Finishing Questions

I have some finishing questions that I hope someone will help me with. The planes in question have been prepared with all and only Brodak paint products.
1) In a number of places I have seen it suggested that a drop or two of liquid dish washing detergent should be added to the water used to wet the sand paper. Is there any thing other than wiping down the sanded surfaces with a damp cloth that should be done to remove residual detergent from the surface?
2) Can alcohol be used to wipe down a surface that is ready for final coats to remove skin oils, perspiration, sanding dust that the tack rag might have left behind, and other assorted stuff that might have found its way onto the sanded surface? If not alcohol, what do you suggest?
3) Are there any benefits or drawbacks in using a small amount of retarder in finish coats even if conditions are not likely to cause blushing? I know that using the proper proportion of thinner is the primary way to control flow and drying rate, but will a small amount of retarder help?
Thanks for taking the time to help this old hacker.
Peter Hess

The drop or two of detergent in your water used to assist in the sanding might help...but...you do want to make sure you clean it off again afterwards. You can use rubbing alcohol to clean the plane, both after sanding and before painting, but a better solution is to use Prep Sol. In fact, you can use Prep Sol to aid the sanding instead of water. It has the advantage of drying faster and you, then, don't have the detergent problem to begin with. Prep Sol can be hard on the hands, however, so you should probably use surgical gloves while sanding with it. But this is a good practice, anyway, since it keeps the finger prints off the finish which is one of the things you are trying to avoid, anyway. Use the non powdered gloves. You can buy them by the box at your local hospital/doctor's supply, and they will last you a long time.

Whatever you do, make sure you clean as you go and dry as you go. You don't want to leave water on the surface for any length of time as it will eventually work its way into the wood and cause problems. Prep Sol is probably better for this reason as well.

On the Retarder question, you don't want to slow the drying time down to aid paint flow. What you are going to end up with is melt down, a condition where the upper layers start eating into and mixing with the lower layers and you end up with a mess. One of the beauties of the Brodak dope is the fact that it is fast drying. Use retarder strictly at those times when humidity prevents you from painting otherwise, and use only as much as is needed. It can turn out to be your worst enemy if you slow drying times down too much.

Wow! Am I glad that I asked my questions. If I had gone off experimenting as I am sometimes wont to do, I would have been in trouble. Thanks for heading me in the right direction and keeping me from disaster.
Peter Hess