Emtech 6000 with Mixol and other questions

[Jim Tobias]

I am going to put black mixol in emtech 6000 to create a "black lacquer" to spray on the frame portion of 2 bedside tables. I have 2 questions:
1 - The base material (legs,drawer dividers, side raised panels, etc) are poplar. Do I need to do/apply anything to the poplar(sealer, target shellac, or other) before beginnign to spray the emtech6000(with black mixol) ?

2- I am putting a veneered center panel in the top of the table surrounded by a poplar farme that will be sparyed with the emtech6000(with black mixol). How can I level the veneer panel to the frame then cover and spray the poplar frame without getting the emtech on the veneer panel?
Is it a simple as taping it off with good quality painter's tape or some other tape?

Thanks,
Jim

[Jamie Buxton]

When I spray Emtech 6000, my usual strategy is to apply two thin coats, then skitter-sand, then apply the final coat. The water in the first coats raises some grain, so the surface will feel rougher than you want. Skitter-sanding is very light sanding with very fine sandpaper. I use 800 grit, and just dance it across the surface. It is amazing how much just that light sanding changes the feel of the surface.

[Rob Cunningham]

I usually pre-raise the grain before applying any finish.
Wipe the surface with a wet rag, allow to dry and lightly sand with 400 grit to knock back the whiskers.
You should be able to seal off the panel with painter's tape.

[Jim Becker]

You may want to check with Target to see if the EM6000 is going to work well as a "Deep Tint Base" before you try it.

[Matt Tawes]

My suggestion would be the same as Jamie posted.

As for the Mixol, works fine and Jeff from Target could probably tell you exactly the right amt. if you ask. However you can buy EM6000 already tinted in numerous colors or custom colors from Jeff Jewitt's shop:
http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/htdocs/targetcoatings.htm
EM6000 has a clear and a pastel tintbase now depending upon the color you need to achieve.

[Michael Roberts]

In a post on the Target forum, Jeff recommended 500ml of mixol per 1 gallon of em6000 yields black paint. I recently did a 20ml per quart mix -- three coats of that provided a black finish with a bit of the grain of the underlying alder showing through. I used the same recipe on an MDF subwoofer with a couple coats of Bin primer underneath and that worked great, too.

[Jim Tobias]

Thanks for the replys and suggestions. I had contacted Jeff W about the mixol/emtech combo and was told it should produe a "black" finish.
Jamie - I will try your suggestion about 2 light coats and then "Skitter-sanding ".
Anyone else have any experience/success with taping off a panel and spraying target products on surrounding parts without getting "bleed through" or color (in this case black) on the panel???

Thanks,
Jim

[Jamie Buxton]

I balked at the price of Mixol's universal colorants. I use universal colorants I buy at a local paint shop. The brand name is Cal Tint. A 16-oz jug costs about $15, depending on which pigment you buy. That's about a quarter of the price of Mixol. It works just fine with USL. I'm sure it will work with EM6000.