Covering question.

[Jlwright]

I am reading everything I can find on covering and wondered if anyone has used a reinforcing tape like Superflite adhesive tape to cover pop rivets and sharp edges on the empennage before covering. I watched the Stewart Systems videos and they showed taping rivets and metal edges before applying the fabric.

[Murray Randall]

OK I'll stick my neck out here. If its really a sharp edge file it, tap it w/ a hammar. Whatever ,make it unsharpe to insure that the fabric will slide over the protrusion during shrinking, does not tear or hang up. But rounded edge like a rivet or screw is just as well left quite alone until you get into nitrate or Polybrush.  At that point if you think it might suffer fabric abrasian, put a very small fabric patch over it. It is most important that while wet sanding to avoid all of those raised areas or rivets in the covering. Don't injure the fabric over the pointy places as it will never heal with dope. As I recall this is contrary to 41.13 as well as Stits and Randolph instructions though.   

[Murray Randall]

New plan. Prior to covering the tail surfaces I'm going put a small dab of silicone bathtub ealer over the rivets and gusset edges and trowel it flat with a  piece cut from a Folgers coffee container lid. That will smooth the sharp transitions. Whereas tape over humps up on the high spots accomplishing less blending. I think it might work with Maxwellhouse also.

[liteflyt]

Just how important is the "bump" height from one layer of cloth on a tube and rag, subsonic ground skimmer?
How about the interaction of the chemicals of the sealer with the corrosion of the rivet. Your building an
"old school" aeroplane, consider using old school proven practices.

[Murray Randall]

Yeah it isn't  even a half big deal. I wasn't thinking that the bump affects performance at all. Sure thats silly!  I have always done a fair bit of wet sanding initially w/ 200 wet/dry later stages 400 wet/dry paper between coats of Randolph and if I go over anything like a rivet with the paper it will cut the top few fibers wich stick up forever after and all are flying fine that way to this day  I just don't like the errant fibers. But I almost think that if I smooth the rivets with silicone that I can race that paper over the surface with impunity making that operation less tedious.