shd3920,

I fail to understand your posting.

Silkspan is not a fabric. It is a specially made paper that is not woven using threads.

When you ask
What paint would you recommend?
Dope is a paint and does not need additonal paint like enamel or latex.
If you are asking for "What brand name of paint would you recommend ? then read the line above.

Butyrate dope is highly resistant to glow fuel. Your model should be washed (cleaned) afterevery flying days.
You can fly dozens (hundreds) of hours without any visible effect of the exhaust on the dope id you clean your model after the day of flying.

Now why would you ask "and stop the constant shrinking caused by the dope?"
That constant shrinking is what keeps a doped finish nice and tight and never wrinkle. You should not want to make that quality disappear. It is one of the good reasons to use dope.

quote . . .
Or could I use something instead of butyrate dope to apply the silkspan?[/size]
unquote . . .

If you are using "silkspan" you must be making quite small size models and very light weight ( just a few ounces).

Are you using engines running on glow fuel ?
What models are you building or assembling ?
Guillows ?

We could be of more help with more information on your project(s).

Zor