Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jun 05, 2011 10:17pm | #1

   What kind of lacquer are you using--including brand and variety.  What lacquer thinner are you using?  Cheap lacquer thinners are mostly for cleanup and can fail to fully dissolve the lacquer, leading to white cotton flecks on the surface.   It would also help to discuss your spray set up and the environmental conditions where you are spraying--like temperature and humidity.  For that matter it would help to know what wood and what kind of object you were spraying. 

1. 
   Guitarguy | Jun 06, 2011 09:35am | #2

   Spraying lacquer

   I am using Sherwin Williams Pro Mar high build satin lacquer.  My thinner is Startex general purpose thinner.  I use a standard siphon type spray gun in a refrigerated air conditioned space at 75 degrees.  The wood is stained pine.  Thanks for your reply.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jun 06, 2011 02:15pm | #3

   I'd guess your problem stems from the lacquer thinner.  I looked at the MSDS for the Startex lacquer thinner and was surprised to find it with 40-50-%  Toluene and another 20% or so of a aliphatic naphtha.  Now these aren't solvents for lacquer but merely thinners that can mix with the solvents.  All lacquer thinners has such dilutants, but in too large a proportion may not keep all the lacquer in solution--hense the white stuff.  (Is there gunk in the pot?)  The major solvent in that thinner is acetone--which is among the fastest evaporating. 

   I'd go back to Sherwin Williams and buy one of the lacquer thinner that they recommend for your particular lacquer.