Hello,
I am repairing a 1/4 scale Tiger moth. The silk covering was painted...the paint is cracked
and faded badly. Should I tear it off? Repaint it? sand it? Then re-paint it? Recover in monokote? What would ya'all advise?

Thanks,

Raynman

Rip it off!! It would be more trouble to sand (without going through), fill, resand, refill, resand, repaint than it would to rip it off and recover with Monocote. It will be lighter also and Monocote doesn't crack over time!

Just my opinion.

If it were a sport model, I would agree. However, a Tiger Moth just would not look right, IMHO, covered in a plastic film. While I do agree that it would be far easier, and the results would look better as well, to rip off the silk and refinish, I would seriously consider using either one of the "tex" fabrics or even Sig Koverall. Note that while Monokote does not crack with age, it most certainly does become brittle after just a couple of years.

just my .02,
John

I'd be careful with the removal to avoid taking wood with it! Maybe softening with dope thinner would help release the fabric from the wood. Some experimentation on the underside might be a good idea. Anyway, it sounds like a good plan to strip the airplane, check and repair any structural damage, check for oil soakage, then apply fresh covering, film or fabric if you can afford the weight.