I hate lacquer! (1 Viewer)

[Mike_Ped]

I learned two things while working on my Sonosub for the past week.
1) I HATE LACQUER!
2) Listen to Pat Sun when he warns of the evils of lacquer!
After applying about 6 coats of black lacquer and 2 coats of clear (with all that fun wetsanding in the middle) I noticed a small knick on the edge. Upon closer inspection, I noticed more and more, and more and more and more... DAMNIT! And trying to sand this stuff is useless.
So...I need some suggestions before I start all over again on a new peice of wood...
I think my problem was that I was painting to often and the coats werent getting the time they needed to dry. I'd paint, then wait an hour, then paint again. So, should I wait a whole night between coats?
This time, no more than 5 coats...
Mike

 

[brentl]

You need to remember that Patrick is the ONLY guy that can spend 12 hours a day on the net, 10 at work, then spend the rest of his waking time building Sunosubs.
I'm sure he knows what hes talking aboot
Brent L
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OK guys ..... The tour of the Paradigm
plant is now being planned. GO TO THE HOME THEaTER
MEETS PAGE and register.

 

[Patrick Sun]

10 hours at work? Bwah-hahahahahaha! Only on very rare ocassions.
Mike, the trick to getting lacquer to work is to be patient between coats, and making sure you are using lacquer all the way through, if the clear coat is not lacquer, it'll react with the black lacquer and, well, you know the rest of the story. My solution was to flip the endcap over and start on a the fresh side because the reaction of the paints just leaves a bumpy surface which was unappealing. Sorry to read about your pain, BTDT.
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PatCave; HT Pix; Gear; DIY Mains; DIY CC; Sunosub I + II + III; DVDs; Link Removed

 

[Dave Milne]

Mike,
Longer dry time is better. I wait at least overnight between coats.
I'm not quite sure what you meant by "nick in the edge". Is the lacquer flaking off from poor adhesion? If so, make sure you are using compatible lacquer products for all coats and clean (and dry) the surfaces thoroughly after wet sanding. Also make sure you are applying full wet coats so that the solvents in the fresh lacquer "bite" into the surface. Or is it just that your lacquer hasn't filled in small imperfections in the wood surface. Auto body spot putty is good for filling in small "divots" and is lacquer-compatible. I usually apply one or two coats of high-solids lacquer primer-surfacer before lacquer. It builds a nice thick film and is super-easy to sand. Then I typically only need two color coats to get a dazzling finish. Secret: When working with MDF, let the primer-surfacer dry for a week before sanding. All lacquer products shrink as the VOCs evaporate. If you sand too soon, the surface will initially look perfect, but will turn "pebbled" in a few days.

 

[Brian Steeves]

quote: And trying to sand this stuff is useless[/quote]
Are you wetsanding? If not I can definitely see your frustration
Have you seen my web page on the sonosub I built that I did a black lacquer finish on? Click on my signature and go to the "Silo II" page, then get to "Construction Page 4". And click on the picture that looks like the one at the bottom of the page.
I have a detailed description of how I did my finish. But if you read carefully you will see I said that it is a real PITA!
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http://home.tampabay.rr.com/bpsdesigns
[Edited last by Brian Steeves on November 09, 2001 at 07:50 AM]

 

[Mike_Ped]

The "nick on the edge" and the other marks must have been from me picking it up and moving it to wetsand. I think the paint hadent hardened in time.
And about the sanding...no, I wasnt wetsanding at that point, I was actually trying to sand my ass through 6-7 coats of this stuff to start over. After about 45 minutes of sandind...and sanding...and sanding.....I realized using the extra MDF I have is the way to go.
Ok, so from now on, its overnight for each coat....I'm going to have to learn patience all over again. Thanx!
Mike