Re: staples... I'll probably staple fabric to ribs on my current project. I believe the Avid Magnum (almost identical under cambered rib profile and much higher Gross) used rib staples vs. lacing and I've never heard of any fabric separation issues with them. A couple of buddies used staples on their Avid Flyers and, again, no regrets yet. They used an Arrow Heavy Duty T50 Hand Stapler/Tacker and Arrow 5/16" or 3/8" Monel (Stainless) divergent staples. These staples will not stain/rust, and have angles on the legs cut in opposite directions so when they go through the 1/8" capstrip they twist in opposite directions. The fabric glue and staple twist will bond/lock the fabric to the capstrip effectively. When covered with trim tape and painted, they even look like traditional lace stitches. The only difference I can think of is Avid used 1"wide capstrips vs. 3/4" wide for your KF III rib.