Diluting Aero Gloss Dope
 

Just for the record, I was surprised to discover today that my can of Aero Gloss dope (Stearman Red) that I was using to paint the escape tower on my Estes Mercury Redstone cleans up with acetone. I have been on the record on this forum in the past as stating that acetone should not be used with Aero Gloss dope for dilution or clean up as it make a gooey mess, and that the proper solvent/diluant is non-acetone nail polish remover. Apparently, it's not that easy. Previous cans that I have used (black and white) required the non-acetone stuff and were ruined by diluting with acetone. This can of Stearman red is the exact opposite. So beware! If using Aero Gloss dope and you don't have any Aero Gloss thinner (as most of us don't) you will need to test for the proper diluant/cleaner by testing a drop or two in whatever you have. If it solidifies, you need the other one. I hope this is clear.

Joe

To my knowledge Aero Gloss is not made any more but SIG Models and Brodak have a product very similar. IDK.

For Aero Gloss, SIG, and Brodak Dopes, Acetone most certainly can be used as thinner, but it evaporates very fast and WILL cause blushing in humid weather.
Proper Dope thinner is a mix of Toluene, MIBK, MEK, and Acetone in that order of percentages. It's about 40 30 20 10.
One can find most of these ingredients at any Sherwin-Williams paint store. Not sure anymore where to get MIBK; maybe a specialty hardware. you could just blend Toluene-MEK-Acetone to make a good dope thinner.

If I had to use only one solvent (not a blend) I would use Toluene. It would dry the slowest.


Non-Acetone nail polish remover is Ethyl Acetate. That stuff is ONLY good for thinning old Ethyl Acetate based Testors brand dopes. DO NOT USE it in Aero Gloss, Sig, or Brodak alone. It will ruin it.

Some dope thinners have a SMALL % of Ethyl Acetate which is ok...by itself it is not.