Avant UV Coatings?

[Paul M]

I think I asked Jeff Jewitt about these sort of finishes and I totally forgot what he said.

It would be good to ask him about it.

He is such a helpful person with finish questions. I absolutely know nothing about anything and he was super patient with every question I asked him.

[Josh Rieck]

Clear Armor is the same product, I was a little confused about that at first as well but Avant is the distributor for the Cler Armor musical instrument specific product.

I’ve got a message out to Jeff, if he’s ok with it, I’ll share his reply here.

[Paul M]

there’s this stuff too:
https://mywoodcutters.com/clean-armor-wood-finishing

[Rick Molloy Rick Molloy Guitars]

I actually just got this and am testing it out on a couple of electric bodies and necks (first). so far it seems to do what it claims, cures fast and hard. I didn’t buy the expensive lights yet.

[Josh Rieck]

I’m anxious to hear your results. I’m getting on a call with the rep again this week with a couple of questions but am really about to pull the trigger. He main complaint I hear online is that the finish is expensive but it’s supposed to cover 1600 sq ft at 1 mil per gallon and they state that a 30% solids finish per gallon is only 300 sq ft at 1 mil so while it’s 5x more expensive, its five times the coverage too.

I’m proceeding with caution because it almost sounds too good to be true, no VOC’s no HAP’s cured in minutes. In talking with the rep he said he did an electric body from pore fill to buffed out in under three hours. Sounds like a dream come true.

[Paul M]

Josh, you’re thinking of using it on Acoustics?

[Josh Rieck]

Yeah, electrics too but mainly acoustics.

[Rick Molloy Rick Molloy Guitars]

I used this on an electric neck and did a couple of test pieces on spruce that I had laying around.

I used the grain filler, sanding sealer and indoor finish.

I haven’t bought the more expensive light yet – but will soon.

It worked as advertised – getting the cure was pretty hard with just the uv flashlight, I ended up taking the neck and pieces outside to cure but then it cured quickly.

Like folks said it takes very little product to apply the finish. I ended up using more than necessary a couple of times.

I’m planning on doing some electric bodies soon with it and will also try it on an acoustic if it seems like it’s working well.

[Glenn Cummins G Cummins Guitars]

Hi Rick. Did you try the Clean Armour on an Acoustic? After watching a YouTube video of the guy who created it, It almost seems like the perfect finish.

Cheers.

Glenn.

[Ian Davlin The Looth Group]

Man, those lights are reasonable. I wonder if they could be used for tanning wood and nitro or with the spectrum is too narrow.

[Josh Rieck]

It’s UVA light, as you probably saw.

I found this snippet online from solacure.com who sells lights for tanning wood. “Of course, everyone wants to age wood in a day, and often that is enough but other times it may takes days or even weeks. What is needed is adequate UVB, but it is the UVA that does most of the heavy lifting. UVA also penetrates more deeply, giving the wood a natural aged effect. Is it as good as natural aging over time? No, but it is the next best thing and takes much less time.”

So… maybe? If/when I get it I’ll happily do a test.

[Ian Davlin The Looth Group]

Yeah buddy ! Try it with some chemicals too.

[Josh Rieck]

I got the lights. What chemicals should I try?

[Ian Davlin The Looth Group]

I messed around with sodium nitrite and a lizard bulb. The lizard bulb took a lot of time to get an effect and the bulb degraded rather quick in my opinion so I abandoned it. Would be cool to see what a hoss of a light could do.

[Don Parker]

Just bumping this thread. I’m not very active here, but I might chime in more going forward.

I have recently been experimenting with the Clean Armor instrument finish products, and so far, I like what I am seeing. I’m coming from experience with shellac, EnduroVar, Royal Lac, and Cardinal UV cure finishes. The Clean Armor has all the good features I want, and no real downside other than cost. I don’t want to give a full throated endorsement yet, because I am still fiddling around with it, but it sure is ticking all the boxes so far. I don’t have to put on my respirator or a Tyvek suit. Just rubber gloves to apply it by hand. It cures in minutes, with the recommended lamp (which they also sell). If you give it a few minutes to rest after curing, it sands to a powder (nothing gummy). For certain woods, using the sealer is very important. After that, the pore filler does a nice job, and after that, the top coats go on well. All by hand with a lint-free fad or pad. I did burn through a few spots on my test board while buffing, but that was pilot error. And I was using the original instrument top coat. I have since bought some of the instrument top coat that is supposed to be easier to buff.

Like I said, early days, but so far, this is just what I want. Easy to apply by hand, fast cure, sands well, durable, looks great.

I would love to hear if others are using this finish, and if so, how it is going.

[Glenn Cummins G Cummins Guitars]

I’m hoping to get the sample kit shipped to the UK. I’ll chime in with my experience once I’ve had a chance to use it.