water based finishes

[Ian Davlin The Looth Group]

I asked Trevor Healy to take a gander at this post. Also, this has got me thinking that a show on this subject might be a good idea. I’m going to start asking around.

[Chip Tait – Brooklyn Fretworks]

I’ve had good results using Brite Tone from Chrystalac.

https://www.crystalac.com/

crystalac.com

Water-Based Paints, Stains & Protective Finishes

The CrystaLac Store is the official supplier of all CrystaLac Specialty Waterbased Finishes. CrystaLac is Environmentally Safe, and gives Professional Results.

[Trevor Healy]

Hey Zoe,

I’ve used General Finishes Endurovar for years and really like it. My favorite is the matte or satin finish on necks. I can spray 2-4 coats, level it out, and spray one final coat and things look and feel great.

I started using it when I needed a brush on option for putting finish on maple fretboards during a re-fret. I’d apply 4-6 coats brushed on and it would be ready to level out and buff in 3-5 days.

Things get a bit more complicated as you get into the fully gloss finish realm, and with color. I use the GF milk paints for color and do Endurovar or High Performance over them. The colors will drastically change over time though with Endurovar since it ambers quite a bit. If you want the color to stay true, use the High Performance. Lenny from Daddy Mojo Instruments uses the GF milk paints as the finish with solid colors. They can all be reduced with water. I’ve always applied a clear coat over the milk paint, though I’d like to try leaving it as is. We’ve also put True Oil over milk paint and it looks killer.

I’ve also used Target Emtech 6000 and 8000cv with good results. All of them come with their own challenges. I don’t think any of the ones I’ve used are as hard as lacquer, and take nearly a month to fully harden. even after buffing they’ll get softer again, and you have to hang them back up otherwise you’ll get marks/imprints if you leave it on the bench. They also react more to a person’s ph, aka the surface can get soft and smudgy from where your arm sits on the lower bout.

I’ve heard great things about the Crystal Lac Brite tone and plan to try that next. Nate Lord from Lord Guitars uses it and has told me it’s much easier to spray once you get the hang of the amount to lay down, and it’s also harder like poly. I know there are some 2k options now from Target Emtech, and Total Boat varnishes. I currently mainly spray nitro but also want to get back to waterbased. Happy to talk about any of this over the phone or zoom sometime!

[Karl Borum – Borum Acoustics]

I switched from Nitro Cellulose Lacquer to Target Coating’s EM-6000 last build. It was essentially equivalent to nitro without the long cure times or toxicity. And finish-sanded dry before buffing.