Spray Option for Finish Similar to Arm-R-Seal

[Julio Vargas]

Hello, I have a Fuji Q5 spray system I have been using but is still pretty new to me. I have shot Polycrylic and shellac with it and have had good results so far and love the speed of being able to spray.

That said, I have always really liked the finish color and sheen I get with General Finish Arm-R-Seal. I usually sand to 180 or 220 and they wipe on 3 coats of gloss, and a final coat of satin. I do this mostly with cherry and walnut I source locally in Maryland. What I don't like is the application of Arm-R-Seal, now that I have sprayed I have been spoiled, brushing on and sanding between coats is something I want to get away from.

I have used boiled linseed oil, shellac (blonde and garnet), poly, and a mix of oil/poly/mineral spirits. I have tried each individually and a mix of these. I always prefer the look of Arm-R-Seal over all of these.

I want to try something from the Target Coatings line up next with some walnut and cherry projects I have in the works. The projects are living room sofa and side tables, and a dinning room table. These will see a lot of abuse from my 3 and 7 year old. What products and schedule would you suggest for these projects spraying Target Coatings products?

Thank you.

[Jim Becker]

I will tell you up front that spraying a slow drying finish like an oil based product can be "not fun" because of the sticky overspray and the inability to recoat frequently. That can lead to a lot more iterations of gun cleaning and product waste. If you want to get the warmer color without that hassle, you can use was free shellac as a first coat; BLO followed by wax free shellac or a waterborne finish that's already intended to have a warm color, such as Target's EM2000, EM8000cv and EM9300. You can use EM6000/EM7000HB for top coating if you do the BLO/wax free shellac first and have a warmer color. Those two formulas are "water white" by themselves and accordingly don't have a warm effect when sprayed directly on the wood.

[Prashun Patel]

I've had good luck with EM8000CV with the crosslinker in Matte or Satin sheen.

You could wipe on a first coat of Arm R Seal (I have used Waterlox OSF as the first coat) to impart some color.

But you should test it to make sure the color is as you desire.

The bigger difference between Arm R Seal and some waterbased products is when you go high gloss. In this case, some of the oil-based varnishes can look somewhere between glass and plastic. But for Target products (and I've only used their 6000 this way), they lean towards plastic, in my hands - even when rubbed out.

[Julio Vargas]

I will tell you up front that spraying a slow drying finish like an oil based product can be "not fun" because of the sticky overspray and the inability to recoat frequently. That can lead to a lot more iterations of gun cleaning and product waste. If you want to get the warmer color without that hassle, you can use was free shellac as a first coat; BLO followed by wax free shellac or a waterborne finish that's already intended to have a warm color, such as Target's EM2000, EM8000cv and EM9300. You can use EM6000/EM7000HB for top coating if you do the BLO/wax free shellac first and have a warmer color. Those two formulas are "water white" by themselves and accordingly don't have a warm effect when sprayed directly on the wood.

Jim, thank you for your input. I am not sure if it's the walnut I source around here, or maybe just the specific walnut I have worked with in the past, but I feel like when I use BLO, it turns the walnut too dark and mutes the different tones it can have.

What I haven't tried that you mentioned is using shellac as a first coat. Would that keep the BLO from darkening the walnut too much over time?

I know that walnut varies so much that I really just need to try it out on a piece of scrap from my actual project. To do that, I need to order a Target product to see the final result. I just ordered some EM8000cv to try out.

[John TenEyck]

If you want to stay away from the dark tone BLO adds to walnut then don't use it at all. Putting shellac over it won't lighten it. Instead, I suggest dying the piece with Transtint dye to get the color you want. If you want high durability in a TC's finish your best option is EM-8000CV. After a month or so of cure time it's pretty bullet proof. Two coats should look close to 4 coats of ARS.

You may also wish to consider Osmo Oil. It comes in gloss and satin and should give you the look you are after with the two coats required. Best of all, it's incredibly simple to apply, very durable, and equally simple to repair if ever needed. You apply it by hand, but it goes faster and easier even than spraying.

John

[Jim Becker]

Even the walnut that I've applied BLO to gets lighter over time. (I only used air dried and/or non-steamed KD walnut) but if you don't like the look of the oll, try just the shellac. Everything I've made of locally grown black walnut over the years has turned to a beautiful golden brown over time. In fact, I've learned the hard way not to pair it with cherry if I want long-term contrast. As the cherry gets darker and the walnut gets lighter, the contrast disappears, although they are still different colors.