Starline dye for Starline Polyspan

Is anyone out there familar with the Starline brand of dye that is made by the same people that make Polyspan? When I try and spray it, little globs of the stuff comes out of my spray gun/ Any idea how to make this stuff work? Thanks, John Lindberg

You may have gotten your Starline dye from FAI Model Supply, or direct from Starline. The owner of Starline died during the last year or so. You might contact John Clapp, who owns the FAI M.S., and see what he suggests. I'm sure he would be helpful. http://www.faimodelsupply.com/

There is an FAI Free Flight Forum (sorta) here:
http://www.aeromodel.com/scat It is free, you have to register, and a newletter sort of thing shows up in your email roughly weekly. Send an email to the editor, he posts it on the forum, and you should get several answers within a week or two. Kinda slow, but sure.

I have not used the Starline dye, but plan to sometime, and looking forward to the solution to your problem. It sounds like you need to add thinner, to me. WAG. Steve

>Is anyone out there familar with the Starline brand of dye
>that is made by the same people that make Polyspan? When I
>try and spray it, little globs of the stuff comes out of my
>spray gun/ Any idea how to make this stuff work? Thanks,
>John Lindberg

John. How are you mixing it. I use about 1 cap full to a pint of clear 60-40. 60 thinner.

Scott

I'm mixing it like it says, 1 part dye, one part dope, 10 parts thinner more or less, I say that because I've been mixing it in very small quantities and it's hard to measure. I get small blobs coming out of the gun when I spray, have you had sucess spraying it when you mix it your way? How many coats do you spray, and do you dope the covering with clear before you put the colored dye on? Please describe the steps you take to achieve a good finish with this dye. Thank you, John

I HAVE USED ANALINE DYE POWDER MIXED IN CLEAR DOPE FOR YEARS. I FIRST DISSOLVE SOME DYE POWDER IN BUTYRATE THINNER AND LET IT SETTLE FOR A FEW HOURS. CAREFULLY POUR OFF THE TOP, AND THE SLUDGE AND UNDISSOLVED POWDER STAYS IN THE BOTTOM. WHEN THE DYED THINNER IS PERFECTLY CLEAR, THEN ADD THE MIX TO CLEAR DOPE. IT SPRAYS JUST FINE.

If Dr. Carter is correct about Starline being an analine type, you need VERY LITTLE of it. The stuff is highly concentrated.

It is also quite poisonous, and should be handled with great care.

I learned about it from George Aldrich and bought mine in the same place he did, Michael's Craft Stores. It was a liquid, in miniscule bottles, and dissolved completely in thinner. To tint clear dope, it only took a few drops in four ounces to get a dark color. I'm not at all familiar with a powdered variety.

The usual use for these dyes was coloring polyester resins used for molded craft projects of various kinds.

.
Kiwi

KIWI is right BAD STUFF. What I do is make sure the your gun is clean. I use HVLP. I take a quart jar mark a line half way up that's 50% or one pint. I put my clear in the jar just below the line. I add about 3 or 4 drops of dye in the clear. Add thinner to get a mix of 40% clear to 60 % thinner. When spraying on polyspan or tissue two good coats will get the job done. You can always add more dye or shoot another coat. I've never had a problem.

Scott(love it)Riese