Just about getting to the point of covering my Smoothie XL and, having never touched Solartex before, was wondering about prepping the surface.

Monokote (or Ultracote, et. al.) really shows the wood grain of the substrate and hence one needs to fill and sand it pretty thoroughly. I would usually go all the way to 600 grit and obsessively fill little tiny imperfections before application. As Solartex is is a fabric, how far do you guys go? Does it, as I suspect, hide minor surface flaws enough that I can skip all the obsessive-compulsive surface prep? SO fa I have my plane sanded smooth down to 320 grit and I'd like to stop there.

Hi Pappy35,
You are ready to cover 320 sanding is sufficient. I blow all the dust off with my compressor, then wash the whole airframe down with denatured alcohol. I use the hottest setting on an old flat iron without melting the fabric. I keep a rag with me soaked in cold water. As I iron down the fabric , I hit it immediately with the cold rag, it helps to set the adhesive. You are going to love this stuff and it does hide the wood grain.
Thanks,
Fred

Like Check 6, I go to 320 grit.

I spray my airframes with Aqua Net hair spray for a little added adhesion enhancement.

I use just enough heat to let the Solartex adhere.

I use poly-tac fabric glue thinned 2/3 acetone,1/3 poly-tac.brush on,let sit for a day,sand smooth with 220 grit.Blow off any dust,then cover at 270 degrees.A little overkill,but works great.Nothing is more annoying than when the fabric starts lifting.Don't be afraid to sand the edges lightly before putting the mating piece over it.jeffo

Great input fellas. Thanks.