Lacquer

[garym]

Ok, I'll look like an idiot again, I watch a lot of YouTube woodworking videos. Ok I realise that 95% are North American and what they have there is often either called something differently or not available at all here, but one thing that comes up again and again is "I'll just finish this with a couple of coats of lacquer". Ok, I have heard of lacquer - I am sure I used it 45 years ago in my woodworking class. Sure, it's a well known finish, isn't it?.

So I go to Bunnings: Lacquer? what's that? never heard of it.

I go to Home Hardware: Lacquer? what's that? never heard of it.

I go to a local paint specialist: Lacquer? what's that? never heard of it.

W-T-F What is going on???? Am I going insane?

[Claw Hama]

Ok, I'll look like an idiot again, I watch a lot of YouTube woodworking videos. Ok I realise that 95% are North American and what they have there is often either called something differently or not available at all here, but one thing that comes up again and again is "I'll just finish this with a couple of coats of lacquer". Ok, I have heard of lacquer - I am sure I used it 45 years ago in my woodworking class. Sure, it's a well known finish, isn't it?.

So I go to Bunnings: Lacquer? what's that? never heard of it.

I go to Home Hardware: Lacquer? what's that? never heard of it.

I go to a local paint specialist: Lacquer? what's that? never heard of it.

W-T-F What is going on???? Am I going insane?

Hi Gary
I think lacquer, these days in Australia at least, mean any sort of varnish, lacquer, estapol, polyurethane etc. I'm sure you could buy a lacquer from maybe an auto paint supplier or other specialty supplier that is a thinner base product (very general terms I'm using here)
All depends of what you are finishing and what requirements you need. I use quite a bit of polyurethane floor finishes on my furniture etc. Tough, durable, easy to apply, my favorite is Cabots which I have found after trying many to be much tougher than most by an almost measurable amount.
Let us know what you are up to and we might be able to throw some more light on the subject for your

Sorry the other super easy finish is the wipe on polyurethanes which really are almost fool proof. At Bunnies etc "Wipe on Poly" satin or gloss.

[garym]

Hi Gary
I think lacquer, these days in Australia at least, mean any sort of varnish, lacquer, estapol, polyurethane etc. I'm sure you could buy a lacquer from maybe an auto paint supplier or other specialty supplier that is a thinner base product (very general terms I'm using here)
All depends of what you are finishing and what requirements you need. I use quite a bit of polyurethane floor finishes on my furniture etc. Tough, durable, easy to apply, my favorite is Cabots which I have found after trying many to be much tougher than most by an almost measurable amount.
Let us know what you are up to and we might be able to throw some more light on the subject for your

Sorry the other super easy finish is the wipe on polyurethanes which really are almost fool proof. At Bunnies etc "Wipe on Poly" satin or gloss.

Thanks Claw Hama, where I disagree with you is I am pretty sure if you swapped lacquer and varnish you would be spot on! And therein lies the rub we seem to have all the forms of varnish except lacquer. The point is that all the types of "varnish" have slightly different characteristics - for instance I applied Wipe on Poly" over acrylic white paint and it turned it yellow - this is not "project" based it is just my eternal quest to learn what is best to use where.

The main difference between a lacquer and say a polyurethane is it dissolves into the previous coat (like shellac - and as the name suggests I think shellac is a lacquer - but not the one I refer to).

[Rod Gilbert]

Hi all,
Lacquer's tends to be more commercially used(mirrortone,wattly,croda just a few brand's) simple to apply by spray equipment it dose'nt take a lot of time like some of the hand worked finishes(it is fast to apply) and gives a good finish. The way in which each finish reacts with each other depends on the solvent for each type eg: turps based,water base,thinner base,alcohol base some will go over the other some will not. Shellac being the best sealer of all times most of anything that bleeds through pen marks on painted walls, resins that bleed through can be sealed with shellac then painted over no problem. These products should be readily available from paint specialist try asking for nitro-cellious lacquer.
Regards Rod.

