Target Coating EM-8000CV Review

[Jim Becker]

Kem Aqua is still my go to KCMA finish. Going to have to try this 8000!

You'll want to use the crosslinker for the increased chemical resistance, but yea...EM8000cv is a really nice product.

[John TenEyck]

Hi Scott. Nice to see you around. Jim and I both struggled with Kem Aqua+ with our HVLP guns. No matter what we couldn't get a smooth film with it; it was either rough from not enough finish or orange peel from too much. Only after I added about 3% Extender to it did it flow out into a beautiful smooth finish. I think you use an AAA set up which must make all the difference when spraying it neat.

After I figured out how to spray it well I really liked it. But then SW decided to supply in 5 gal pails, minimum, so I never bought more.

John

[Clark Hussey]

Just placed my first order for EM8000cv and the crosslinker. Do you use the crosslinker in every coat or just the final coat? My understanding is just the final.

[Jim Becker]

Clark, there's nothing that precludes you from using the crosslinker in every coat, but for flexibility in application time, you can just add it for the last coat as John did. I tend to mix a batch and just spray all coats with the crosslinker if I'm using it, but with the PPS system on my gun, it's darn easy to open things up before the last coat and add it then, other than the required hour wait before spraying.

[Clark Hussey]

Clark, there's nothing that precludes you from using the crosslinker in every coat, but for flexibility in application time, you can just add it for the last coat as John did. I tend to mix a batch and just spray all coats with the crosslinker if I'm using it, but with the PPS system on my gun, it's darn easy to open things up before the last coat and add it then, other than the required hour wait before spraying.

Jim, thanks for the info. Will probably add it for all coats. And save the leftover in a can. The PPS is next on my list and I look forward to the convinces it brings.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, thanks for the info. Will probably add it for all coats. And save the leftover in a can. The PPS is next on my list and I look forward to the convinces it brings.

Don't put the cross linker in any finish you do not intend to use within the "time window"! It's a catalyst and the finish WILL cure in the container at some point with it mixed in. I don't mix more than I can use in a day, personally.

[John TenEyck]

Don't put the cross linker in any finish you do not intend to use within the "time window"! It's a catalyst and the finish WILL cure in the container at some point with it mixed in. I don't mix more than I can use in a day, personally.

Here's what TC says about CL100 Crosslinker: https://www.targetcoatings.com/2018/...nker-additive/ And that's where I found this excerpt:

Unlike acid catalysts, which have a very short pot-life, waterborne crosslinkers are reactive to oxygen only when the coating it is added to is allowed to form a film and air-dry. Therefore, the pot-life of finishes fortified with CL100 Crosslinker additive will remain functional for upwards of 100+ hours when stored in a sealed container—eliminating the expensive loss and waste of unused material. Any crosslinked material that is unused after the 100+ hour mark can be reactivated with 2% more CL100, or it can be used as a base/sealer coat.

I have some cross linked EM-8000CV still in a PPS cup. Six days after I last used it it's still fluid.

John

[Jim Becker]

Hmm...I wonder if that last part is new. I don't remember that; only the 100+hour piece. It will not change how I prefer to be conservative and not put it in finish I don't anticipate spraying near term, but it's good to know for sure.

[Clark Hussey]

Thank you for that information

[John TenEyck]

Hmm...I wonder if that last part is new. I don't remember that; only the 100+hour piece. It will not change how I prefer to be conservative and not put it in finish I don't anticipate spraying near term, but it's good to know for sure.

My reason for posting that was to point out that EM-8000CV + catalyst won't set up in your gun and ruin it, as many catalyzed CV's will if you wait too long.

John

[Jim Becker]

My reason for posting that was to point out that EM-8000CV + catalyst won't set up in your gun and ruin it, as many catalyzed CV's will if you wait too long.

John

That is indeed true! I was worried about that at first, but the 100+hour thing was comforting. That additional piece is even more comforting.

[Rich Aldrich]

I realize this is an older post.

I am interested in the EC8000 CM with the catalyst. I am in the process of making a kitchen table for my daughter and son in law. They have cats with claws in both front and back feet, so the main concern is the hardness of the finish. They are pretty good about just scratching their designated posts, but the risk is there. I am not sure any product will be total resistant but if its easy to spray another coat or two as a refresh, that wouldn't be the end of the world.

I haven't ever sprayed anything but out of a can, so I will be looking at a sprayer as well. I assume the biggest issue is treating the air between the compressor and the gun.

[John TenEyck]

Hi Rich,

I've had cats for 40 years and never had one scratch a piece of finished furniture. Unfinished wood - definitely, but never anything with paint or varnish on it. Unless those cats have a history of attacking finished furniture, I wouldn't worry about it.

EM-8000CV is not the hardest finish I've ever used, however, it is nearly bulletproof against chemicals, heat, and typical scratching after it fully cures. I'm sure it will work well for your table project.

What you need to do to clean up the air from your compressor depends a lot on where you live and what you want to spray. I live in western NY and use nothing more than the stock fliter/regulator that came with my 60 gal compressor, then another one 20 feet from the spray gun to reduce the pressure to what I want to spray at. I also use one of the cheap inline filters at the inlet to my spray gun to remove any oil/water/particles that might get through the two upstream filters. I've never found anything in the inline filter though I suspect a little water must get to it because I do get some water in the upstream filter/regulators. In any case, I've never had a problem spraying shellac and waterborne products. If you live somewhere more humid, and/or want to spray different products, you may very well need a more sophisticated filtration system.

John

[Rich Aldrich]

John,

The cats dont attach finished wood, but my daughter is good about providing unfinished scratching posts - so I think we are safe there. I like the reviews you all have given, so I am leaning this way. I do need to get set up with a sprayer. I only have a small nail gun compressor - Porter Cable pancake. QualSpray makes other sprayers that work with low volume compressors, but I am thinking I might be better off getting a larger compressor. Not sure if you or anyone else has had experience with their other sprayers.

[Jim Becker]

Rich, for a conversion gun, you'll definitely want a much larger compressor. You also have the option to consider a turbine based system that doesn't need an external compressor.