and dries faster than epoxie )
correct me if i am wrong been a while ,nitrate dope can be used as a base coat-i never liked the talcum powder in my clear to seal any wood surfaces-5-6 coats of clear -with sanding between coats got me a good base coat to the best of my knowledge NITRATE DOPE IS NOT FUEL PROOF and must be coated with a BUTYRATE DOPE to get the fuel proof qualities we require especially with the use of high nitro fuels10% or better
been building for 26 years in total ,20 have been in RC-monocoat long term leaves a lot to be desired have some planes 20 years old that i take down to fly ,coverings always lifting in spots-or whole sections coming off the wing sometimes get frustrating at times
because of this i am going to strongly consider using monocoat only on the aerias that have open bays -and paint as much of the wood on the aircraft that might be possible
thanks for the info on were to purchase dope cheep i have been paying 6 dollars for a jar at the LHSand they often do not have the larger sizes available
i did used AEROGLOSS that i bought in quarts back in the day (love to say that !)i was told that it is not nitrate or butyrate dope but not sure what was different about AEROGLOSS ( do not think they still make the stuff )
i know you can use acetone as the thinner for butyrate dope with the same results as the thinner you purchase-not sure if that applies to nitrate dope though as my experience with nitrate is limited
below is a picture of my 20 year old 40 size SIG UGLY STIK , i just this year put anheadral in the wing found it flys best this way and adds to the UGLY ( much less control coupling ) the wing is silk and dope and stronger than any film i have ever used . she has 500 plus flights on herbeen refinished 3 times-( the last just recently ) and always a relaxed days flying at the field ENJOY BEST REGARDS TONY