Using Target Coating USL

[Greg McCallister]

Well I sprayed some USL the day before yesterday and all I can say is "Wow"!!!
After playing with the Minwax Polycrylic, which by the way does have a nice finish and is not really a bad product, and then using the USL, I can't ever see a reason to go back, unless in a pinch.
Had some problems with bubbles using my HVLP gun and of course the SMC helped me out on that. Yep - to low of air pressure and to high of fluid flow rate causing sputtering . A few adjustments and this stuff goes on like glass. No odor (still used respirator though) and vented out a basement window to make sure for 15 min or so (did not want to suck out all the warm air :eek:).
Thanks to all of you guys at the SMC and of course TC. This and many other ideas and products has made woodworking a much more pleasurable experence :D.

[Joe Chritz]

It is like a moment of clarity.

Joe

[Larry Fox]

It is a very nice product. Jim Becker turned me on to it a couple of years back and I have never looked back. I have also used their CV and Hybrvar products which are also very nice. Do you have a wet film thickness gauge? If not, I recommend getting one so you know how much you are putting down. It helps, especially on vertical surfaces.

[Mark Lambert]

I ordered a gallon yesterday can't wait to give it a try...

Mark

[Tim Malyszko]

Yep,

It's great stuff. I just opened my white tinted gallon to finish the plantation shutters. The best part I like about USL is that I can get a great finish is just a few minutes of work. Now that I use USL, I don't think I'll get much use out of my General International Poly. I was just blown away by how great USL made some cherry ply look recently (gloss finish).

On a side note, tips like Target USL is one reason its so worth contributing to SMC. If it wasn't for Sawmillcreek, I would have never known about such a great product.

[Tim Malyszko]

One more thing, USL is so easy to clean up compared to my oil based finishes I've used. It's so nice running my PC spray gun parts under warm water for a minute or two and everything comes out clean. I was in a hurry tonight and managed to clean my gun, shower, change and write out the church checks before 5 PM service all in about 15 minutes. If I were using an oil based finish, it would have never happened.

What a great product!!!

[Mark Lambert]

Team,

My normal tack rags are labeled wax and solvent free, however it also said not recommended for use with water based finishes...

What tack rags are you using?

Mark

[Tim Malyszko]

Team,

My normal tack rags are labeled wax and solvent free, however it also said not recommended for use with water based finishes...

What tack rags are you using?

Mark

Mark,

I don't use tack rags, but instead turn my regulator up to 100 PSI and give the piece a good blow outdoors before bringing it to the "spray booth."

Before having the 60 gallon compressor, I used t-shirts with a few drops of varnish, giving it a "tackiness". The 100 psi compressed air, however, works better.

[Joe Chritz]

This came up in another thread recently. The only tack cloth I use anymore are micro fiber cloths.

This is one online supplier but I get mine from the borg or a department store.

http://www.neatitems.com/micro.htm

Waterbase finishes have a few quirks (mainly compatibility) but those are easily over come. My standard finish is two coats sealcoat at 2# and two coats USL. The sealcoat warms the wood a bit and acts as a barrier coat and the USL gives the protection.

Joe

[Russ Massery]

I found all the above to be true. I can't say enough about the stuff. I used USL on my kitchen cabinets 4yrs ago and it has held up beautiful. It's my go to finish from now on.

[Jim Becker]

My normal tack rags are labeled wax and solvent free, however it also said not recommended for use with water based finishes...

"Just say no!" to commercial tack rags. A soft, lint free cloth or towel (or the microfiber towels mentioned in other posts) are all you need.