aeomaster32

1) Dope dries quickly and such shrinking can be done within an hour of doping. Use an iron set to medium heat , and gently touch the fabric briefly to test if you have the right amount of heat. If there is a rapid shrink, ease off on temperature and conversely if there is not much action hold the iron on contact a little longer. What you are looking for is a gentle shrinking.
2) It depends on how fussy one wants to be in regard to how many coats and how much sanding to do. I just wait an hour or so until it is completely dry to the touch, and sand very very lightly just to knock the little bumps off.

3) My understanding is that Nitrate dope is usually used for shrinking, and while Butyrate dope will go over Nitrate dope, the reverse is not so.

Too much dope can make the paint thick, and that in turn can lead the paint to crack with vibration.

My simple way of painting is to first fill the fabric with dope, usually nitrate. Knock off the bumps, then mask. I use automotive lacquer spray cans to save me expensive equipment and labour. When all that is done, I use a brush to cover the entire paintwork with water based "Crystal Clear" or similar 'varnish' for fuel proofing. The varnish spreads without brush strokes. It is good for up to 10% nitro in the fuel, but one should wipe fuel off quickly anyway.

H5487

AircamperAce,

I don't think it's been made clear in the last couple of posts but you don't use dope to shrink Ceconite, just heat. This is because Ceconite is a polyester product, not a natural fabric. Therefore, after shrinking, fill the weave with only non-tautening nitrate and/or butyrate dopes.

Yes, the amount of heat applied is critical. Too little and the fabric won't shrink, just right and it will shrink controllably, too much and it will expand and sag (and once it does that, all you can do is pull it off and start over with a new piece.)

Here's a link to the Ceconite website which will answer your questions:

http://www.ceconite.com

Harvey