I am trying to finish part of a small presentation piece with black lacquer. So far it seems to be a very fragile finish. Very easy to leave fingerprints on and easily marred. I finally got the pieces coated the way I want but am afraid to proceed until I can find a way to seal the lacquer. I am tired of sanding and recoating.
Thanks
Tom
Replies
Is it nitrocellulose lacquer, and how long are you letting it dry?
I let it dry at least a day and most times I coat on saturday and do not go back to it until the next saturday.
Tom
What product(s) are you using? Surface prep? Primer?
Most lacquers dry pretty hard and have plenty of durability for this application, so the questions about the specific material and sequence are important in getting a useful answer.
Michael R
The lacquer was applied to maple over a coat of sanding sealer. I have built up several coats and usually let it dry 24 hrs before recoating if needed.
What brand/ type of sanding sealer? What brand / type of lacquer?
Lacquer over a varnish sealer, for example, is iffy at best.
Can't help without info.
The sealer is Benjamin Moore sanding sealer and was originally used to seal the wood before varnish. I then used varnish. Eventually after about 7 years I did not like the way the item looked, there were what looked like mildew(but was not) showing on the wood. I sanded the wood and started applying Black lacquer, the kind you get in a spray can at Home Depot. I thought, how hard can this be. Four months later I am still trying to get my technique right and the item to achieve the glossy black look I want. Thanks for the interest and help.
Tom
Tom,
Lacquer usually dries very hard very quickly. What you are describing is unusual.
Are you using a retarder or incompatible thinner? Is the temperature and humidity within normal ranges? Is the lacquer very old?
That is all I can think of, because it sounds like you are using it properly, otherwise.
Good luck,
Dan
Tom,
you should be able to handle a piece in as little as 15-20 minutes after shooting it. Highfive is already pointing in this direction, sounds like you may have an issue your finish.
The sealer is Benjamin Moore sanding sealer and was originally used to seal the wood before varnish. I then used varnish. Eventually after about 7 years I did not like the way the item looked, there were what looked like mildew(but was not) showing on the wood. I sanded the wood and started applying Black lacquer, the kind you get in a spray can at Home Depot. I thought, how hard can this be. Four months later I am still trying to get my technique right and the item to achieve the glossy black look I want. Thanks for the interest and help.
Tom
Something is bad - the lacquer or forgive me, your technique. My vote is the lacquer.
I have only had experience painting cars and car woodwork with lacquer and other things. Lacquer is extreme fragile and chips easily. So far as I am aware, there is no sealant, other than more lacquer. You can put a coat of clear over the black, but that will be just as fragile. I don't understand the fingerprints - it should be hard enough not to take prints. You will do better using automotive lacquer, if that is not what you are using.
Another time you should try automotive basecoat-clearcoat eurethane. This is extremely tough and chip resistant, and very easy to put on. Take a look sometime at the new pianos - that magnificent finish is basecoat-clearcoat.
any chance the laquer is NOT pre-catalyzed, but supposed to be catalyzed just before use, and maybe that's not being done?
Even the pre-catalyzed laquer i get nowadays has a 120 day shelf life (supposedly).
Or is it over-thinned so that you can spray it well. More thinner means longer dryer time. So does lower temperature.
And are you using a recommended thinner or just generic laquer thinner. There are apparently purity issues with generic laquer thinner, and I've been told that they can and do vary in purity and contaminants from one can to another, and if you mix such products of dubious purity with the highly engineered chemistry of laquers, god knows what you can or will get.
My laquer supplier only sells me Ferbo Reducer to thin their laquers, other suppliers may have their own recommendations.
Hope that helps.
Eric
in Calgary
The sealer is Benjamin Moore sanding sealer and was originally used to seal the wood before varnish. I then used varnish. Eventually after about 7 years I did not like the way the item looked, there were what looked like mildew(but was not) showing on the wood. I sanded the wood and started applying Black lacquer, the kind you get in a spray can at Home Depot. I thought, how hard can this be. Four months later I am still trying to get my technique right and the item to achieve the glossy black look I want. Thanks for the interest and help.
Tom
The sealer is Benjamin Moore sanding sealer and was originally used to seal the wood before varnish. I then used varnish. Eventually after about 7 years I did not like the way the item looked, there were what looked like mildew(but was not) showing on the wood. I sanded the wood and started applying Black lacquer, the kind you get in a spray can at Home Depot. I thought, how hard can this be. Four months later I am still trying to get my technique right and the item to achieve the glossy black look I want. Thanks for the interest and help.
Tom
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