There are many little things that are known by only a few concerning application and finishing of a silk and dope finish. My dad taught me the gift of applying silk and dope over 45 years ago and when you know the secrets it is actually quite easy to apply and you get a superior finish.

Clear gelatin can be applied to fill the weave of the silk before brushing on the many,many, coats of clear dope required to get a good gloss finish.

Just a couple drops of castor oil to a quart of clear dope as a plasticizer.

Ounce for ounce nothing is stronger than silk except carbon mat.

Yes! I am a "Doper" and proud to say so!

I still have fresh gallons of it stored for future use. I love to pop the lid off and stuff my face down in the can and take a big whiff. I can actually feel my liver shrink up like a piece of sun baked green bologna!

I finished this 77" Vito Tomeo Seafury with silk and dope. Then primered and filled and then painted with
automotive laquer and then a final K/B satin epoxy clear coat.

There is a great product by SIG called "Koverall" that is applied just like silk but can be shrunk down with a heat gun. Koverall is a great covering material made of dacron polyester that is just like what is used on full scale aircraft but of a lighter weight per square yard. It is heavier than silk but a very good covering material. I used Koverall on this 28% Scale Gee Bee Z and the results were a bit heavy due to using urethane 2-part primer and Sherwin-Williams "Polane" urethane paint.

I still consider silk as the best covering material available. It requires the most work but your efforts will be well worth the final results.

You will never have to iron the bubbles out of a silk and dope covering job. Never!!!!

Here is another one that will throw you for a loop. 3/4 ounce fiberglass cloth applied just like silk and dope. It works out perfect for a strong but lightweight finish just like silk. You can take a lot of weight off of a scale warbird by applying F/G cloth with dope first and then apply the resin finish. The wood will be sealed with the dope and keep it from soaking up that heavy resin.