Water based Lacquer results

[Smashedfinger]

A friend asked me to make some live edge shelves out of a piece of Silver Maple he gave me. Since the chunk was so full of cracks,pith,and crazy grain; all I could get out of it was three or four small shelves with some interesting grain. After lots of epoxy,CA glue and sanding; I used Resisthane through a Fuji mpx-30 gun. I'm liking the results of four coats; it seems pretty tough and built up better than the nitrocellulose I use to use back in the 90's. Here's a shelf finished using this water based precat lacquer. Does anyone else use a water based lacquer?
I also learned picking bark from the edge of a burl section on maple, takes lots of patients and a good ice pick!

https://i.postimg.cc/Kvc4rM1G/IMG-3387.jpg

[jteneyck]

A friend asked me to make some live edge shelves out of a piece of Silver Maple he gave me. Since the chunk was so full of cracks,pith,and crazy grain; all I could get out of it was three or four small shelves with some interesting grain. After lots of epoxy,CA glue and sanding; I used Resisthane through a Fuji mpx-30 gun. I'm liking the results of four coats; it seems pretty tough and built up better than the nitrocellulose I use to use back in the 90's. Here's a shelf finished using this water based precat lacquer. Does anyone else use a water based lacquer?
I also learned picking bark from the edge of a burl section on maple, takes lots of patients and a good ice pick!

https://i.postimg.cc/Kvc4rM1G/IMG-3387.jpg

I haven't been able to figure out why some WB products are called lacquer and some aren't.  They all appear similar to me and nothing like traditional solvent based lacquer. TC swears their products will burn in like NC lacquer but then go on to tell you have durable they are.  I don't see how you can have it both ways; seems like marketing mumbo jumbo.  

I've been using WB clears and pigmented products for about 10 years now.  They are the only thing I can safely spray in my shop so that's what I use.  I've never felt like I've had to compromise with WB products, only that they often cost more than solvent based ones.  Small price to pay though to eliminate the chance of an explosion.  

Try GF's Enduro Clear Poly someday.  You'll be amazed.  

John

[zaret]

I haven't been able to figure out why some WB products are called lacquer and some aren't.  They all appear similar to me and nothing like traditional solvent based lacquer. TC swears their products will burn in like NC lacquer but then go on to tell you have durable they are.  I don't see how you can have it both ways; seems like marketing mumbo jumbo.  

I've been using WB clears and pigmented products for about 10 years now.  They are the only thing I can safely spray in my shop so that's what I use.  I've never felt like I've had to compromise with WB products, only that they often cost more than solvent based ones.  Small price to pay though to eliminate the chance of an explosion.  

Try GF's Enduro Clear Poly someday.  You'll be amazed.  

John

i'm with john.  i've been spraying WB clears for over a decade, and i get good results.  GF enduro clear is a terrific product, but for me, hard to get, and expensive - lately i've settled on SW Sayerlack clear, and get excellent results.  it's forgiving, doesn't sag, seems durable, and looks great.  and it's inexpensive and (for me) locally available.  those who swear that good results require solvents haven't truly tried modern WB finishes.

--- dz

[jteneyck]

i'm with john.  i've been spraying WB clears for over a decade, and i get good results.  GF enduro clear is a terrific product, but for me, hard to get, and expensive - lately i've settled on SW Sayerlack clear, and get excellent results.  it's forgiving, doesn't sag, seems durable, and looks great.  and it's inexpensive and (for me) locally available.  those who swear that good results require solvents haven't truly tried modern WB finishes.

--- dz

Which specific Sayerlack product are you using and is it available in gallon cans or only 5 gal pails?  That's a problem with many products, only available in 5 gal pails, and the only one I've been able to justify buying that much of at once is Enduro Clear Poly.  I've heard very good reports on some of the Sayerlack products and I have a commercial account at my local SW's.  

