At 14:27 -0800 7/12/08, Jurgen Goering wrote: >In Europe, one traditional hammer hardening solution is collodion. > >My question: What is the difference between collodion and >nitrocellulose lacquer?... Well, if you're talking of the sort of nitrocellulose lacquer that is used by some people for wood finishing etc. then the main difference might be the solvent (cellulose thinners), which is much slower to evaporate than ether or acetone. I've never tried ether because it's not so easy to get hold of here, but to make a hammer dope I dissolve old celluloid key-tops in acetone, and I think quite a few people do the same. The faster the dope hardens the better it is, so that the result can be more quickly assessed. As the solvents evaporate the cellulose draws together and so has the effect, in theory, of tightening the fibres of the felt as well as replacing air with solid cellulose. The same sort of collodion product is used by make-up artists to simulate wrinkles and scars, an effect you can see if you paint some on your face and let it dry. I'm not sure whether nitro-cellulose lacquer has the tenacity to do the same. JD
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