Nitrate dope

[Leo Mehl]

Has anyone used Laquer thinner with Nitrate dope and what were the results?

[Alan Hahn]

Leo,
By Laquer thinner, do you mean the gallon cans you can buy at the hardware store?

If so I would advise against it. I don't recall my experience with Nitrate Dope, but with normal Sig Lite Cote (I think--but it could have been Sig Nitrate), I tried to clean my brushes with it instead of Sig Thinner. The dope on the brush sort of "curdled". I had much better success with cleaning the brush (and air brush) with straight acetone.

So I really wouldn't recommend using it as a thinner in the dope. If you want to try, I'd mix a little with a small cup of dope and see what happens. Also from can to can, there might be differences.

So what I do, when I do it, is I thin my dope with real (Sig) thinner, then cleanup with acetone. But I'm not an expert by any means.

[Larry Cunningham]

I've used the Dupont 3608S with Sig nitrate without problems. I use the nitrate with talc for
filler prior to auto lacquer color coat, and butyrate clear top coat. When I ran out of 3608,
I tried some of the hardware store stuff (I forget the brand, it is a common one) and it worked
out without problems. That said, I wouldn't assume that it would work.

Considering the cost of "real" Sig thinner, it is worthwhile to consider the alternatives.

L.

"The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on; it is never of any use to oneself." -Oscar Wilde

[Peter Ferguson]

I just finished the silkspan and polyspan on my airplane using Nitrate dope thinned with Lowe's Laquer thinner. It worked fine. I use it for all but the finish coats. I think it would be ok there too but I have brand name dope thinners to use.

[Peter Ferguson]

BTW Leo, I have a box full of cans of dope with your name on it in my garage. Mike Potter dropped it off. I will send it down to you via Mike Haverly, so keep an eye out for him Sunday.

[Leo Mehl]

BTW Leo, I have a box full of cans of dope with your name on it in my garage. Mike Potter dropped it off. I will send it down to you via Mike Haverly, so keep an eye out for him Sunday.

I guess Mike decided to not come to our contest. As you know gas prices plus bad weather repots Have lowered our entries at this contest. Actually the weather has not been that bad. We had a little sleet this afternoon but that is all the precipition we have had so far. It was also a little windy but it's a contest. If we don't have this contest in April we get a lot of complaints and when the weather report is bad we don't get flyers. I dont know what we can do about gasoline gouging so that is a real problem. Maybe a trumped up war5 has something to do with that. Thanks for letting me know.

[Peter Ferguson]

No he's coming tomorrow (sunday).

[Peter Ferguson]

Ugh , wrong Mike.    Potter is not coming Haverly is.

[Steve Helmick]

When I flew F1A Nordic Glider, I used hardware store lacquer thinner in clear nitrate all the time. Sometimes with a bit of blushing. Some retarder would fix that, and I think the same retarder as used in Butyrate dope would work. Pete Peterson told me he used 3608S in both Nitrate and Butyrate, so there's that option, too.  Steve

[Bill Little]

To thin my paints and dopes, I use Dupont 3608S thinner (DO NOT USE *VS*!!!!!!)  This is for EVERYTHING except basecoat Dupont Chromabase *colors*.  (all my urethane clears get about 10% or so 3608S)  Regardless of what any may say, my paint jobs do not lift off, craze, or in any other way show ANY ill effects from this.  Butyrate (4 brands) Nitrate (2 brands) and all types of automotive acrylic lacquer.

The ONLY trouble I have EVER had was using too much retarder once, and going to a PPG *hot* substitute when I was out of 3608S another time.

If you cannot get Dupont, you are on your own.  Hardware store lacquer thinners are great for cleaning my brushes and spray equipment.

Bill <><

[Wayne Collier]

When I checked at a local auto supply place, a clerk told me that 3608S costs $38 per gallon.

                                  ...so, similar to what Alan Hahn mentioned...

I've been using Sig thinner in my dope and cleaning up with straight acetone.

[Will Hinton]

$38 a gallon for 3608S!!?   Man-o-man, I need to go in business selling the stuff.  I get it for $22.00 at my local auto paint supplier!  Wow!  That's as bad as the gasoline gouging.
Will

[Jim Kraft]

Just bought a gallon of 3608s last month for $18.00. I have been using it in everything for years with never a problem.

[George]

WOW! That's quite a spread. Could the difference be a local independant (low volume) vs a large volume supplier (chain store)?

I have not yet used the Dupont 3608s, but it sounds like the thing to use.

I too clean my stuff with cheap thinner, but then a final cleaning with a thinner used with the finish...saves a bit, makes the good stuff last longer. 

George

[Wayne Collier]

Could be that the clerk quoted me the wrong price.  It wasn't an item they keep out on the shelf.  You have to ask for it, and then they go get it from the back.  They do the same thing with their better quality masking tape.  The guy may have looked up the wrong price, or he might have thought he could gouge me a little.  I may try the place again sometime.

[Leo Mehl]

I have Randolf non-shrink nitrate so went down to local hardware and bought a quart of Sunnyside laquer thinner and it works just fine. So far no problems.

[Patrick Rowan]

About 2 weeks ago I paid $25.85 for a gal of Dupont 3602S thinner in Ohio. This is the slower drying thinner than the 3608S.