Another excellent product, though not as chemically durable as Clear Poly, is Lenmar Duralaq-WB.  They call it lacquer but it's no different in use than Clear Poly or any acrylic or acrylic/urethane blend.  I buy it at my local BM store.  It comes in clear and white, and both can be custom tinted to give you any and all of BM's 3000+ colors.  I used it tinted to gray and another tinted to match SW's ProClassic White on my kitchen cabinets.  Why would I have a product tinted to the SW's ProClassic White rather than just use ProClassic?  Because the viscosity is only about 100 seconds through a #4 Ford cup, compared to 500+ for ProClassic, so it sprays much easier and flows out beautifully.  And the Duralaq-WB white primer has a lower viscosity than BIN pigmented shellac primer at around 25 seconds.  Amazing.  Anyway, they spray great and look great.  The primer is less than $40/gal and the topcoats around less than $60 with free custom tinting. 

John

[zaret]

Which specific Sayerlack product are you using and is it available in gallon cans or only 5 gal pails?  That's a problem with many products, only available in 5 gal pails, and the only one I've been able to justify buying that much of at once is Enduro Clear Poly.  I've heard very good reports on some of the Sayerlack products and I have a commercial account at my local SW's.  

Another excellent product, though not as chemically durable as Clear Poly, is Lenmar Duralaq-WB.  They call it lacquer but it's no different in use than Clear Poly or any acrylic or acrylic/urethane blend.  I buy it at my local BM store.  It comes in clear and white, and both can be custom tinted to give you any and all of BM's 3000+ colors.  I used it tinted to gray and another tinted to match SW's ProClassic White on my kitchen cabinets.  Why would I have a product tinted to the SW's ProClassic White rather than just use ProClassic?  Because the viscosity is only about 100 seconds through a #4 Ford cup, compared to 500+ for ProClassic, so it sprays much easier and flows out beautifully.  And the Duralaq-WB white primer has a lower viscosity than BIN pigmented shellac primer at around 25 seconds.  Amazing.  Anyway, they spray great and look great.  The primer is less than $40/gal and the topcoats around less than $60 with free custom tinting. 

John

hi john,

yes, the sayerlack hydroplus clear is only available in 5s.  for me, not an issue, i use a lot of it - last kitchen i did was 25 gallons.  fun times.  i have used the duralaq, but my issue is that it's not KCMA certified and definitely isn't as durable as the sayerlack.  now, BM also has Megavar, which is (best i can tell) nearly equivalent to enduro clear poly, and priced accordingly - it's $65 a gallon or so.  that stuff sprayed easily, and... as i said, seems nearly identical to enduro when i shot it.  it's water-clear.  the sayerlack has a little color to it, is a little "softer" and has a less plastic look to it.

spraying sayerlack with a regular HVLP could be an issue.  it's very thick.  one of the reasons i like it is that it doesn't run - i can shoot the insides of drawer boxes and not worry about it sagging.  but, i shoot it with a kremlin AAA, and i don't think i could spray it with my HVLP (haven't tried).

i don't do a lot of pigmented work - but i did do a hallway unit recently with the sayerlack white, and it was fine.  easy.  same thing, shot it with the kremlin.

here's the last kitchen, topcoated with sayerlack: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0b5...1BE56FFD83

-- dz

[jteneyck]

hi john,

yes, the sayerlack hydroplus clear is only available in 5s.  for me, not an issue, i use a lot of it - last kitchen i did was 25 gallons.  fun times.  i have used the duralaq, but my issue is that it's not KCMA certified and definitely isn't as durable as the sayerlack.  now, BM also has Megavar, which is (best i can tell) nearly equivalent to enduro clear poly, and priced accordingly - it's $65 a gallon or so.  that stuff sprayed easily, and... as i said, seems nearly identical to enduro when i shot it.  it's water-clear.  the sayerlack has a little color to it, is a little "softer" and has a less plastic look to it.

spraying sayerlack with a regular HVLP could be an issue.  it's very thick.  one of the reasons i like it is that it doesn't run - i can shoot the insides of drawer boxes and not worry about it sagging.  but, i shoot it with a kremlin AAA, and i don't think i could spray it with my HVLP (haven't tried).

i don't do a lot of pigmented work - but i did do a hallway unit recently with the sayerlack white, and it was fine.  easy.  same thing, shot it with the kremlin.

here's the last kitchen, topcoated with sayerlack:  https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0b5...1BE56FFD83

-- dz

Thanks for the feedback dz.  The Sayerlack looks beautiful.  Those cabinets you used it on are something, too.  Looks like a showpiece kitchen - i.e. one that no one ever cooks in.  

