Fish eye with WB Target EM8000cv

[Kevin Jenness]

What Prashun said.

[Jim Becker]

^^^ ditto for me.

[David Utterback]

My problem with fisheye is solved. The syringe plunger that I used previously to transfer the finish is covered with a black rubber seal which apparently contains silicone. Yesterday, I transferred the EM8000cv to the 3M PPS cup with a spoon and successfully applied it 4 different times without any evidence of fisheye. I can also say that stearate coated sandpaper is not related to the fisheye problem in my case.

As noted previously, the LV syringes are sold as glue transfer devices. My use was 'off-label' and in no way should be a reflection on the usual excellent product quality from LV. I am also impressed with the Emtech product and plan to use it for future furniture builds.

Jeff, I agree that finishing problems are the bane of woodworkers. I opted for the Fuji spray system and WB finishes because of the experiences related by others on this forum. I still need to work out some of the kinks in my own process as well as practice, practice, practice to get more uniform results.

[Jeff Roltgen]

Okay guys - really wish I could figure out my problem. Air compressor, air filter/water separator, line to spray booth, 2nd air filter/water separator, line to Anest Iwata LP400 utilizing 3m PPS system. Finish stirred, strained straight into PPS cup, spray. Considering this much trouble to lay it down, how can I possibly put my business reputation on the line for longevity? Samples of the exterior polycarbonate peel like a 3 day old sunburn upon the first exposure to moisture (3 weeks cured). As you can see, fisheyes are only the beginning of a long list of reasons to say no more of this stuff.

If it wasn't so expensive to ship, I'd offer any of you a screaming price on an un-opened 5 gallon bucket of EM93405 and gallon of EM7000. I just cannot afford any more time on this, so I'm seriously donating it next trip past the Re-store, unless any takers.
What a waste.

[John TenEyck]

I had what I thought was fisheye with EM-9300. Goodness, that product looked great except for the fisheyes. But they weren't really fisheyes, it was the pores in my white oak, at least according to Jeff at TC. He said red oak was even more of a problem. I was dumb struck, but OK, how do I fix it? I tried everything Jeff recommended but couldn't resolve it. I even sent the unused finish back for them to evaluate, but never heard anything. He did replace the finish but I wasn't interested in more EM-9300 so I got the EM-6000 instead. And put it on the shelf.

I ended up having to strip the finish off my project. I sprayed it with GF's Exterior 450 and it flowed out beautifully and did not pull back around the pores like the EM-9300. I did a project in red oak soon after that and sprayed it with GF's Clear Poly and it was beautiful.

I swore off TC's products for several years until I did a dining table last year and wanted really high durability. I used EM-8000CV and it flowed out great, as good as any product I've ever sprayed. It's also really durable as long as you let it cure for a month. That was a bit of a shock, to see that a WB takes more than 10 days to fully cure. Fast forward to this year where I just used the EM-6000 lacquer on a small project that TC had given me 3 or 4 years ago. It, too, flowed out great and looks great.

Are TC's products bad some of the time and good others? Are some of their products incompatible with some substrates? I don't know but I have read more problems related to TC's products over the years than all others combined. Most of the time I use GF's products and I've never had a problem with any of them that wasn't of my own making. I'm slowing coming back to trying some of TC's products, but my confidence is still low.

John

[Edwin Santos]

I had what I thought was fisheye with EM-9300. Goodness, that product looked great except for the fisheyes. But they weren't really fisheyes, it was the pores in my white oak, at least according to Jeff at TC. He said red oak was even more of a problem. I was dumb struck, but OK, how do I fix it? I tried everything Jeff recommended but couldn't resolve it. I even sent the unused finish back for them to evaluate, but never heard anything. He did replace the finish but I wasn't interested in more EM-9300 so I got the EM-6000 instead. And put it on the shelf.

John

Shot in the dark here. The mention of open pores makes me wonder; could the issue have been surface tension? Was adding a surfactant or some other flow out additive among the things you tried? The age old method is a bit of dish soap. I'm told a little bit of Floetrol will do the trick also.

[Jim Becker]

John, I had one "bad" container a number of years ago that just wouldn't flow out without the so-called "fisheyes" or whatever it really was. I don't remember which product, but likely a predecessor to EM6000. They replaced the finish and it was flawless, so yes, I suspect that like any product, especially one like this, it's possible for something to go wrong. I've had questionable containers of other finishes, too, but I cannot remember any details.