Some basic questions on spraying WB Acrylic Lacquer

[Kaisergrendel]

So I spent a significant amount of money on a set of speaker kits. I got a little bit excited.

Got some oak veneer, an air compressor, gravity fed spray gun, moisture trap, steel wool, pumice, built myself a spray booth, some Haymes Aqualac, only to find out that nobody seems to recommend spraying my finish of choice - water based Acrylic Lacquer.

I've checked all the usual brands - feast Watson, Wattyl, Cabots, even Haymes. None of them specify spray gun as a possible application method on their WB acrylic lacquer tins. Asking a shop assistant got me basically "it's because of the way it goes on, it's just better with a brush." which doesn't really help.

Can anyone please shed some light on this? I've been going back and forth between varnish, 2 packs, polyurethanes and lacquers for weeks! The sheer lack of consensus on which terms mean what is bewildering.

Thanks in advance!

ps: I've been working with wood as a light hobby for about 14 years so you don't have to start from scratch when explaining things.

[preeng2]

Try it on a sample board. Some of the brush applied acrylic lacquers tend to foam when sprayed, but that doesn't mean it will. So I say try it on some samples and see how it goes. If it sprays up to your liking, just follow the can directions for recoating times and sanding between coats if necessary.

[Kaisergrendel]

Try it on a sample board. Some of the brush applied acrylic lacquers tend to foam when sprayed, but that doesn't mean it will. So I say try it on some samples and see how it goes. If it sprays up to your liking, just follow the can directions for recoating times and sanding between coats if necessary.

Thanks. I've tried it on a sample board, and apart from some consistent light sputtering (probably because I used too little air), it seems to be coming out fine.

Is there any alternative to water for thinning water based acrylic lacquer? I've seen some sites say windex, windshield cleaner and isopropanol. Tamiya make an acrylic thinner specifically for their water based acrylics. I'll probably have to test these out one by one, but with luck I'll save time by asking: Does anyone have experience using thinners for WB lacquer bought from paint or hardware stores?

[preeng2]

Water is all that's needed to thin any WB finish. You can use tap water or if you feel like you need to spend money, distilled water.

[Kaisergrendel]

Water is all that's needed to thin any WB finish. You can use tap water or if you feel like you need to spend money, distilled water.

I just drizzled some distilled water and methylated spirits I had lying around and it's spraying like a dream. My spray booth fogged up pretty quickly though, probably using too much air...

[China]

If your spray booth is fogging up the you most likely need a more powerful extactor fan or maybe the filter needs cleaning

[Kaisergrendel]

If your spray booth is fogging up the you most likely need a more powerful extactor fan or maybe the filter needs cleaning

My "booth" is more like a canvas tent I built over the last couple of days. The "extraction fan" was a cheap 20 dollar box fan I got from bunnings. The problem is the fog settles to the bottom and the fan mounted at the top does nothing to address the issue, haha. It doesn't really matter, it clears up easily enough if I open up one of the walls.

My problem was overspray. I had too much volume and air coming out and bouncing all over the work and the booth. A small air adjustment fixed that.

[Dengue]

Is there any alternative to water for thinning water based acrylic lacquer?

I am new to spray painting, and have bought a HVLP Earlex 1900 outfit ( all plastic). I use Floetrol for thinning, and it works well, better than water which did not seem to mix as well.

The specialist trade paint warehouse where I got Floetrol said all the local painters use it, and they sell a lot. Bit expensive, $18 for 1 litre, but you only thin about 10 - 15%

Have a look here and here

[Kaisergrendel]

I am new to spray painting, and have bought a HVLP Earlex 1900 outfit ( all plastic). I use Floetrol for thinning, and it works well, better than water which did not seem to mix as well.

The specialist trade paint warehouse where I got Floetrol said all the local painters use it, and they sell a lot. Bit expensive, $18 for 1 litre, but you only thin about 10 - 15%

Have a look here and here

You know, I might have actually seen this somewhere but never looked into it. What paint do you use it with?

[Dengue]

What paint do you use it with?

Solver paints bought locally at a specialist paint store:

Maxi PSU 100% acrylic latex primer -sealer -undercoat

Am about to use Taubmans Water Based Enamel for the top coat, once I get the undercoats smooth as - that enamel was expensive - $84 for 4 litres, but is supposed to be a hard wearing surface finish with Teflon additive