Thread: Lacquer based friction polish

Thanks mate

I will try them next weekend.

Greg

Refinish ANZ
Go to the home page, click on the "Contact Us" link and ask who is the Au distributor, or where can you buy it.
Duracryl is available at most major auto parts distributors, NAPA sells it in the states, as do several others.

Originally Posted by plantagenon

Does anyone know whre I might buy PPG Duracryl automotive lacquer and thinnners for a dipping finish on pens.

Thanks

Thanks Ed

I managed to track down a supplier in Brisbane and sent them an email to see if they will sell to the public or if not, where I can get it.

I had a bit of spare time yesterday so I made the drying box in advance of getting the lacquer. Couple of photos attached. Its a simple construction of pine, a bit of dowel and flyscreen wire to keep the dust out. I should be able to hang around 5 pens in it at a time. Pity I didn't have a bit more time to clean up the work bench!

I saw that you left the bushes on the timber for dipping and drying. Does the lacquer stick the bushes to the blanks or does tightening the nuts up seal the tubes from the lacquer?

I have put a couple of washes on as you can see from the photos as the nut size isn't big enough to cover the larger tubes. As long as I don't get a lot of drips from the washers it should work well, but just thinking about it now, the top washer will not have to be put into the lacquer.


Greg

Have to admit I hung my bolts the otherway so I didn't have to struggle with the nuts being bound on with the lacquer

Hi Nick

I can reverse them without any problems (other than the one I CAed onto the wire)
Not a problem. Did you have any problems with bushes or bolts being glued to the tubes with the lacquer?

Greg

I leave the bushings on because the lacquer has to have some place to run to…if you don’t have the bushings in place the lacquer will puddle up or and make a ring around the bottom of the pen blank.
The washers you have will also make it puddle.
I have found using hand pressure to tighten the nuts is sufficient to keep the bushings sealed and lacquer out of the blank tube.
When it is built up to my satisfaction, I score the joint with a Xacto knife and the bushing pops off, I clean up the blank ends with the knife.
If you look at the bottom photo you can see the "puddle effect" on the left hand bushing.

I used the some process as Ed

but as said before had a terrible time with the finish crazing after a while
couldn't work out why and haven't tried since

PS Nice bit of wood Ed!

In an effort to show better why I leave the bushings in place when I dip, I machined up a set to fit a Sierra, (Wall Street II here, Pacifica other places).
Instead of smooth bore I threaded these ¼" X 20 to screw onto a eyebolt as a hanger.
You can see that after only one dip, a ring or puddle forms on the lower bushing….the lacquer blend is a 1 to 1 of Deft Acrylic Lacquer and thinner.
I have several mixtures one of Behlen’s Stringed Instrument Lacquer, and one of Duracryl, both cut 1 to 1 plus the Deft mix.
All three mixs have worked provided a flawless finish for me, with none cracking or crazing.

Am I reading this right? Do you mix 1 to 1 of PPG and thinners and also add Deft Acrylic effectively making 1 to 1 to 1 or is that a separate mix?

The finish looks brilliant and I am keen to try it.

No no no…guess it does read a little weird…
I mix all of my lacquers on a one to one basis with their respective thinners.
I have used three different mixes at three different times, one is Deft, another is Beheles, and my favorite, Duracryl.
No matter which one I use, the results have all been the same, the finish is great.
The jar in the photo is the current mix I am using, it consist of 1 part Deft and 1 part thinner, (half and half)

Thanks Ed

I have tracked down the equivalent product in Australia. It is available at various car dealerships and being sold through car dealerships will be very expensive but it should last a long time. Supercheap Auto have some for sale but it is made by 3M and as mentioned by Iron I think it crazes. Will report back in a few weeks when I have time to try some. Reply from PPG Australia -


Duracryl is an American brand name of automotive paint. It is not made in Australia under that name. However we do have an acrylic automotive paint called Dulon and this is available from these distributors in Brisbane.

Motorama
5/86 Township Drive
West Burleigh
Ph: 07 5520 6598

Motorama
3455 Pacific Highway
Springwood
Ph: 3804 4888

Metro Ford
150 Fison Avenue
Eagle Farm
Ph: 3000 7180

Will be waiting to see how it turns out for you, good luck.

A product used commonly in Aus on furniture and other wooden products that is similar is
Nitrocellulose Lacquer. I got mine, and the thinners, from David Dresher - SEQ Woodturning Supplies. Just make sure you get the clear one, not the sanding sealer version.

There was a guy in Tas I met a few years back that was using the dip method with it, 50 pens at a time. He didn't buff them at all though, so I wasn't that impressed with them, but he sold up to 250 a day in company orders and didn't have the time to do a propper job (ps he didn't sand either).

Nitrocellulose lacquer is very popular over here as a furniture finish.
Lacquer is not actually a product; it is a type or style of finishing.
The 2 major types of lacquer are acrylic and the nitrocellulose, one is a plastic suspended in a solvent, the other is an organic product.
With the acrylic, you are basically applying liquid plastic that hardens when the solvent flashes off.
Both produce fine finishes, I simply prefer the acrylic as when it finally “pops” you have a near perfect surface, no sanding or polishing required.
The nitrocellulose requires sanding and polishing, just like a piece of furniture, but it also produces a deep clear finish.
As Da Sensei states, do not use a sanding sealer, or get the nitrocellulose with the sealer in it, it will change the color of the wood sometimes and is a pain to work with.