Hello. I have some bowls of spalted magnolia. Very pretty with white and brown zones with black lines. it was suggested to me that General Finishes Water-Based Topcoat Gloss would be a good finish because it will not darken the light spots.
This made sense to me so I went ahead with that idea. If I had it to again, I would use lacquer. More or less the same look but with much less application hassles. (I suppose the water-based topcoat is more durable but these bowls would be completed days ago if I had chosen lacquer).
I first tried applying with a brush but wasn't happy.
Then I tried spraying with my Earlex HVLP sprayer. I started with the 2 mm nozzle but then tried the 1 mm nozzle.
The spraying ok but hard to get a smooth texture without getting it too thick. This is basic problem that I'm trying to overcome. A light spray leaves orange peel and a heavy spray leaves runs.
I can sand it down (600) to a better look but there is still a bit of orange peel look that I'm not happy with. I haven't tried buffing this yet as I don't think it has had time to cure yet.
I can see that this look would be great for these bowls but I haven't yet achieved the look that I desire. One of these bowls is going to be a wedding present so I want the best I can get.
So what to do?
All of this work as been using the stuff straight out of the can. Should I dilute with water?
Should I get a nice thick coat (that is several coats) and then wait and then buff like crazy?
Should I sand all this off and apply lacquer?
The bowls are 8 to 12 inches across and 2 to 4 inches deep.
Thanks.