Attachment 413050
This is a fire engine I made,it is mostly mahogony. Would you recommend I finish it with polyurethane or lacquer?
Thanks
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Attachment 413050
This is a fire engine I made,it is mostly mahogony. Would you recommend I finish it with polyurethane or lacquer?
Thanks
Either would work. I would use a semi gloss instead of a glossy finish. Lacquer tends to yellow a bit less than oil based poly. The water based polys seem to impart less color change and don't seem to yellow over time.
Either one will work, but the poly/varnish would be safer to use. Water borne "poly" might make the color old, however. Another option is shellac....
Nice work! I think it would depend on how much experience you have with each finish, particularly lacquer & how you intend to apply either; I'm assuming spray. If comfortable with lacquer I would go with that to retain durability & clarity over time.
On a different perspective: I would have preferred a red fire truck with black ladders, silver bumpers, etc, but then you would lose the mahogany appeal.
Attachment 413077Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Launier
Al
You asked for a red fire truck and here it is. I made this for my grandson as a toy a while ago. The current fire truck is more of a model for display
Use a rattle can of spray lacquer This is the perfect project for this. Wiping or brushing will be a nightmare on this. Spraying will be easier and will give you a better looking final finish. Poly can, IMHO, appear to be plastic. Lacquer looks like glass.
I have used the spray lacquers from the big box stores to good effect, but my favorites are the following two:
Behlens Stringed Instrument Finish
Mohawk Finishers Choice Clear NC Lacquer.
These level very nicely. I am partial to completely flat finishes lately, So i'll give a nod to the Mohawk, but if there's ANYTHING that maybe should be glossy, perhaps it's a brand new fire truck...
The beauty is if the finish ever wears, it's easy enough to spray it with a refresher coat. I do a lot of bowls with these products, and can attest to how easy they are to refinish.
Thanks for the input
I think I'm going to try lacquer, I've never worked with it before, so it's time to learn,
The first thing to learn about lacquer is that it's not safe to use without an appropriate respirator and not generally safe to use inside your home/garage. The fumes are nasty...and explosive. So pick a nice sunny day and work outside...and yes, you still need to wear the protection.
If you decide to spray outside I would urge you to guard against flying insects. If you could spray paint the truck in a large cardboard box & then cover with fine netting, i.e. like fiberglass window screen, that would allow drying without the bugs. I built a reasonable 6' cube "paint booth" from PVC & PVC "clips to attach plastic sheeting to the sides & top (placed on top after painting completed), setting it on top of a tarp in my garage (doors open for ventilation.
Something I noticed 40 years ago when refinishing antiques in my carport, when I had to work at night when the bugs were attracted to the lights - very, very few bugs fly on rainy nights (don't recall about days). Back then i was working with oil based varnishes and drying times were long. The humidity did not affect the varnishes, but sometimes does affect lacquers. Not necessarily suggesting this, but just an observation from long ago (we old guys do tend to reminisce a lot).
I'd dip in a thinned Danish oil and let it soak a while. Wipe off the excess after a couple hours and call it a day.
If you experience an explosion in a cardboard or plastic tent you will get singed and knocked on your butt, but your house will remain standing.