Lacquer Problems

resoman

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Uke Friends,
I've been using lacquer since I started building and I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 ukes. I settled on Cardinal but tried most all the others. I did some French polish but I just don't do it well, I guess I lack the patience for that. I've done a few with Truoil, tung oil and CrystaLac. The lacquer is my preference but it is really starting to bother me even tho I use Tyvek coveralls, gloves and a respirator. I have to find another finish and would like to try some waterbase but the things I've heard about the stuff just wasn't good. I see LMI and Stewmac don't even carry the stuff anymore.
Any ideas would be most appreciated. As a last resort I could give French polish another go and force myself to learn the process.
Thanks!
th
I had to edit this. I found the ColorTone waterbase on Stewmac's website. The reviews are glowing but I'm worried about the long term.
 
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I've not tried spraying shellac but I will sure give it a go. I'm building an experimental uke for myself and I'll try it on that one. It seems that when I spray lacquer even with all the safety equipment it sends me into Afib. Not always but more than enough. It doesn't always last very long, a couple of hours or so, but I just don't need anymore health problems. Something you know a thing or two about.
Thank you!
 
I found the ColorTone waterbase on Stewmac's website. The reviews are glowing but I'm worried about the long term.

I tried SMDs ColorTone. Didn't like it at all. Check that: I hated it. But that was in my hands and I'm sure others can get better results. Have you considered the polyurethanes? I have not used it, but Allen at Barron River Ukes gets gorgeous results. Then again Allen gets gorgeous results on anything because he is Allen... By the way, you don't have to do the whole obsessive compulsive French Polishing thing to get a decent finish with shellac. Do a good pore fill and put on multiple thin coats (with the occasional sand out) and it looks great. Of course there is always the problem of shellac being a bit tender but there ya go - it's shellac.
 
I gave up on lacquer for the same reason Terry. The gassing off fumes days and even a week later were just getting to me. And gave French Polish a go, but the labor and time of getting a finish I was happy with wasn't anything I could see long term me doing. And it was bloody hard on my shoulder / elbow and wrist.

Changing to a catalysed Polyurethane was a transformation to my entire building schedule. And the finish is ready to head out the door in a fraction of the time. It took a 3-4 week finishing schedule down to under 7 days. And the finish is in everyway superior to lacquer.

You won't be able to get the one I use in the USA, but there has got to be something appropriate that you can use.
 
Allen, are you using waterbase polyurethane? The catalyzed part kind of scares me and I worry about cleaning my guns properly and ruining them. I am going to fool around with all these ideas. The poly sounds very attractive if I can find something in the US that will work with the instruments. I like the hardness I've heard about poly but I've heard touch up and repair can be an issue.
 
Just a cursory search yields a lot of information on catalyzed polyurethane finishes. Some are pre-catalyzed and some 2 part. It gets complicated. Some contain isocyanates and some nitro acetate or both. Here is a water based pre-catalyzed polyurethane available that might just fit the ticket in being low toxicity. I would definitely do some experimentation before I used this stuff on my beautiful newly built ukulele.

https://www.mlcampbell.com/product/magnamaxh20/
 
Allen, are you using waterbase polyurethane? The catalyzed part kind of scares me and I worry about cleaning my guns properly and ruining them. I am going to fool around with all these ideas. The poly sounds very attractive if I can find something in the US that will work with the instruments. I like the hardness I've heard about poly but I've heard touch up and repair can be an issue.

No the one I use is not a water base one. Clean up is just like with lacquer as thinners is what you use. The only issue you would have that is different is that it will go off on you in the gun if you just set aside. Then you would have a problem.

Touch up ease with lacquer is over stated. You would still need to refinish the entire surface for the repair to be invisible and that goes with Polyurethane as well.
 
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Thanks Allen. I have spent much of the day on the internet trying to research this stuff. I have found a few things that might work and I ordered up a few today. It'll take testing and probably a while before I feel confident enough to start on customer's instruments. I like the idea of the catalyzed and am going to try some but the lacquer thinner clean up is a problem for me. I even looked at a Royal-Lac video that showed post catalyzed Royal-Lac and I may even give that a try. The video had the guy rubbing it on.
Sequoia, I'm also going to check out the MagnaMax.
Chuck, I did a search and found found some wipe on by Watco
 
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Hey resoman,

Reading this thread, I was thinking that most of the possible choices are probably technically banned in CA due to the VOC content. Can you even get lacquer thinner?

There's a maker on the Banjo Hangout forums who gets really beautiful results with CrystaLac, and he moved to it after using nitro for a long time. I was thinking of trying it based on that recommendation. I see from your OP that you've tried it too, but you're still in search of a different finish. What was it that didn't work for you?
 
I'm going to give the CrystaLac Brite Tone another try. I see it can be shot on and that is attractive to me. I don't remember exactly why I didn't like it. LMI has it so I'm gonna order up tomorrow.
You would think that lacquer thinner would be banned here but it is not. What is banned tho is denatured alcohol. I can hardly believe that. I am in Nevada 4 or 5 times a year so I'll get it then. I was there a month or so ago and bought a couple gallons and that will hold me over.
 
I've had excellent results in the past with solvent based Minwax wipe-on satin poly, but that was before it was banned over here due I believe to the VOC content. The water based stuff is available, but like others I have an aversion to water based finishes and haven't bothered to try it.
 
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What is banned tho is denatured alcohol.

Funny, but my hardware store here in Northern California still carries denatured alcohol. I've used what is called "stove fuel" which is basically denatured ethanol with some methanol mixed in. Works great.
 
I saw something when I was looking for the reasons California banned this stuff and I found something that said that denatured alcohol was not banned in other parts of the state. I'm going from memory here so, ya gets what ya pays for. We get lumped in with the LA area. We say we're Central California but they say we're in southern Cal.
It's a matter of perspective.
 
I'm going to give the CrystaLac Brite Tone another try. I see it can be shot on and that is attractive to me. I don't remember exactly why I didn't like it. LMI has it so I'm gonna order up tomorrow.

I have used Brite Tone on a couple of instruments and like it. I am not spraying it (no equipment) but am putting it on with an artist quality brush. It colors the wood well, sands well, and buffs well. No fumes at all, dries quickly. The Brite Tone sanding sealer has worked well too.
 
Jupiter, I ordered the Brite Tone and the sanding sealer from LMI today. Now for the testing. It gives me hope that this will do the trick but I do have other stuff coming to try too.

Mando, I've not heard of Enduro-Var but I will sure look into it.
 
Your brush on the shellac made me think of a Stansell video I saw that showed how he brushed on and finished a guitar. Beautiful results. I am going to try shooting some on first.
 
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