laquer help needed

[sascha gast]

* ok, i just ordered a spray setup to put laquer on some of my pieces. i ordered from Homestead, Jeff Jewitt was
of great help and put a convertion HVLP system together for me. i ordered a 1 gallon pressure pot, a nice
gun(forgot to ask which one he is sending) and an additional gravity fed gun. with the nice gun, i told him to
get me the best one he thinks, i'll call him tomorrow and ask him which one.
my question now is WHICH laquer to spray. his recommendation was Sherwin williams either the T70 series,
T72 series or the cab acrylic laquer T75 series. T70 and T72 are out for me since my local serwin
williams(california) needs to see a permit, but they do carry the T75 series. problem is, they only have the 5
gallon buckets and the laquer has a pot life of 6 months. there is no way i'll be using that much, so i'll probably
throw out 4 gallons of that.
also, I don't have space for a real spray booth, i can rig something up, i don't mind going alll out with fan and
such, but i need ideas for a small tear down booth that i can either use in my shop or outside. * any ideas would
be appreciated, maybe some of you could send me an e-mail with pics of their setup.
then, today, i talked to my local serwin williams store and they recommended Kem Aqua, water based laquer or
the Sherwood low VOC * laquer, both have a much longer pot life and are available in 5 gallon buckets, the Kem
aqua is supposed to stay clear where the Sherwood might get some yellowing.
since i have never sprayed before, i need a recommendation, maybe i should get a different kind of laquer all
together, but i don't know what to pick.
please guys, fill me in on the secret of laquers, which kind to use, water based or Solvent based, NC/Cab or low
VOC. which manufacturer is preferred.
thanx so much in advance guys
sascha ** *

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

I use the T77, and it would give you a beautiful finish. Shop a couple different SW stores...they can get a lot of things that they don't normally keep in stock. One store may not have gallon cans, while the store 3 miles away will ONLY have gallons, when you want a bucket.

KC

[sascha gast]

kirk, which one is the T77, i couldn't find it on their site. does it have a short pot life as well???

sascha

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

6 month shelf life AFTER the catalyst is added. I buy the catalyst separately and mix it one gallon at a time (never have a problem using a gallon in 6 months). I use the T77-F37, which is the satin (dull rubbed effect)...also comes in F38 (medium/semi) and F39 I think, which is shiny.

KC

[Jim Becker]

Talk to Jeff about Target Coatings and Fuhr International WB finishes. If you don't have a proper environment to spray, you don't want to use NC lacquer indoors and certainly not pre-cats or anything like that! And outdoors is not always practical for spraying finishes. The TC, Fuhr products and SW finish that was recommended by your local store are worth trying, IMHO.

[sascha gast]

i just hung up the phone with jeff jerwitt, his vote goes to the lovoc, laquer SW makes.
he is now setting up 2 Walcom Geo's , 2 of the 1 gallon pots and a smaller gravity fed guns. onne of the pots will hold the laquer, the other the sealer.
should have it by the end of the week

sascha

[Charlie Plesums]

I use the Sherwin Williams B44 series - traditional lacquer. Not as hard as a pre or post catalyzed, but more repairable. Locally I can get it in 1 or 5 gallon cans, and in a variety of finishes (I use gloss for all but the last coat or two, to minimize the additives that give the satin or semigloss finishes)

[nic obie]

Hi sascha,

I bet you will really like the Walcom Geo, I know I do. I bought the same set-up from Jeff a while back. My pressure fed gun uses a 1.0 needle/nozzle aircap set-up which Jeff said was what to use for regular oil based (nitrocellulose) lacquer. Water based 'lacquers' would require a different tip. With the pressure fed gun a 1.3 or 1.5 would probably be fine. With the gravity fed gun I think Jeff recommends the 1.7 set-up.

At $218.50 a set you might want to make up your mind on what type of lacquer you are going to use (or just buy the extra n/n cap sets now :D ).

When using a 3 gal pressure pot with NC lacquer, I just put a gallon can inside it, clamp on the lid and spray away. When done you just pull out the can, and run a pint or so of clean lacquer thinner thru the gun and I'm done. In fact, If I'm planning to use the gun within a day or so, I don't do anything. I've gone 4 days without cleaning and never had a problem. Don't even think of doing this with water based 'lacquer'. There is a whole different schedule for cleaning the gun with water based products.

I know you'll enjoy using the gun. The Geo is the best spray gun I've ever used. Get your hands on a bunch of cardboard and practice a bit. It's not all that hard to learn.

[Jim Becker]

There is a whole different schedule for cleaning the gun with water based products.

True!! For me, it's the kitchen sink and hot water...