Lacquer Curing Prior to Buffing

[Glen Blanchard]

Forgive me for posting this here if it better suited to the Finishing Forum but I thought this might be better answered by those who turn.

How long should one wait after the final coat of lacquer has been applied prior to buffing?

[Dennis Ford]

Glen:
Waiting a week will remove all doubt, usually three days will be enough. I try to remove any orange peel texture with fine sandpaper (600 - 1500 grit) or steel wool before buffing. That reduces heat buildup during buffing since less material has to be removed by the buffing process. Using this method, I have buffed the day after spraying lacquer due to a time crunch but prefer to wait a few days.

[John Coloccia]

Depends on the lacquer, but if you want a showroom finish, 1 week is the minimum amount. Most lacquers will continue outgassing for 3 weeks, and what that means is the finish will continue to shrink for that long. You can sand and buff after 2 or 3 days, but if you look at the finish in a month it will have lost some of the sheen due to shrinkage. That's why most instrument guys wait about 3 to 4 weeks.

[Ken Glass]

Another vote for a 5 day week....

[Larry Pickering]

An old painters trick, press your thumb nail, with moderate pressure, into the clear, if you leave a dent it is still curing, have seen lacquer stay soft for months. With over 30 years selling automotive paint, have have a lot of old painters tricks, some times they get me into trouble.

Laisse bons temps rouler

[robert raess]

Not to veer too far,I have had good success with some pro grade water-borne urethanes.The ones i have used are used are high% urethane used in the wood floor finishing.I have rubbed out a finish after a day..but in all fairness ,i was not trying to achieve high gloss.just a thot. Rob

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

You already got good advice but I will also chime in. If you are spraying a rattle can lacquer, they are usually nitrocullulose. I give that type 2 weeks at 70 degree temperatures. I even leave catalyzed two weeks if I can. It is fully cured when the sanding residue us dust not rolled bits of lacquer. Don't leave your work in a cold shop to cure. The warmth of the house will speed up the process. Dennis is right on with his process. Close inspection of the surface will reveal a bit of orange peel. Even the best get some. The orange peel reflects light in a random pattern. You want there to be no disturbance in the reflective value of the lacquer, even if you are spraying semi gloss. That means beginning to rub out with as heavy a grit as 360 and moving up to as high as 4000. Then the buffing is just the icing on the cake. If you try to remove orange peel with buffing you will likely have to buff too hard and overheat the lacquer causing it to melt.
It is far and away my favorite finish for pieces that won't be subjected to frequent washing with water.
faust

[Bernie Weishapl]

+1 on what Faust said. I pretty much follow that plan. The key is don't get heavy handed when buffing.

[Richard Coers]

I don't think anyone mentioned that the thickness of each coat, and number of coats changes all the estimates. Put on 6 thin coats and you can get on it sooner than if you put on 4 thick coats. Temp and humidity, also thinner formulation makes a difference, so there is no definite answer. Just the estimates that have already been given. Your buffing technique will also enter into the equation. If you get a little heavy handed, you better wait longer.

[Alan Trout]

I would wait about a month. If the piece still smells of lacquer then it is still off gassing which as mentioned before will continue to shrink if sanded and buffed to soon.

Alan