Don't do I what I did

[MidwestMan]

I'm posting, so others will NOT do, the silly mistake I made.

I worked for hours and hours, to prepare for the final spraying of lacquer on the current project, which is a tall dresser.

The drawer fronts and the back panel of the dresser, are the only remaining parts. So, I'm all setup and spray my first coat.... its going just fine... I steel wool the parts and proceed. The sprayer is getting low, so I pour more lacquer into the sprayer and reach down to get the lacquer thinner and pour some into the sprayer. Shake sprayer and proceed. (I know how much to thin from memory)

I apply the 2nd coat, and for the first time, I notice blushing. I'm puzzled, blushing has never happened to me before. I'm using a cat lacquer. I jump on the internet and re-learn that blushing is caused by moisture being trapped in the finish. It can be caused by cold equipment, air or object being sprayed.
So I race back to close the window, crank up the heat and spray some more. It does NOT help, and I reach for the lacquer thinner, and wipe the (semi-dried) objects and it instantly removes the white cloudy blush, but after drying for a few minutes, IT IS WORSE. I continue doing this (without gloves on) and the problem is now getting MUCH WORSE. After a few more minutes of this circus, I realized that the feel of the lacquer thinner on my hands, should be different. My fingers should be getting dry and as I rubbed my fingers together, I realize that this doesn't feel right.

I look down and the can that I thought was lacquer thinner, was in fact Mineral spirits.

MY MISTAKE, AND I HOPE YOU NEVER DO IT, is that I glanced at the can and didn't actually read the can.

I suspect there are many of you, that would say, "heck, I'd never do that dumb of a mistake". I suspect it only because, honestly, I would think that. I can not believe I made a mistake like that because I am so deliberate on everything I do. (but not this time)

This came about because I finished off the first can of lacquer thinner with the first coat and I reached for the another can of lacquer thinner and glanced at the can and thought that the shade of yellow of the can was indeed lacquer. The can of Mineral spirits is a slightly different shade and I didn't pay attention, more importantly, I didn't read the can.

I have flicker images if anyone is interested in seeing what lacquer looks like, when thinned with Mineral spirits.

[jteneyck]

That's a bummer for sure, but it's not the end of the world. You should be able to strip off the mess and start over.

John

[David G]

If I remember correctly, one of my first questions on Woodnet was why lacquer thinner caused my can of polyurethane to form a large glob. Yep, BTDT.

[deepsplinter]

I feel for ya, m'friend.

That falls squarely under the "that'll never happen to me" heading.

Finishing is a lot like boating...If anything can go wrong, it will. (Murphy's Law x10)

[MidwestMan]

It sure does fall under that "heading". I am still shaking my head at myself.

The wood now is down to the bare naked beginnings it had. I re-routed the edges (loosing about 1/16" in width) Which I believe will be okay. I have to check that next. The project is stained with a mixture of pigment stain and dye (to match another piece of furniture). So, I sure hope the wood stains to the correct shade.

It is still a fix in progress.

[MidwestMan]

I wish there was a way for me to post photos of this mess. It would be more illustrative.

[MidwestMan]

David G said:

---

If I remember correctly, one of my first questions on Woodnet was why lacquer thinner caused my can of polyurethane to form a large glob. Yep, BTDT.

---

I did notice a globular booger on the spray gun tip and also at another time... but the light bulb, STILL didn't turn on, with those clues. This was a NEW to me brand of lacquer and just shaked off the clues as a new anomaly to me.

[Paul K. Murphy]

Too bad. Your story is missing just the right detail to help me understand what you might have done differently, but you're probably doing what you must. With pre-cat product, you're dealing with a reactive, and would probably not have a (time) window to solve this one. Mineral spirits, paint thinner, whatever you want to call it, does not belong here. You know that, hence your post. If this had been ordinary nitrocellulose lacquer, the PT would also have been out of place, but stripping would most likely not be necessary.
Doctor Midwestman insisted on operating on the patient for blushing. A simple drug regimen of too thin lacquer, doped with retarder would have had far less risk. Hit it with that next time, as soon as you know you've got a problem.
The correct amount of thinning= too much. Probably about twice usual.
Retarder? One capful per quart.
You're trying to get your last coat to be real thin, real liquid lacquer, that takes too long to dry. Isobutyl Isobutyrate (or however you spell it) as a last resort. If you dope the medicine with that, it is drastic. It will take a long time to dry. Absolutely no more than one capful per quart!

[fredhargis]

I fell for ya'....such things usually only happen to me (I thought!).