Rattle Can Lacquer

[Maylon Harvey]

For those of you using a rattle can lacquer finish on your bowls and other turnings:
1 Do you use any other sealer or just go straight to the lacquer?
2 How many coats?
3 Do you 0000 steel wool between coats?
4 How long between coats?
5 Do you buff and if so how many days after the last coat?
6 Can you "pop" the grain with BLO and then lacquer over that or are they not compatable?

I know I've seen some pretty nice looking lacquer finishes on here so thought I might like to give it a try.

[Hal Taft]

I've got a question for you. I'm fairly new here, and have seen "BLO" mentioned a few times, without explanation. The forum search can't handle a three letter word, so I have to admit my ignorance and ask. What does BLO refer to ? Thanks.

Hal

[Mike Lipke]

Boiled Linseed Oil

[Bernie Weishapl]

Maylon I don't use much lacquer on bowls especially if they are to be used for food. It doesn't hold up well so I use mostly General Finishes Seal-A-Cell followed by Arm-R-Seal or Minwax Antique oil. On my smaller turnings I use the rattle can lacquer. Mini birdhouses, ornaments, lidded boxes, bottle stoppers, Christmas bells, etc. because it is fast. You don't have to use steel wool inbetween because when you put on the second and each coat thereafter it melts into the coat already on the item. I generally wait 15 to 30 minutes between coats and put on 3 coats. I generally wait for a week to buff and then carefully. Most times on the smaller stuff I don't buff especially if I use gloss lacquer. Haven't seen the need to. If you burn thru you start over. I have not had good luck putting lacquer on over BLO. So I just don't. Lacquer will pop the grain pretty well.

[Dahl Troy Perry]

Ok I'm a little dumb here what is rattle can spray lacquer is it just spray lacquer in a can what name brand doyou use ?

[Allen Neighbors]

Maylon, I learned everything I know about lacquer from an old-time Furniture Restorer. He used water-based powder stains, and never put lacquer over any type of oil, because, he said, smiling, "... it will create havoc in your finish." Then, he later told me, "You can use Nitrocellulose Lacquer over a polymerizing oil, if the oil has fully cured - only if it's cured." He added that the practice could give my finishes a bad name, 'down the line'.
Since that time, I've always waited a full 7 days, between the application of the polymerizing oil and the application of the lacquer.
I wait at least overnight before lightly buffing lacquer. Should have capitalized 'lightly'... Hard buffing pressure will burn through a lacquer finish, quicker than you might think.
When I make a piece that I want an exacting finish on, I buff - by hand - between coats of lacquer (2 hours dry), using 0000 steel wool and Woll Wax. It just makes a finish that a fly can't land on. Lacquer can be sprayed over Woll Wax without worry of fish eye. Woll Wax was originally made in Amarillo, Texas, for use with nitrocellulose lacquer. I now have to get it at Munger's in OKC, and I think it's from Master's Magic... if need be, I can check the brand name for sure in the morning.
Hope this gives you something else to think about.

[Curt Fuller]

I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I use Watco danish oil first. I wipe it on pretty heavy, let it soak in a few minutes, and wipe it off. That seems to bring out the grain pretty nice. I would guess other oils such as BLO would also work the same. Then I immediately spray it with the 'rattle can' lacquer, Deft brand. It will be dry enough to rub with a scotchbrite scouring pad within 30-45 minutes. http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/sc..._scouring.html
I rub it lightly and respray 2 or 3 more coats. The last coat I spray very light. I don't buff things when I use this method. I like it for boxes and things that are more ornamental in nature. I wouldn't use it for bowls or things that will be used and washed but I think it gives about the same looking finish as the poly finishes in much less time.

[Bill Blasic]

Allen,
Please post more about Woll Wax as a google search did not bring anything up as to where it can be purchased etc., or the company Masters Magic. Thanks.

[Jeff Nicol]

I can buy cans of DEFT lacquer for under $5 so it is what I use. I have sprayed on just about everything and over just about everything. It will blush or get a milky cast to it if the oil underneath is not dry and the spray coat is heavy. I have found that after the 3rd coat if I lightly sand it out with steel wool or 600 grit then just rub it in my hands for a while the roughness in my hands buffs out the lacquer. The longer you gub the shine comes out. I then give it two more coats, let dry for a week or so then buff on the wheel. It looks like glass after that. I guess it is all what you are looking for in a final finish. I would not put that much time into something that was going to be used all the time to hold mixed nuts or something but for a HF or fine grained art piece then any type of finish you use, the extra elbow grease is worth the effort!

Rattle can finishes are fast and easy to a point and have thier place in the shop.

Jeff

[Allen Neighbors]

Bill, figure the odds, I've been spelling it wrong ever since I bought the new stuff. I've got an old jar with label, and a new can, right here by me now.
Woll-Wax was originally manufactured by Dek-Co Manufacturing, of Amarillo, Texas. It is called Furniture and Decoupage Woll-Wax, and it was sold in a 4 ounce jar, and recommended for hand buffing between lacquer coats. The label doesn't look like a real professional label, but heck, it's from Texas.
The new stuff I located at Mungers, in Oklahoma City is made by Mohawk Coatings (not Master's Magic... well, at least it starts with an M). It's called Paste Wool-Lube. The number is M720-1356. Non-combustible, Non-toxic, Non-silicone, water-soluble, Quart size (comes in gallons too).
The directions on the Dek-Co jar says to wet a 0000 pad, and then work the wax into the pad. That's the way I do it. It may suds up a little too much if you've got too much water, but the pad doesn't glide around as smoothly if you don't have enough. I usually keep a jar lid of water near to dip the pad in every once in a while, and I keep adding the wax, also. If I'm really picky about the piece, I will use 600 grit wet or dry insted of the 0000. The wax is pretty sticky, but it really works well, for buffing out, between coats of lacquer. It even makes a really fine satin finish, after buffing with a soft cloth. But it's so slick that it makes some pieces hard to hold onto.
The directions on the Mohawk can says to place a small amount on the pad, and dip it into the water; rub in the direction of the grain using smooth even strokes.
I don't guess I've ever read those. When I bought it at Mungers, we opened the can and it looked exactly like the Woll-Wax, so I never had another thought, I guess.
Anyway, that's all I can tell you about it. A little goes a looooong way. I've got two cans I bought about 5 years ago, and one has about 3/4 left and the other about 1/2.

[Richard Madison]

Have used lacquer over BLO on stoppers. Just need to let the BLO set up a couple days. Usually start with one or two coats of lacquer based sanding sealer, which seems to be a high solids product. Big piece gets a couple or three coats of brushing lacquer. Let "set up" a day or two and sand (maybe 400, 600) level and smooth. Finish with two or three spray coats. Leave another day or two before buffing with the white stuff. At any time if the surface feels like it has lots of little "sticky ups", will dress it lightly with 400 or 600.

[Maylon Harvey]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. Lots of good advice. The wealth of info available here on the Creek amazes me.