[garym]

Hi all,
Lacquer's tends to be more commercially used(mirrortone,wattly,croda just a few brand's) simple to apply by spray equipment it dose'nt take a lot of time like some of the hand worked finishes(it is fast to apply) and gives a good finish. The way in which each finish reacts with each other depends on the solvent for each type eg: turps based,water base,thinner base,alcohol base some will go over the other some will not. Shellac being the best sealer of all times most of anything that bleeds through pen marks on painted walls, resins that bleed through can be sealed with shellac then painted over no problem. These products should be readily available from paint specialist try asking for nitro-cellious lacquer.
Regards Rod.

Thank's Rod.

So it's a specialist product in Oz for some reason? strange.

I only have access to one specialist paint store down here in the Southern Highlands and they glazed over when I asked - but they aren't much chop in general unless you go in for 5 cans of house paint.

However it sounds like, if I can identify a particular product, I should be able to have it ordered in. Alas it is my experience that when a product is a "specialist product" it is also very expensive. We'll see.

Interesting tip about the shellac on "bleed through" materials. I bought some shellac for use as a sealer on pine to prevent blotching but haven't tried it yet - it sounds like it could also be useful for sealing knot sap?

[garym]

I should have thought about this sooner, but the next time I'm in Bunning's et. al. I'll ask them why they sell lacquer thinner but not lacquer. That should set them back on their heels a bit - I enjoy doing that ha ha ;-) (although their fall back response is nearly always "try special orders" sigh....)

[garym]

Hmmm, this seems to be the stuff I am looking for:
http://www.timberlywoodturning.co.nz...tre-30%25.html

Not badly priced in NZ either.

Thank's to Rod I am hot on the trail. Cheers.

[ubeaut]

As Rod said in his post try asking for Nitrocellulose lacquer it is available in a variety of gloss levels 35%, 50%, 70%, etc or at least it used to be. I haven't purchased any for many years now but no reason why it wouldn't still be available.

You could also try asking for a precat lacquer which includes nitro. Most paint manufacturers make it so you but you probably need to go to their shop rather than a general run of the mill paint shop.

Haymes Paints, Wattyl, Durobond, Mirrortone are a few (just realised I'm echoing Rod here) My favorite used to be Haymes, still is as they are pretty much the only Australian owned paint company left and I'd prefer to support them than an overseas company that buys us lot up throes the good bits away and keeps the cash cow part.

Painters Pot are Haymes Distributors usually carry it and will get it in for you if they don't have any in stock.

Find Haymes close to Southern Highlands http://www.haymespaint.com.au/find-a-store/

Lacquer is a specialist product and mostly has been for years as most lacquers need to be sprayed and not everyone has the equipment or the ability to use it because of this. The word lacquer is pretty well misused in the USA as a generic name for a finish of almost any sort. Varnish is also misused as there is little or no varnish available any more. This was made with mixing long and short stand oils and others with resigns and metallic dryers and is almost impossible to get today closest you might come id marine varnish.

Most modern varnish type finishes are polyurethane (plastic) coatings.

Hope this is of some help.

Lacquer isn't all that hard to find in Australia it's just a matter of knowing where to look and the right thing to look/ask for. Yry a google search using "lacquer in Australia".

Cheers - Neil

[garym]

As Rod said in his post try asking for Nitrocellulose lacquer it is available in a variety of gloss levels 35%, 50%, 70%, etc or at least it used to be. I haven't purchased any for many years now but no reason why it wouldn't still be available.

You could also try asking for a precat lacquer which includes nitro. Most paint manufacturers make it so you but you probably need to go to their shop rather than a general run of the mill paint shop.

Haymes Paints, Wattyl, Durobond, Mirrortone are a few (just realised I'm echoing Rod here) My favorite used to be Haymes, still is as they are pretty much the only Australian owned paint company left and I'd prefer to support them than an overseas company that buys us lot up throes the good bits away and keeps the cash cow part.

Painters Pot are Haymes Distributors usually carry it and will get it in for you if they don't have any in stock.

