Painting and Finishing
Super Coverite

When I painted my first airplane, I built three mock-up elevators according to the plans, to evaluate several different finishing methods. The following procedure was the method I prefered based on the results. From my notes, the finishing procedure was:

1. Brush on one coat of Fabric Balsarite over the wood framework.
2. Cover with SuperCoverite with the iron at 280 degrees.
3. Brush on 3 coats of 100% Nitrate Dope, sanding lightly between coats.
4. Allow to dry for at least 3 days.
5. Spray on primer, and sand mostly off. Don't sand into fabric.
6. Spray very light color coat. Wait 15-20 minutes. Spray 'wet' color coat (as described by the paint instructions).

The masking I used was plastic garden bags, taped to 1/4" of the edge of the color. The remaining 1/4" was masked with electrical tape. To get a really sharp line, remove the electrical tape about 10-20 minutes after the paint is applied. Be careful--too much enthusiasm removing the electrical tape can peel off paint underneath. I didn't leave the masking tape on long--it seemed to me that the longer it stayed on, the tighter it stuck. I would generally apply the mask in the morning, and remove it before the end of the day.