![]() ![]() My first refin project was a rattle can top-only refin to convert a goldtop to a blacktop which I ended up doing twice because I didn't apply a thick enough finish. Then do GENTLE flat sanding and polishing, being super careful around all edges and corners, and I get the look of a guitar dipped in glass. I then spray two full coats, leave it alone to cure for a day or two, sand back to flatten it all out, then spray two more full coats and forget it even exists for a month. The rule of thumb that I follow with urethanes is to first adjust the gun for a good wet look on the item to be sprayed. When working with urethanes, it's important not to overdo the coat thickness or you get solvent popping problems, which is where solvent in the paint tries to escape but it's trapped because the layer is too thick, and the evaporated solvents create tiny bubbles in the coat which are permanent unless you sand them out. I do a PRS-like finish but I keep my finish thinner than PRS does so my finishes don't have that "trapped in plastic: feel of most PRS guitars. I nearly always shoot automotive acrylic urethane these days. ![]() And very soon we will start carrying the fabled Tried & True line (linseed oil).The answer is truly totally dependent on the kind of paint you're using. We just added lots of non-toxic, low VOC products from Vermont Natural Coatings, which uses byproducts from the Vermont dairy industry for its PolyWhey Furniture Finish and other finishes. And earth pigments (fine natural powders) from Liberon and milk paint (milk) from Real Milk Paint for color. Some options: BT&C flake shellac (made for us by hardworking Lac beetles) Osmo hardwax (oils like sunflower and soy with carnauba and candelilla waxes, Tung Oil (oil squeezed from the seed from the nuts of the Tung tree) finishing creams (wax and very fine abrasive) and soft waxes from Real Milk Paint. Increasingly there are very good alternatives. But how about skipping the toxicity in the first place? More and more of our customers want non-toxic finishes: finishes that are safe to apply and don’t have toxic out-gassing or residue. We’re all for fitted respirators with frequently replaced cartridges and nitrile gloves and the like if you’re going to go the standard finishing route. Most of our customers are small shops that don’t have big-time spray booths or individuals working in their homes or tight, shared workshops. This makes us want to move away from aerosol nitrocellulose and toward finishing products that are less toxic to people, pets and plants.Īnd it is not just us. ![]() Perhaps it's because so many of our in-store customers describe their workshops tucked into a corner of their apartments, or bring their adorable dogs with them when they shop - in any event, we are really aware that finishing sometimes takes place in the company of living things, without much ventilation. We’ll also have the nuisance of changing the products’ names, photos, codes, etc.Īll of these factors have unintentionally introduced time for reflection: do we want to go this route? Increasingly we don’t. And Mohawk will cost more than Behlen - even for what we are told is literally the same product. We can’t compete with the discounts Amazon gets. There is no relationship with a maker, just margins based upon volume. What happens when we run out? Our Behlen rep said that Mohawk already offers some of the same products and we could transfer over to the Mohawk line. At this point we should be able to handle Behlen orders for a little while - other than the DVDs, of which we have just one. (As one customer once told us, “The guy finishing my chairs disappeared after the down payment, but he left me with his secret recipe of Jet Spray.” Then she bought 2 cases.) Some of our luthier customers are especially devoted to the Vinyl Sealer and Stringed Instrument Lacquer Aerosol. Our first reaction was to place a large order and stock up - particularly on Jet Spray aerosol lacquer, which some customers buy by the case. We just learned that RPM plans to close Behlen and fold it into the Mohawk line. Some time ago Behlen was taken over by RPM, a company that also owns Mohawk finishing. ![]() Behlen is a grand old company and brand that has been around for ages (its origins date way back to 1888). I personally have been using Behlen products since I was a kid living with my parents. We’ve been carrying the finishing products of H. Changes and A Modern Approach to Finishing ![]()
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