Doing some birch bowls. Happen to have some clear gloss spray acrylic around, doing one bowl with that. The store has clear gloss lacquer too. Should I give that a try, or is acrylic the way to go? These (well, one at least) will become fruit bowls of some sort, and the to-be-finished bowl has a danish oil coat on it already (the acrylic bowl did not).
Hi DJ, The way to go is _YOUR way and I know you do it well. "Age' Quod Agis" (do what you're doing) might be another Tee shirt & cap for Ruth? We all miss you, Ruth, wherever you are. Arch
n.b. While we are worrying, have there been any deaths or illnesses caused by eating potatoes dipped in boiling rosin?
Fortiter,
Yeah, that too. I'm just wondering which would be a better long-term protective finish, and/or which people think look better. I'm used to using an oil/wax finish, or poly on larger pieces.
No, but my brother's wife had a baby girl last month, so the topic of "teething safe" finishes may come up soon ;-)
Arch,
Just saw a comment from Ruth on WOW this morning. So it seems she is well and still turning.
Lacquer. I feel that the lacquer ...
1) gives a stronger bond 2) more durable in use 3) not tend to yellow and cloud as much 4) Allow better for expansion/contraction if that's going to be a problem for your piece. 5) Dries quicker so I can build up a lot of coats easily if neededI use spray acrylics a lot in other craft projects but not turnings anymore.
- Andrew
======================== DJ, An alternative is acrylic lacquer. If you have access to a spray gun, and are comfortaable using it, you can go to any place that sells to the automotive paint and body shops to find it. It is more diurable than regular nitrocelluous lacquer, and is more flexible. The fumes are nastier than the nitro type, so wear a respirator or do the spraying in an open space, well ventilated, but not outside where the "kamikaze" moths can attack. Just a different option.
Ken Moon Webberville, TX
Noted for future reference, but the selection at the local hardware store is rather limited. Specifically, to those two options ;-)
Not yet. I have a wimpy compressor, so it's either going to be a detail sprayer or an HVLP system, if I ever get around to it. I don't have a good place to spray in either.
It's currently mayfly season. The swarms are thick enough to see from inside the house. Next month is dragonfly season, which is much more pleasant.
I've had good experiences with (specifically) Deft spray lacquer, and with non-spray acrylic. So I expect either will work, and "which" is best resolved by you experimenting and deciding which you like best. Not sure how the spray acrylic would differ from the non-spray, but my impressions of what I have used is that both have good clarity (no tinting), with the acrylic being a bit thicker and softer, while the lacquer is thinner and harder, or at least it appears that way to me.
Hi DJ. I've used a small touch up gun ($30-40, IIRC) for quite a few years now. I even poly'd a queen size futon frame with it. I don't own a tank'd compressor - just an oil-less, air-on-demand Sears 1hp portable and the little gun works fine.
If you can go with automotive lacquers, they dry extremely quickly. The flash time is very, very short -- many hot rod and collector car enthusiasts paint their cars in their driveway with these acrylic lacquers because it dries so quickly they don't have to worry much about dust or bugs. Another great thing about acrylic lacquer is that if you do get a nib or leg then you can easily touch-up sand and reshoot very soon after the initial coats.
Should you decide to go this route, the longer you let the finish cure after it's "done" before buffing out, the better. One month is usually the minimum for the best finish.
Which?
The one I have is a no-name that I got maybe 10 years ago. Here's one that's probably identical - at least it looks it:
I'm fairly certain Harbor Freight carries it for less.
Do you currently have a compressor?
Yes, I have a 20 gal oilless compressor. It doesn't have many CFMs though, so I haven't bothered getting CFM tools.
If my little tankless 1hp Sears job can power this touchup gun then yours certainly would.
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