Its been a couple weeks, so I'm going to try to catch up with where I'm at with this build. A couple reasons for the delay, first is that my employer made me an offer I couldn't refuse. . . the second is that I discovered that I had figued out a way NOT to apply the West System and microballoons and didn't want to post until I had either 1) recovered successfully, or 2) started a new fuselage. . . Luckily I was able to recover to #1. . .
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I started by applying the 0.7 oz. cloth from CST with the 3M 77 spray. I know this is initially a pain in the rear, getting the cloth to lay down smooth, but once you get it down it stays put thru all further handling. The only downside is that if you get any little wrinkles in the cloth, it is nearly impossible to get out. Then I used the original firewall and a piece of PVC pipe to make a fuselage holder while I work on the fuse. Another little trick I picked up elsewhere was to cut little hinges out of mylar to keep the slots open thru the finishing process. . .
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OK, here is where I went "off the reservation". . . I mixed the West Systems and microballoons before applying to the glass cloth. I didn't realize that the microballoons would thicken up the epoxy, but I was able to get the mixture down with the help of a hair dryer heating the mixture to a thinner consistency. With hindsight, I should have added some acetone to the mixture to thin it out and help it flow.
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Anyway, after the whole mess cured for a couple days, I started wet sanding and was able to get it down to a nice smooth surface that I believe is ready for the primer coat. . .