stunthanger.com
Building Tips and technical articles. => Paint and finishing => Topic started by: JohnCallentine on April 30, 2023, 05:22:28 PM
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I've got a gallon of Certified non-tautening nitrate dope that I bought in 2014. It's turned a nice dark brown color. Seems to dry ok on a sample. Think I should use it on my new plane? Also, what is a good source for PETG sheets for molding canopies.
Thanks
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Where's the old man on this one?
Long story short, dad picked up a bunch of still-sealed Pre-war Navy dope back in the early 90s. He got them just for the collectability of the cans, which were in good shape, but after ALOT of stirring, found that the dope inside was still viable. He experimented with thinners (DuPont 3608S if I remember right) and used it to paint several models over the years. This is an extreme example of course, but the moral is, as long as it has been sealed properly, and tests are producing good results, it ought to be just fine.
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I bought a bunch of quart cans from about 1940 when I was 14 or 15 for $1 apiece at a fly-in. It was all amber by then. It worked fine for me. But I was not building high-quality stunt planes. If it were anything I really cared about, I might take a pass. It was my first lesson on how you don't spray enamel over uncured dope. But a little MEK cleaned it right up. Shocked I don't have hand cancer as often as I would use MEK without any protection at all. I seriously had a gallon of the stuff in my bedroom. Gloves in my house--if you could find any--were for washing dishes.