Your progress looks good. I'm glad you were able to make use of my drop mechanism. While I understand your trepidation to fly this model, I've not seen a single P-47 that did NOT fly well. Get the CG right and she will be fine.
So, I'm gonna go through the covering steps today. I took sequential pictures so I'll try to explain everything. I'm likely to forget something as there is a lot involved. I hope that from this explanation that you all can grasp the amount of labor involved in this process.
First off, the part needs to be properly prepared... which I've covered previously. Then, the part needs to be clean. Keep your work space clean and be mindful of hard object within the vicinity of your work space. Note that I am using a microfiber cloth to work on. This is to prevent dings and scratches to the surfaces.
You have to first mark off your part with the panel lines. The lines will have an overlap but there is wiggle room here. I'm using true masking tape, not blue painter's tape. I need to see THROUGH the tape. The leading edge of this part is complex so it is easier to apply the masking tape and cut away tape that is not needed. The masking tape will create a ledge of sorts for a reference on where to cut the foil. Generally, on the full-scale subjects, panels are applied from the front to the back. So, I'm masking off the rear areas with the leading edge to be applied last.
The first two panels of aluminum are applied. Note that there is a "grain" of sorts to the aluminum. You can play with this to replicate different view angles if you are going for a more in-use look. I'm going with an airshow look so I want things to be more or less consistent so the grain is maintained as much as possible. The panels are applied using a SOFT paper towel. I'm using Viva brand that has no quilting. A microfiber cloth will do as well but the aluminum will rub off and later can cause scratches on subsequent panels. I opted to have a disposable applicator of the paper towel for this reason. Note that you can see the panel lines and generally know where to cut. The trailing edge is also cut fairly close to the edge of the panel.
Because your #11 blade WILL wander as you try to cut, I then crease the edges of the panel with the tip of a bamboo skewer. This creates a groove that will help guide your cut.
Then we cut the panel along the grooves and remove the excess foil. The trailing edge is then burnished down with a hard wood tool. This allows the edge to be crisp while stretching the foil to the curvature of the edge. I also use the burnishing tool to seat the edges of the panels so that they do not get caught on anything and rip... sort of like a hangnail.
The masking tape is moved (re-used) to different locations for additional panels. Note that the trim tab for this elevator is taped off and goes against what I previously stated about moving aft forward. This makes sense in this particular instance. When foil is applied this time, the crease is done at the edge of the tape again but it's tricky. The skewer can wander into the seam where the foil overlaps so you have to be careful and take your time.
rinse and repeating the steps previous, you are left with a mostly completed panel. Note how the grain is all in the same direction here. The masking tape is removed and discarded next and new tape is applied. I then cut triangles to expose the edge for the overlap here.
Note how the grain is different at the leading edge here. This provides slight contrast to accent this interesting visual. Once polished, a lot of the tooling will disappear. The leading edge was applied as two pieces for each side. Smaller pieces work out easier. These are not flat parts so NEVER assume that a single piece will work when more will work better. The other side of the part is done this same way and the trailing edge overlaps. I use tiny manicure scissors (old pair) to trim the edges of overlap. Large scissors are too clunky and lack the ability to get into the fine corners needed. The edges are then burnished down.
From here, you need to let the adhesive cure out for at least 24 hours. The glue will harden a bit. I tried polishing and further processing of parts previously and it creates waves in the aluminum. You are better off being patient and let things take their natural course. Clean up your seams with acetone. The glue will ooze slightly and this cleans that up. You will be then left with a smeary haze over the aluminum. I then clean this off with lysol but a glass cleaner will work just as well. Other citrus-based adhesive removers will work too if you have concerns about safety using acetone. If you plan to polish, do so next. You want the polishing done before rivets and paint work. I'll get more into these additional finish techniques later after I've finished the covering... at a later date.
Got it? Yeah, me neither. This part took about 2 hours from start to finish, and I work fairly fast. Think of it as wrapping a very elaborate anniversary gift for your spouse. If you mess it up, you will never hear the end of it.