Removing NC Lacquer from Redgum

[hamster]

G'Day All,

Long time since I posted. Some of you guys may recall that early last year I built a large Redgum dining table which I finished in a Crodacat 50% gloss NC Lacquer, applied by spray gun. I had a devil of a time getting the lacquer spraying properly and wound up applying far too much of it (it was my first time in control of a spray gun - not a good look!). It seemed to take weeks to dry fully and even a week later a beer bottle I left on the table slowly sank into the surface of the lacquer, although once removed the indent smoothed out overnight.

Whilst I was reasonably happy with it once it did dry, 18 months have taken their toll on the finish. It is badly scratched and there are several "cloudy" marks where hot items have been placed on the table. I am guessing these reflect the poor application in the first place as I thought NC lacquer was harder wearing than this?

A coffee table I made last year has a burnished Triton oil finish on it and despite the softer wood and harsher treatment it is standing up well.

I was thinking of stripping the lacquer off the dining table and replacing it with the oil but not sure how to go about removing the lacquer. Am I better off stripping off the lacquer and re-applying it properly, now that I have a decent spray gun and a little more knowledge ?

Marcus

[Shane Watson]

Sounds like you've managed to achieve that 'plastic' look most people associate & dislike with lacquers.

Man you must have laid the stuff on thick. Did you thin the lacquer before spraying? Love the beer bottle imprint though Some people would pay big dollars for that..

Yep, you need to remove the lacquer. It surprise's me being so thick that it hasn't started delaminating itself anyway.

Lacquer thinner can be used to remove it, or paint stripper. But I would just sand it myself, mind you I have a rather large stroke sander.

If you intend on using lacquer again approach the application like you would if you were french polishing. Apply thin coats to get the build you require. I also sand rather heavily inbetween coats so ultimatly the finished build is minimal but sufficient. Infact my first seal coat is usually sanded just about back to bare timber again.

No finish will be able to 100% protect the top from everyday use. Well glass can, but thats not a finish and not recommended on table tops either. A lot of the marks you comment about would be a result from a thick finish. But something that scratches lacquer will most likly damage any type of finish ( in my experience ). A lot has to do with the density of the timber as well. If its soft the timber will most likly indent from a mark rather than the lacquer scratching. And the opposite for a hard timber. Obviously which is ever is softer will giveway first, lacquer/timber.

Another thing I would consider is to reduce the gloss level to say 30%. This will not show marks as obviously as higher gloss levels. But still retains a great sheen. And down the track if you decide you would like a slightly higher gloss level, its a relativly easy task to accomplish without respraying.

Anyway, just some of my thoughts there.

Cheers!



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Shane Watson..

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!

[hamster]

Hi Shane,

Yeah, I put the original coat on pretty thick (ahem...understatement!) due to my complete ignorance of matters spraypaint!

I am also starting to see de-lamination so perhaps the best approach will be to sand it all off and then start again with a properly applied lower gloss finish.

How much do you normally thin the lacquer on the first and subsequent coats?

[Shane Watson]

I don't thin my lacquer. Actually I did for first time in years on a table I have just finished. I just added about 10% thinners. But normally I don't thin it at all. & Very rarely I will use a dash of retarder.

Its up to you, I have been spraying the stuff for years and have won awards for some of my work....... BUT dont think I started out great either! You'll get there, its just a matter of practice and getting used to how you set up you gear and materials.



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Shane Watson..

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!