Anyone ever get a bad can of sealer?

[Mike Ashton]

I picked up a quart of General Finishes water based sealer today at Rockler and have a problem. The first coat went great, but when I went to fill the bottle to spray the second coat the finish poured out in clumps. I tried mixing but it didn't help, clumps remain.

Any chance this is common and can be returned?

[Steve Schoene]

I can't say whether it is common, but I can say that it isn't a product that I would ever use, especially not in multiple coats. This is a stearated sanding sealer. Stearated means that it has a chemical "soap" that makes it sand easier, at the expense of significantly reducing the durability of the total finishing system. It's used by pro's when time is money and a compromised finish won't be noticed by the customer very quickly. It is NOT needed, and is generally a waste of money.

[Mike Ashton]

Wow, thanks for the info! I brought it back to Rockler and they refunded me. I had no idea that product was thought of that poorly. Any other water-based finishes that are more highly regarded?

[Scott Holmes]

Target's EM2000, EM6000, EM8000.

Sherwin Williams also has some good WB finishes if you can find them on the web site... Look under commercial finishes.

[Mike Ashton]

Thanks Scott! I'll check out the Target products when I get back from work travel next weekend. Anything I should know or pointers you can give me for usage? I typically spray finishes with an HVLP machine.

[Clarence Miller]

has anybody had any experience with the Old Mater's brand in regards to their waterborne poly?

[Scott Holmes]

Not used it... after searching for 20 minutes to find their MSDS sheet...
Here's what is says (Per the marketing guys is my bet)

WATER BASED POLYURETHANE GLOSS


Component CAS Number
WATER 7732-18-5
ACRYLIC COPOLYMER PROPRIETARY
DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOMETHYL ETHER 34590-94-8

GLYCOL MONOMETHYL ETHER is used to soften pre-cured acrylics. Sounds like a run-of-the-mill acrylic with the marketing guys calling it polyurethane varnish which IMHO it IS NOT!

[Rich Engelhardt]

The MSDS doesn't list everthing that's in a product.

Spray B*I*N's MSDS for example, doesn't mention shellac.

IIRC from looking it up once, all that's required to be listed is anything that could be considered hazardous in the event of a spill during transportation.

An actual data sheet should list the materials used for both performance and compatibility.

[Howard Acheson]

Rich, I'm a little confused what you mean by "sealer". What product exactly were you referring to?

Was it a "sanding sealer" or a clear top coat?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Rich, I'm a little confused what you mean by "sealer". What product exactly were you referring to?


Howie,
I think you mean Mike...