Re-polishing a cabinet. Part 5

[Shane Watson]

Wow what a day!

Yuk, sanding lacquer! This is probably the part I dislike the most. But it has to be done. Now as the doors are being coated both sides I have to start with them and get them sanded first so I can spray the next coat on the back, giving it long enough to dry so I can cover it & protect the back from over-spray. But its a fairly simple matter to sand it using my very faithful Festo sander.



Before I go to far I need to check the doors over and 'touch-up' any light coloured marks etc with some stain. I use the stain I tinted up for the moulding.



Then its a fairly easy matter of spraying the backs of the two doors. I need to do this first as they will need a good couple of hours to dry enough to let me continue work on the fronts of the doors.



Now with the backs of the doors sprayed and drying I can get onto the rest of the cabinet and get that all sanded up ready for the next coat.



Its important to clean all the dust off the cabinet. Notice has to be paid to the dust that gets lodged in the grain - especially on open-grained timbers. But with a little compressed air and a nice soft rag it comes out fairly easily.



Boring eh!

Now the backs of the doors have dried enough and its time to cover the backs. First I need to run some masking tape round the border.



Then its a simple matter of rolling out some of that plastic sheeting stuff and taping that down too.



Then I can continue on with spraying the next coat on everything and then leave it to dry overnight again ready for another boring coat sometime tommorrow!



Ok, So as the next couple of days are gunna be basically the same as what I just posted, I figure theres not much point in taking up valuable server space storing pics that are similar. So I have decided to leave a couple of days out after this post and come back when I finish polishing ( spraying ) the cabinet..You will have to use your immagination! shouldn't be hard mwahahaha!

Please leave your comments/questions here & I will post Part 6 in a new topic when its ready .

Cheers!



------------------
Shane Watson..

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece! SO
Work like you don't need the money... Love like you've never been hurt...
Dance like nobodys watching...

[Marty Lott]

G'day Shane, congrats on doing a great job with your project, an excellent idea & I hope more people follow your example with their own projects.
Just a few questions for you:
What brand lacquer do you use ?
What type of lacquer ?
Whats your spraygun & how have you set it up...as in what pressure, compressor type etc
How many coats will you apply ? How many can you put down in one day ?

A few observations & constructive criticisms !
I noticed in the pic of you spraying the door that you started from the back & worked the spray pattern towards yourself...I tend to do the opposite so as to avoid overspray, a real problem on large surfaces. Also when you're spraying vertical you hold your gun on its side, why not turn the nozzle to adjust the fan for vertical...on my gun if I tilted it on its side lacquer would drip out of the vent hole !
I can't wait to see the finished job, keep up the good work !!
Cheers
Marty

[Shane Watson]

Marty - I have been waiting for these comments/questions, just looks like your the first one brave enough to post them... haha

Brand of lacquer - Mirotone.
Type of Lacquer - N/C
Spraygun - Iwata 707 (will have to check that)
Settings - don't know, I go by feel.
How many coats - depends, but 6 so far
How many coats in a day - I usually restrict it to two ( but thats done approx 10-15mins after the first coat )

Now for the 'constructive criticisms'!

I spray flat surfaces many different ways. The way I mix my lacquer allows me to without concerns of overspray. Usually I spray the edges first, then I spray against the grain, then with the grain ( dosn't matter from front or back ) then I usually always finish by a 'cross-hatch' coat to help flow out the lacquer. Scarey eh! I picked up this technique from automotive spraypainters & applied it to the two-pack kitchen doors/panels I used to spray day in & day out & its a technique I use everyday now.

I spray with the gun on its side as opposed to turning the spray tip purely because thats how I feel comfortable. Very rarely will I turn the tip. I spray hundreds of chairs and if I was to turn the tip for every vertical surface it would take far too long to coat. Very very rarely has the laqcuer dripped out of the vent hole & I don't use the internal guard to stop that either.

I think its fair to say that not one person would use a spraygun to the text book specifications. Another words, what works for me, may not work for someone else. Infact my last apprentice I trained is a great example. I taught him how I sprayed & how I set up my gun, then I gave him the gun & left him too it. After a couple of weeks he was spraying very well for a beginner & I went to spray somthing with his gun and I couldn't! Well I could, but it was difficult to adjust to his settings

Anyway, thanks for bringing this up as I am sure many will have been wondering & I hope I have clarified myself.

Cheers!

[Iain]

Being one of the Noveau Poor and only having a Little Beaver, would this work given the low pressure compared to what you are using?
And Mirotone, is that a one or two part finish and what do you thin with?
I have an old cabinet about the same size and vintage as your radiogram which is in need of some refurbishing.

[Shane Watson]

Iain, I don't thin the lacquer Well very rarely I will. Mirotone is a brand like wattyl but the lacquer I am us is technically a two part lacquer Iain, product code is 3604/30.

I wouldn't say this radiogram is that old either. All the internals are chipboard!!

Hmmm not sure about the Lil' beaver being compared to what I use but I will say that I use a very very minimal amount of air pressure, infact almost not enough. Because of that reason I have been advised that theres not really any need to change to a HVLP system as thats pretty much how I have my gun setup. Or so I have been told. So who knows, with the right technique for your setup, theres no reason why the results wouldn't be identical?
Cheers!

[ubeaut]

G'day Shane - Keep up the goo stuff mate. Gonna jump in here a bit if ya don't mind.

Ian - I have been showing students how to spray for years, most don't own a compressor and have no intention of ever owning one. So I have taught the use of the good old Electrolux vacuum cleaner spray bottle or airless guns, from the rediculously cheap to pretty good, I have also used the Little Beaver and similar.

I have found in my experience that all will work really well if your preparation is good, the polish is thinned correctly, you spray enough coats, and experiment first.

Thinning is a key to cheaper guns and low pressure systems, they do not work well with a high viscosity liquid. Work out the best mix of polish and thinner for your gun through trial and error then keep a note of the formula. eg; 1 part lacquer to 1.5 parts thinner etc. Do this for each different finish you use and you won't go too far wrong.

Most manufacturers of spray equipment supply you with flow rates for various finishes. If you don't have a viscosity guage then I suggest you get one this will help you work out the manufacturers recommended flow rate. Polish manufacturers may also have a flow rate chart for using their products in different spray systems. Maybe....

Hope this helps a little.

Cheers - Neil

[Iain]

Thanks Neil, good to hear I am not the only one with a 'quality' spray gun. I bought it for fences and I have sprayed the odd piece of furniture white for the kids but I do feel a little intimidated when I see real spray guns.

[Kev Y.]

Hi all, I just thought I would ad my 2 cents worth here..

It has been years (too many for me to admitt to) since I used a spray gun in anger. but the one thing that stands out in my memory was having an old tradesman pound into my young and impressonabe grey matter the importance of the movment of the gun.

That is to say, you should always use your shoulder as the pivot point for any movment of the spray gun. this way you avoid creating thick and thin patches on the work surface.

keeping this in mind , I dont think it realy matters if you are using the latest super hi-tech spray out-fit, a little beaver , or an electric air-less spray unit.

hope I am not telling anyone how to suck eggs here.

Kev