Covering and a Gloss finish on a foam build?

[Kartman24]

On my Carvair build some of the plane has a foamboard paper finish and the rest is depron on the outer skin, what are the best options for achieving a gloss finish and adding some extra hardness to the depron to stop marks and dings? Is there anything i can paint onto the depron to make it tougher wearing and seal it so gloss paint will look good on it or do i have to cover in tissue and pva etc? Does iron on film go over depron ok if you are careful with the heat iron? Looking for advice from those that have done it, pictures of the finish achieved would be good as well.

 

[Bricks]

It is going to get heavy if you want to put on a really shiny finish as much filling that would need to be done. The lightest way I know of is Light Weight Spackling compound, which is not going to add as much weight as the amount of paint..

 

[telnar1236]

On my Carvair build some of the plane has a foamboard paper finish and the rest is depron on the outer skin, what are the best options for achieving a gloss finish and adding some extra hardness to the depron to stop marks and dings? Is there anything i can paint onto the depron to make it tougher wearing and seal it so gloss paint will look good on it or do i have to cover in tissue and pva etc? Does iron on film go over depron ok if you are careful with the heat iron? Looking for advice from those that have done it, pictures of the finish achieved would be good as well.

You can use lightweight covering films, but you have to be very careful not to warp the foam with the heat. Depending on the foam board, you might also need to watch out for the paper delaminating.

 

[Merv]

...Looking for advice from those that have done it, pictures of the finish achieved would be good as well.

I use colored packing tape (not duct tape) on my foamboard planes. Packing tape is lightweight, easy to apply, cheap and looks pretty good. Field repairs are a snap. When you get closer, you can see a bit of striping where the tape overlaps. If you want perfection, use something else. This is good enough for me.