I'm pretty sure I'd be able to spray it with my pressure assisted HVLP gun.  I can spray BM Advance and SW ProClassic w/o thinning, though normally I do thin it slightly.  But 5 gal pails is not attractive unless I make a whole sale switch to it from Clear Poly.  

You are right about Duralaq, it's not KCMA rated.  For many applications that's not important.  Where I used it on my kitchen cabinets I top coated it with Clear Poly to get a KCMA rated topcoat.  You mentioned MegaVar and that's the product I would use next time; I was unaware it existed when I tried Duralaq.  Both are available in gallon cans, and both can be tinted to any BM color, making them highly attractive to the small consumer.    

Thanks again.

John

[zaret]

Thanks for the feedback dz.  The Sayerlack looks beautiful.  Those cabinets you used it on are something, too.  Looks like a showpiece kitchen - i.e. one that no one ever cooks in.  

I'm pretty sure I'd be able to spray it with my pressure assisted HVLP gun.  I can spray BM Advance and SW ProClassic w/o thinning, though normally I do thin it slightly.  But 5 gal pails is not attractive unless I make a whole sale switch to it from Clear Poly.  

You are right about Duralaq, it's not KCMA rated.  For many applications that's not important.  Where I used it on my kitchen cabinets I top coated it with Clear Poly to get a KCMA rated topcoat.  You mentioned MegaVar and that's the product I would use next time; I was unaware it existed when I tried Duralaq.  Both are available in gallon cans, and both can be tinted to any BM color, making them highly attractive to the small consumer.    

Thanks again.

John

john, actually, they cook a LOT.  that's a serious kitchen... they spent $65,000 on the appliances.  the cabinets took all winter to make, but the results are ... pretty good, i think.  the burl veneer is from certainly wood in new york.

you are right about spraying with a pressure-assisted gun - i'm sure that would be fine.  i think that sucking sayerlack only via venturi vacuum would be a challenge, but a pressure assist, bet that would work.  try the megavar - it seems like a nice product.  i was at IWF last year and talked to one of the lead guys at the BM booth, and he told me that "it's their version of GF enduro clear poly" - nearly identical in formulation.  he said the acrylics are high quality and expensive, justifying the cost.

--- dz

[KC]

….the cabinets took all winter to make, but the results are ... pretty good, i think. 

--- dz

That may well be the Woodnet understatement of the year.  Beautiful.

[jteneyck]

john, actually, they cook a LOT.  that's a serious kitchen... they spent $65,000 on the appliances.  the cabinets took all winter to make, but the results are ... pretty good, i think.  the burl veneer is from certainly wood in new york.

you are right about spraying with a pressure-assisted gun - i'm sure that would be fine.  i think that sucking sayerlack only via venturi vacuum would be a challenge, but a pressure assist, bet that would work.  try the megavar - it seems like a nice product.  i was at IWF last year and talked to one of the lead guys at the BM booth, and he told me that "it's their version of GF enduro clear poly" - nearly identical in formulation.  he said the acrylics are high quality and expensive, justifying the cost.

--- dz

".... actually, they cook a LOT."  Wow, what a rarity for people who build a kitchen like that.  Nice.  OK, fess up now.  If they spent $65K on the appliances and you took all winter to build the cabinets, they must have dropped at least twice that much on your cabinets.  And, yes, they look "pretty good" to me, too.  

Certainly Wood is about 40 miles from my house. It's eye candy for woodworkers when you go in their warehouse.  And really nice people, too.  

I'll try the MegaVar when I deplete my inventory of Clear Poly.  

John

[fredhargis]

I've wanted to try the Enduro Clear Poly for some time, but couldn't find a reason to buy a whole gallon.