I have personally had a very good outcome on everything I have ever doped a balsa wood structure on prior to covering with silk. I dope the structure twice allowing complete drying of each coat, then I lightly scuff all the surfaces that will come in contact with the silk prior to its application. sealing the structure with dope first allows me to lightly mist the silk with water so I can place it on the structure, pull it within reason tight while doping all the contacting surfaces and edges. I then allow everything to completely dry before I dope the open field areas, after that I give everything a second coat of dope before moving on to the finishing process. I have also covered with Dacron, I still dope the structure first but I don't need the use of water on the Dacron because once doped around the edges it tightens and stays tight very good with just a little heat from a heat gun or a iron.
Bob