Many thanks, all!  I guess I'll have to get acquainted with pins again since I have a magnetic building board.

Now, off to take a shower with a Rearwin Speedster wing...

Geoff

Edit:  Steam and some well-placed weights while drying did the trick!  Back to proper washout AND wrinkle free!  Wheeee!

I picked up a "plant moisturizer" from the garden shop.  the spray is very fine when the trigger is pulled sharply and I spray from a distance of at least 20 ".  I have the best results using STEAM, tho (use mittens when steaming!) - or, take the part with you into the bathroom while you take a nice hot shower (NOTE: into the shower with the part NOT!).  Pin the part down onto shims (allows air circulation to both sides), allowing for any washin/out you might intend to utilize and allow to thoroughly dry/cure for a couple of days and again after doping.

One reason (IMHO, one of the MOST important) for potato chips can be that the cuts in the wood parts were/are not square, or not quite well fitted.  The resulting glue bridge softens during the doping process (acetone based glue) or when wetted for shrinking (white/alipathic glue) allowing the drying/curing process to pull the parts into "full contact".

Any cut using common hobby tools do not cut perfectly square due to the angle of the cutting edge.  This is one reason that thin, double-edged razor blades are preferred - they are so thin that the cutting bevels are nearly zero (but they are still there!).

To piggy back off Bob's post...I use the Dollar Store Pump Hair Spray Bottle for my atomizer.  Actually it's a used one the wifey has finished.  I try to get it before it's completely empty so it doesn't dry inside the pump.  I then run hot water through it to flush it out good.  But for just a buck you could just buy one and empty it out and then flush it good with hot water and then refill with Isopropyl Alcohol from the Dollar Store.  It's already diluted with some water.  But some add a bit more water to the alcohol.  The water increases the shrinkage in the tissue.
Tom

GeoffinIN, the simple green bottle may do the trick just don't spray much water on the model. Tom has some good suggestions.

Oh! I found a good spray bottle at the $1 store.

Bob

Thanks for the reply, Bob.

The first one I built was a 24" span Messerschmitt Bf108 based on the Dave Rees design study in the HPA archives.  The wing and fuselage have remained stable for a year and a half, but the tail is now redolent of something from Frito-Lay.  Then I built a Saab J29 for micro EDF based on an enlarged (17" span) Jetex design by Mike Stuart.  I covered it with silver Esaki and it looked like it had leprosy.  Right now I have just finished covering an Earl Stahl designed Rearwin Speedster whose wing started out with about 3° washout but overnight went to ten °.  I am NOT amused!

I don't have a proper atomizer bottle; I use a Simple Green bottle which does not fully atomize but it's the best I can find.

Although I built many models in my youth (1950s-1960s) I used the flimsy tissue supplied with the kits of those days, which was nothing like as strong as Esaki.  Now that I've gotten back into stick and tissue models I'm having to learn new techniques.  Would some of you experienced folks tell me how I figure when to pre-shrink Esaki, when to apply it wet, and when to wet it after application?  I'm getting tired of wasting tissue building potato chips!