I hear ya' Nate. From the practical standpoint, that is an excellent solution, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I'm going (mostly) along the traditional route, and already have the canvass on hand and bought a come-along from Harbor Freight to do the stretching. There are now more convenient alternatives to the traditional oil body/silica fillers that are a real PITA to apply and take 4-6 weeks to cure ( ! ).Would it be scandalous to suggest epoxy saturation and some fiberglass cloth?
I know not traditional but canvas and lagging is tricky and modern materials would be more durable.
cool project!
The mod squad now uses an aircraft fabric primer for the first coat, and topping that with standard primer mixed with lightweight spackling compound. The aircraft primer hardens the canvass, and the top coats have the advantages of drying quickly and unlike the traditional filler, being sandable.