Q: I am finishing alder with Daly’s Benite and CrystalFin, spraying with a Fuji gun and #55 needle. I have been using water damp cloths as tack rags. I am getting white spots in the dried finish. Most areas are fine, but some of the areas look like white overspray. The spots are down in [...]
Archive for the 'clear coat' Category
The paint stands alone
Thursday, September 9th, 2010Q: What’s the best low maintenance outdoor finish for some acrylic art painted on a stone?
A: This is clearly a case of less is more in that the best finish is to simply use an appropriate exterior paint for the art itself. Exterior 100% acrylic trim paint will work well, and there’s no need to [...]
Bleeding sunburst
Monday, September 6th, 2010Q: I stained a guitar red/brown using water soluble dye. After the stain was dry, I dry brushed dark brown water soluble dye around the edges, fading toward the center for a sunburst-like finish. Clear lacquer coats finished the job. Will the dyes bleed into each other over time and become unattractive?
A: No. Water soluble [...]
Reversing time
Friday, September 3rd, 2010Q: I’ve looking at a restoration issue in some of the old Chicago bungalows where what I assume is varnish has almost coagulated on the surface of the wood trim. On most of the woodwork it’s acquired a nice patina and I’m trying to figure out how we could smooth the surface without removing the [...]
Compatibility
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010Q: A friend told me that he used nitrocellulose sanding sealer on wood, and then finished it over with an automotive two part clear coat. Does this seem possible? To me it just sounds like the two different systems will not go together.
A: You are correct in worrying about incompatible systems, but as luck would [...]
Acetone and the VOC question
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010Q: I found some conflicting information on thinning nitrocellulose lacquer. Some very good finishers use straight acetone while others write of using lacquer thinner. I realize lacquer thinner is a soup so there are many possible formulations, but generally I was wondering how acetone might behave differently from thinner.
A: Acetone, a ketone, is one component [...]
Glazy days of summer
Monday, August 30th, 2010Q: I’ve stained and sealed with Zinsser SealCoat and plan to glaze with a Van Dyke oil-based glaze. I wanted to top with Zar Interior Polyurethane antique flat, but Zar says polyurethane will delaminate off either the glaze or SealCoat, which has no wax, but may contain stearates. Now what?
A: First, SealCoat contains no stearates [...]
Epoxy over shellac
Friday, August 27th, 2010Q: Can epoxy go over shellac?
A: It depends on the epoxy. Most contain either alcohols or amines, either of which will bond to shellac, but because epoxy formulas can vary so widely, it would be best to either know more about the formulation you are using, or do a sample followed by a cross hatch [...]
Stiffness to mass
Thursday, August 26th, 2010Q: I am building my 10th guitar and am using epoxy over bare Indian rosewood to fill the pores, with great success. Can I also apply epoxy to the soundboard to eliminate “spruce ripples” and also fill voids in the rosette?
A: You can, but I would not advise it, though it might make an interesting [...]
Over pre-catalyzed
Saturday, August 21st, 2010Q: Can you apply brushing lacquer over sprayed pre-catalyzed lacquer?
A: That depends on the pre-catalyzed finish, and how long it has been cured. In some cases you can; in others you risk cracking and wrinkling. Because it is so risky without knowing a whole lot more about the particular coating involved than anyone outside the [...]