Ron,

I always use the method that I read from Dan Parsons. On the first coat, I use epoxy thinned 50/50 (with Acetone or MEK, apparently thinning with alcohol weakens it). That I brush right on over the cloth and don't blot it up. Its very thin and wicks into the wood strengthening it and bonding the cloth to the wood. Then, when that is cured overnight, I brush on a 2nd coat of epoxy thinned 70/30. According to what Dan wrote, you need to fill the weave of the cloth and you can do it with epoxy, or with paint (primer). Both inevitably add weight, but filling the weave with epoxy also adds strength. After the 2nd coat is cured, I do a quick sanding to get any surface roughness and runs that I can see/feel, and then I start adding the primer coats and wet sanding them off to get the final surface before painting...

Bob