Find Haymes close to Southern Highlands http://www.haymespaint.com.au/find-a-store/

Lacquer is a specialist product and mostly has been for years as most lacquers need to be sprayed and not everyone has the equipment or the ability to use it because of this. The word lacquer is pretty well misused in the USA as a generic name for a finish of almost any sort. Varnish is also misused as there is little or no varnish available any more. This was made with mixing long and short stand oils and others with resigns and metallic dryers and is almost impossible to get today closest you might come id marine varnish.

Most modern varnish type finishes are polyurethane (plastic) coatings.

Hope this is of some help.

Lacquer isn't all that hard to find in Australia it's just a matter of knowing where to look and the right thing to look/ask for. Yry a google search using "lacquer in Australia".

Cheers - Neil

Thanks Neil, not to seem ungrateful at all but a couple of things you listed are amusing (as it turns out, not because the info is wrong) so I think I'll relate them for entertainment's sake.

Thanks for the Haymes link (BTW it is VERY useful to have a product name) - it actually takes me straight to the paint shop that gave me the glazed look when I went in to ask about it. I suppose I should not be surprised - very few stores have a good knowledge of their suppliers product range - although in these days of computers and the internet you would think they could do a little better than "Sorry we don't have any of that".

"Lacquer isn't all that hard to find in Australia" - LOL I am afraid that I find it hard to find if Bunnings or Home Hardware don't stock it as they are pretty much all I have reasonable access to.

I was fortunate to have internet access back in the 80s when it was only available in major universities - and as a R&D engineer I think I have pretty could internet search skills, so yes I always exhaust "the usual" avenues before coming here - it is surprising how much "inside knowledge" is required in the field of woodworking in Australia.

For amusement sake I recommend to interested parties using the search phrase you suggest ""lacquer in Australia" in Google - I think you'll be surprised at what you find (or don't).

Regarding that lacquer needs to be sprayed - yes that's why I expected to find it in a spray can - that's what most US woodworkers seem to use, although I have spray equipment so that's not a major problem.

Thanks again Neil, you have given me more food for thought, it is much appreciated.

[garym]

Here is an example of the type of thing I was hoping to find:
http://www.amazon.com/Deft-Interior-.../dp/B0016KXBU4

One thing I neglected to mention was that one of the reasons I wanted to try it is that lacquer seems to provide a non-yellowing finish, whereas , say, polyurethane doesn't.

[garym]

It's also interesting to note that of all the brands mentioned, only 2 Durobond and Mirrortone, produce a search result for lacquer, and they mention it but not the actual product - although Mirrortone seem to have some pigmented products (MIROLAC).

Oh and I have confirmed that the lacquer used in the videos I mentioned are indeed lacquers, specifically nitrocellulose.

[maggs]

Protec also make a product called Catalac that I have used. I bought it from my local automotive paint supplier.

www.protec.com.au

[garym]

Protec also make a product called Catalac that I have used. I bought it from my local automotive paint supplier.

www.protec.com.au

Thanks, that certainly looks the real deal - how much did you pay for it if you don't mind and you remember?

I have also found:
Wattyl STYLWOOD - but have found no retail outlets.


https://www.masters.com.au/product/9...er-finish-300g - but at that price forget it!

[maggs]

Thanks, that certainly looks the real deal - how much did you pay for it if you don't mind and you remember?

I have also found:
Wattyl STYLWOOD - but have found no retail outlets.


https://www.masters.com.au/product/9...er-finish-300g - but at that price forget it!

Many years ago I used to use Wattyl A8 lacquer but it got hard to get. Maybe Stylwood is the replacement of that product. I just called my paint supplier and the Protec lacquer is no longer available. They recommended a product called Higard and it's $60.00 for 4 litres.

http://www.hichem.com.au/htmlfiles/i...%20lacquer.htm

[Kev Y.]

I have just purchased a 4lt tin of STYLWOOD 70% and the thinners for it from the local PAINTRIGHT store, they do not have it on the shelf as it is not a generally sought after product.


Kev

Thanks, that certainly looks the real deal - how much did you pay for it if you don't mind and you remember?

I have also found:
Wattyl STYLWOOD - but have found no retail outlets.


https://www.masters.com.au/product/9...er-finish-300g - but at that price forget it!