I'm done with dope

I wouldn't give up on the dope .... but something funky is going on there. If thats the way most models turned out ... nobody would use it. Take some tips from stuntflyer's post above ....

More than half the control line planes I have are covered in some kind of plastic. I simply can't stand the stuff. Constantly doing maintenance to it .... once oil gets under it, it's a constant problem ... for me anyway.

Good luck!!

Geez, that's too bad Bob. I have brushed dope.. but not with the intent of shrinking a covering. I don't know for sure, what would cause the checking. The discussions here on finishing with dope fascinate me. I'm not a painter by any stretch of the imagination.. but I've learned many helpful hints here on the forum. My only experience with dope is Pactra's Aero Gloss, brushed onto sheet-balsa surfaces. Sanding-sealer, fuel-proofer, color-coats.. no thinning.. Ambroid glue.. somebody open a window.. I love the smells of balsa-wood modeling! Regarding the Iron-ons.. mine have held-up really well too. I purchased a roll of white econo-kote a while ago.. and it's still unused. I'd like to build some built-up 1/2A wings covered with it. White is a nice base for graphics.. especially if they pop.

I think Bob was using Aero Gloss , I also have a deal of this but have not did any tissue in a while for I have a plenty of mona-kote around from time back and sales ... when I did it dope wood, dope sheeting on and 2 coats clear 1 color I think was the way it went with the same stuff // I got several yrs out of most of them that flew the others were moving accidents     Sorry to see that work do that to you Bob had to have been a bad mix of chemical 'S ?? And I have no extra's until I can reup silly boy. Are you going to coat it with plastic or try the tissue again ?  Eric

Aero Gloss is and always has been problematic for the past 30 years. It's very different from traditional butyrate dope. As Chris mentioned, Sig is superior to most. Sig dope covered with Sig Lite coat will yield the highest fuel proofing qualities above the rest. Brodak dope has very little fuel resistance and 10% will readily attack it. The solution is to put Lite Coat over it. John has now come out and offered Crystal Clear Brodak. This is the clearest of clears and this greatly improves the fuel resistance. It's also a lot more money than the standard clear.  Randolph makes Sig, and also Brodak but all of them including Randolph are slightly different. Sig uses the slowest thinner amongst them. What this means that you can have a bit more open time using the product which allows for brushing and a stroke free finish provided it's thinned properly. You need lots of thinner and this doesn't come without a high price tag. While it's suggested to use the same thinner from the same manufacturer, this doesn't have to be the case with Sig, Brodak and Randolph. The universal thinner for Sig, Brodak is Dupont 3608S. A qt of Sig thinner is $20. A gallon of 3608S is about $29. Dupont recently changed the name and it's now known as Chroma Color but still retains the 3608S#.   Dupont does make a 3608VS and this is not the same and this is used for acrylics which doesn't work and will instantly gell your product. Dupont 3608S however will not allow for brushing very easily and in my opinion must be sprayed. If brushing is your only option, request 3602S which is slower.  Dupont 3608s has little to no open time and evaporates the fastest when compared to Brodak which is also in my opinion a thinner too hot which dries to fast. What does all this mean? It means that you don't receive proper layering adhesion if your using a thinner that dries to fast. I've always had to use retarder with Brodak dope which I despise because your playing tug of war with the paint on the model. Your using a thinner that wants to dry fast and your now making it dry slower which can cause problems especially in and around trim color transitions.  You need a form of mechanical adhesion which is where most of the problems begin. The paint needs to melt into the next layer and when this doesn't happen properly due to faster drying or not enough thinner, problems as cracking and checking can certainly take place. However if Aero Gloss is the product, this can take place no matter what you do. White Aero Gloss was notorious for checking. Aero Gloss has little to no flexibility and I have several models from the 80's which show similar damage.

Thanks for the compassion guys, I love those Nieuport 28's.  

The problem is probably 50/50, half me half the dope.  The olive drab and darker tan colors are Aero gloss, the brown and light tans (underside) are Brodak.  All four colors cracked. The Aero gloss dopes are old, ebay bought because you can't find camo colors anymore in Aero gloss.  That's how I finished my first 28 and wanted to repeat the process.  

I used fresh Aero gloss clear thinned for the base, three coats brushed.  Then the colors.  The silk span was old, came with the kit, but appeared to be in good shape.  I think I will just patch it, fly it a couple of times then strip down to the bare airframe and try again, this time with flat OD monocoat and trimmed with period decals.  

I love working with spray LusteKote.  It did really well on my two latest builds, sans silk.