Warming the Can of PolyU up before using w/brush?

[Tegmark]

Do you think this is a good idea? I find if slightly too cold (20-25C) it doesn't flow easy & behaves more like stiff goo rather than thin water. I think 30-32 degrees C would mean the brush results would be at their best. And probably the the room temp at 20C. Would this warmth have any negative effects on the clear itself?

thanks

[BobL]

You would have to warm the object being painted because as soon as you apply it it would start to cool off.
Placing the paint and the object in a warm room is a possibility

If the temps are within the manufacturer recommended range and the poly is still too thick I'd be looking at thinning the poly rather than playing with temperature.

[Master Splinter]

I regularly heat paint that I'm spraying (rattle can or spray gun) in 50-60 degree water in the sink before use. Drops the viscosity nicely and improves atomisation with both.

[soundman]

Remember one thing ...... and you WILL find this in "The Polishers Handbook" ( available from the parent site or good woodwork suppliers) ....... you must thin polly U ...... not much, but if you want it to brush well and flow out..... thinning will make far more difference than warming it.

My recommendation is to use white spirit ( not metho) in place of mineral turps.


AND me to for warming the job ...... getting the work up to a reasonable temperature will do a great deal more than warming the tin


cheers

[Bob38S]

Not heard this one before - why is white spirit better than the others?

[soundman]

White spirit is pretty much clean white hydrocarbon ..... it does not have the oil content that mineral turps has.

In clear coatings the oil in turps can make the film go milky at a lower thinning pont than white spirit will.

In addition the oil content may slow drying time and it may make the dried film less hard.

If you put some white spirit on a clean impervious surface , it will dry without leaving residue , turps will leave an oily residue.

In opaque finishes turps may have the advantage that the oil helps the product "flow out" .... and many opaque finishes already contain quite a bit of oil.

Unused oil bassed paint when unstured will show free oil on top ..... clear cinishes rarely will.

just some observations and thaughts.

OH and turps always has a slight yellow tinge ...... white spirit should always be clean white ....... that yellow tinge might not seem much but it may shift the colour in the product.


cheers

[Bob38S]

Makes sense, I will try it next time.

Thanks for that.

[artful bodger]

Yes warm it up.
Recently had a major catastrophe here with PU. Wattyl estapol to be explicit.
First 2 coats fine!, hunkey dorey!, no problems.
Final coat......Wrinkley nightmare! Hours and hours down the drain. So unhappy I nearly burst into tears.
On closer inspection the can said dont apply under 10 degrees celsius or over 30 degrees.
That means the product is pretty well useless here for months at a time. Must be useless in really hot climes as well. Beware!.
Not only warm the PU but keep it drying over 10 degrees.