Paul,
The originals used what they had, linen or paper. The material has to absorb the glue and should shrink while drying. That leaves synthetics out. The silk I use is for larger model airplanes and I get it from [1]http://www.darehobby.com/, the #4 is heavy enough. This silk is thinner than paper, but stronger than kevlar. I cut it into 1/2" to 3/4" strips and use a small cup to soak the silk in glue. Allow the silk to expand for a few minutes in the glue before applying it to the ribs. Smooth it out with an artist brush. Do the odd joints and let dry, then do the even joints. When dry, you will barely be able to see the fabric. Trim off the frayed threads. To make a believer out of yourself, make a trial joint and use paper, linen, and silk. You will split the wood before the silk ever splits. Louis Aull -- References 1. http://www.darehobby.com/ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
