I have applied dope in sub-freezing temps before with no blushing problems as long as the air is dry and your dope drys fast.

For example:
If you have a day that is 80 degrees and the humidity is above 80% you will/might have blushing.
If you have a day that is 30 degrees and the humidity is 30% you will not have blushing.

50% humidity or less is ideal for any paint application.

Cold dry days are no problem for applying dope. Dope will not freeze.

Dope must be stored in a cool place due to the fact that it will "gas" if it gets too warm and can actually blow the lid right off the can. A hot garage in the summer is not a good place to store dope.

Remember that thinner comes in 3 different "speeds". Slow / Medium / Fast. It was mentioned that applying a ligt coat of straight thinner will remove blushing,which is true, but you can also simply wait till the dope has dried and polish it out. The trapped moisture will usually rise to the surface where it can be removed.

I usually am not too concerned with blushing until I start applying my color coats and this is, in most situations, not until I have applied at least 10-15 coats of clear dope.

On the contrary, if I am going for a clear finish over colored silk, blushing must be addessed quite seriously since the finish is clear and only the dyed silk is the underlying color and herin is the true beauty of a silk covering job. The weave must be kept perfectly straight when pulling the silk tight on the framework and this is where the "Master's" true craftsmanship and artistic abilities come to play.

Applying silk is easy if you are going to paint over it with colored dope.

Applying a clear dope finish over dyed silk requires absolute perfection.


SPEEDY