Thinner

Stuka Stunt Main Forum · 5 of 5 known posts recovered

Greatcircle · May 28, 2001 02:38 PM

Are any of the lacquer thinners that can be purchased by the gallon at the big hardware outlets or paint stores suitable for thinning model airplane dope, or should they be relegated to bush cleaning, using the specific product thinners for the critical work? Thanks:CC

Jake · May 28, 2001 03:18 PM

#1 source

LAST EDITED ON May-28-01 AT 03:21 PM (EST)

Your models are REAL expensive if you calculate how much time/effort you have invested in them. DON'T be cheap! Buy only the very best products, or else you will HATE yourself in the end if you don't! (guess how I know this?)....

JAK

LNeumann · May 28, 2001 03:19 PM

#2 source

We used Dupont 3608S (and equivilent other brands) for a while with SIG dope. It is cheaper and works well with SIG, but the EPA boys are forcing a lot of reformulations that are causing havoc with our dope. Remember, different formulations will dray at different rates, even if they are compatible (which a lot of these new "breeds" are not). If the thinner dries too fast, you may not get good adhesion between layers. If it drys to slowly, you may get meltdown in the underlayers. And then there is the problem of the stuff "gassing off" for a month or so.

With Brodak dope, definitely stick with their thinner. This is the key to success. After that, anything you try, well, you are on your own.

Leonard Neumann

bb36dd966 · May 28, 2001 06:33 PM

#3 source

I use a generic brand of thinner from Ace Hardwarte STRICTLY for cleaning my brushes and spray guns. This stuff is not compatable with Brodaks nor Sigs dopes. But it does clean things up and saves the good stuff for mixing with the same brand paint, ie; Brodaks thinner with Brodaks dopes, Sig with Sig. At times the Ace thinner leaves tiny particles of color where it did not dissolve the color pigments. You can imagine what this would do to your paint job on the plane. Stick with Brodaks or Sig thinners with their paints.

mrwhizkers · May 30, 2001 10:48 PM

#4 source

The last time I was at the local hobby shop I walked by the counter where they keep the dope (purely for nostalgic reasons) and I noticed that they sell a retarding agent for Brodak's (Randolph) dope. Could this, I thought, mean that the Brodak thinner might not be the perfect mix for all occasions? Even for Brodak dope? I think the answer is obvious.

Dope is basically laquer with butyrate and god knows what else modern alchemists have laced it with. What do you thin laquer with? Ordinary, everyday laquer thinner. Now guess what; there is no such thing as ordinary, everyday laquer thinner. All thinners are a mixture of many chemicals, proportioned to satisfy the needs of a desired effect. Some are fast drying ("hot"), some are slow drying ("cold"), but most are somewhere in the middle. Most thinners start life as naptha (cheap and not too agressive). Then splashes of benzene, xylene, toluene, acetone, keytones, xylol, etc., etc., etc. are added to the mix depending on what the manufacturer's desired outcome might be. The end result is that two cans of thinner, from the same manufacturer, with the same part number, but from two different lots will give the same end results but with different formulas.

Any "over the counter" thinner can be made to work by adding a little of this or a little of that, but the SAFEST way is to use the same brand thinner as the dope you're using.

And, even though I consider the use of dope as stoneage technology, I must admit that I have a great admiration for any one that has more patience than the average oyster. I hope this helps in some way.