Just wondering @ThatCluelessGerman if your applying it in complete absence of UV light before you are trying to cure it once coated? I'm sure you are, but just a thought.
Just wondering @ThatCluelessGerman if your applying it in complete absence of UV light before you are trying to cure it once coated? I'm sure you are, but just a thought.
Ive applied mine inside with just the nearest window's blind drawn and that's been fine. It is just funny stuff to deal with.
If it's anything like the grain filler, like you said, an overcast day just won't cut it for curing. I've had a foam brush sitting inside and a couple of weeks after using it, it's still just as wet as when it used for application, even with some light coming in through the windows. In full sunlight it cures very fast, but if you have a part of your piece that's in shadow, that part doesn't cure till you expose it. I wouldn't use it again simply because here in Australia you have to import it and it *very* expensive. There is available here another product apparently.Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Yes, I'm not sure the cost outweighs any quick-cure convenience. It doesn't level well, even if you do chill it first, so there's always a lot of sanding to do to get it level. There are some circumstances where it has benefits over standard finishes e.g. if you had imited time to finish the guitar/bass or a very humid climate which makes normal finishing very tricky, but I'm not loving it as much as I thought I would.
Hmmm, good question. I apply it on my working desk, which is shaded from the enclosures of my printers and CNC router. The window is about 3 meters away. I don't close the blinds, though, but the sponge I use to apply is sitting there on my desk for a few days now and it's still wet.
But what I just observed is that thick coats seem to dry much better than thin coats. A paradox, actually. I used to wipe on quite thin coats (like with the wipe on poly), but today, it's sunny (though still cold) and I was in the mood for experiments. So I slathered on a pretty generous coat, left it in the sun to cure and it is already rock hard 5 minutes later AND NOT STICKY! It feels like a glass coat.
I think I'll level that later and then decide if it needs another thick coat.
PS: Simon, it self levels quite well if you HEAT it first, do not chill it! If you warm it up, it gets thinner and flows more easily. I use a heatgun for it, only heat it up a little, to like 40° or something.
I don't know what I'm doing but I hope I will end up with a guitar
Their own recommendations are to chill it for best results! I couldn't see how that would make it more runny, but you never know with some chemical formulas.
I'll try heating it up next time, thanks.
I know the guy from Highline Guitars claimed that it's main advantage is that it fully cures with the UV such that it will not shrink over time. This is probably more of an issue for the grain filler rather than the finish. Bit when I used it I found that it still didn't work very well and you could still see the grain under the primer. On the plus side, it does dry sand with 400 grit fairly quickly. Probably just needed more coats, a little goes a long way.
Really? Mine says to heat it in the microwave. Not the full bottle but to put it into a small cup and heat to 95°F, that's around 35°C or something.
My "trick" is to apply it cold with a sponge and then go over it with a heatgun set to 170°C, which gives a surface temp of around 35-40°. Move the heatgun, don't burn the wood)
PS: This also helps with popping the tiny bubbles that can form from applying with a sponge.
I don't know what I'm doing but I hope I will end up with a guitar
I've just double checked and it says on the back 'best used cold from the refrigerator at 45°-50°F'.
I've got the brush-on version, not the spray version - that may be different.
That's similar to an old epoxy trick. You heat up the timber a little, apply your epoxy, and as the timber cools it sucks the epoxy into the pores of the timber , sealing it better. as for the bubbles, that may also be due to low quality sponge. The finish I use can be applied by foam brush, and they specify using a high density foam brush because the cheaper ones will give you bubbles, and they do. I prefer to spray.Really? Mine says to heat it in the microwave. Not the full bottle but to put it into a small cup and heat to 95°F, that's around 35°C or something.
My "trick" is to apply it cold with a sponge and then go over it with a heatgun set to 170°C, which gives a surface temp of around 35-40°. Move the heatgun, don't burn the wood
PS: This also helps with popping the tiny bubbles that can form from applying with a sponge.
Interesting enough Rickenbacker now finish their guitars by spraying a UV cure polyester.
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