nitrocellulose lacquer.

hi all,

so having tried many finishes on pens, i've discovered a few things, mainly that durability is very hard to come by.

Before the regular bombardment of ca glue suggestions comes my way, i'm specifically now looking at nitrocellulose lacquer. This is the reason i'm posting this here rather than in the pen turning forum as i feel it's something one would more likely find in general finishing applications.

I've used the mirotone spray can pre cat stuff and it seems very tough and i can build up many coats in no time. Problem is it's hard to apply perfectly every time because nozzle velocity is fixed. My question is, what's the best equivalent to this product in a wipe on or dip? I'm thinking high build, quick drying, easy to apply. I hear repco has a good automotive lacquer that some people use for this purpose but not sure what it is called. I'd be looking at thinning it down so as to create a good high build quickly and easily.

I've tried wipe on poly and it's 4 hours between coats just isn't practical for me and i find it's not as durable anyway. I use it on decorative pieces but anything requiring constant handling doesn't seem to hold up. Any suggestions?

You can "polish" the pre-cat laquer with a thinners rag, gives a very smooth finish.

It's a bit of an art though, too much thinners in your rag damages the finish, not enough does nothing.

really? That sounds like it'd work. I've just had trouble with the spray being too thick on such a small piece but this might help. What thinner would you suggest? Meths?

Proper Multi-purpose thinners, meths and turps have no effect on pre-cat laquer.

cool. Thanks for the advice. I'm still gonna look at a wipe on style but i think this tip is going to help :)

Never used it for anything other than spraying myself, but nitro can be applied with a rag/pad on a lathe, seen some good results that way too. Most usual solvent is either whatever expensive thinner they sell with it, or a general purpose lacquer thinner. Trying to pull/polish the surface with thinners is probably better with a pad than rag, gives you a bit more control over how much solvent is being used, and avoids some of the evapouration problems.