Nitro varnish

[tball4217]

in the hms rattlesnake kit, shipyard has you soak/coat the kit supplied rigging material in NITRO VARNISH, and then use it when dry. They do this as a means of making the string easy to work with. 9 cm of the cannon breaching rope after coating in their brand of nitro varnish has it as stiff as wire and resistant to gravity.

My question is, is that method actually safe to do for cotton and not just synthetic material like they provide?

 

[Alan Smith]

You will certainly end up with very inflammable rigging. I would not recommend it from a safety point of view.

 

[Smithy]

I'm not sure about the chemistry but I think you might even produce nitrocellulose - gun cotton, the nineteenth century explosive of choice.

 

[tball4217]

its why i was asking. the instructions want everything dipped in a watered down acrylic paint, dried, then dipped in nitro varnish, then dried and then used. it does seem to make the rigging self supporting though.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Nitrocellulose compounds are used for sprayable lacquers. These are made by dissolving cellulose plastic in acetone. They used to be popular for finishing furniture as they are very quick drying. The common nitrocellulose nail polishes and Duco and Ambroid glues are close relatives.

I assume that this is a foreign (Chinese?) kit. Nitro varnish is probably the kit manufacturer's translation of the common sprayable Nitrocellulose lacquer. Check suppliers of Auto body paint.

I use both Duco and nail polish as workshop adhesives. Neither seems to cause damage.

Roger

 

[paul ron]

this is a good wiki on nitrocellulose

Nitrocellulose - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

and

Nitrocellulose varnishes: everything you need to know | guitar paint NitorLACK

Nitrocellulose varnish and acrylic components need to be mixed in solvent to be properly sprayed on a guitar, or even a car.

nitorlack.com

was mostly used for laquering guitars n musical wood instruments.

*but be aware nitro laquer is very flamable and toxic. turn off the pilot lights of the stove, water heater and shut the boiler off! there have been many explosion accidents using this stuff.

 

[MisterCA]

I pull my threads through bees wax about three times. Really makes them easier to work with. Also takes the fuzzy look out when picturing up close.

 

[Ismaele]

I put my threads in a solution of vinylic glue and water and let it soak for a couple of hours. Then I suspend them with a little weight and let them dry. When I use them they are more rigid and easier to work with. Also the fuzzy look is gone

 

[danielsje]

I understand some see the need to condition rigging thread as discussed above. In my experience using a quality thread reduces or eliminates this need. Some kit threads are of lessor quality thus the sense that the thread needs to be “dressed” prior to use. I have never found the need to condition rigging thread. If the kit threads are of poor quality I order replacement threads. Many modelers make their own rigging thread using a rope walk. My criteria for better quality rigging thread is it is not fuzzy and does not twist when pulled tight on the model. There are multiple sources in the internet for quality rigging thread. If the rigging thread is of good quality you should not need to condition it. I think it is wise to stay away from the Nitro varnish.

 

[Alan Smith]

The common nitrocellulose nail polishes and Duco and Ambroid glues are close relatives.

There is another reason to stay away from nitrocellulose compounds, they are likely to spontaneously combust. That is the reason film stock was always kept in metal cans and never transported along with regular mail. It doesn't matter so much with lacquers, probably because of the pigments and fillers, but pure and dried nitro-cellulose varnish and (closely related ) celluloid items can do so. Maybe 30 years ago in a street market in London I bought a lovely set of pale blue plastic looking French curves all stamped 'Martin-Marietta Aviation USA'. Just a few years ago I noticed a strange and very strong chemical aroma in my workshop. Took me awhile to find the cause. One of the curves had quite literally vanished, leaving only a faint powdery outline - the only trace of its existence - on the bench. It had somehow converted itself to what was probably nitroglycerine and evaporated.... I dumped the rest.

 

[stuglo]

I've used nitrocellulose (diluted) for 30+ years for mainly linen but also cotton thread. I use it for fixing knots with the big advantage that they can be freed and retied multiple times by using nitro thinners or acetone. The knot "hardens" and the excess can be cut close and sharp with tailors scissors or nail clippers. I keep and apply the liquid in small quantaties using nail vanish bottles with the brush attached under the lid.

 

[paul ron]

some interesting reading about laquers...

What is the Lacquer?

Lacquers are compounds formed by a combination of nitrocellulose, resin, plasticizer, and solvent. Nitrocellulose is the main ingredient in lacquers. They are used for industrial and domestic purposes. Lacquer is a type of varnish. The difference is that varnish is used for wood products while...

chemicalformulaservices.com