I have been building and finishing things for about 10 years and I am considering going to almost exclusively shellac and/or water based finishes. I have traditionally used oils, varnishes, and poly in some combination, but I have recently been testing out some water based finishes. I was surprised to see the great results. I have really only tried general finishes products and don’t see a need to look at other brands myself but I am sure others work well also.
Some of the things I have tried and like are:
1) For a natural finish spray/wipe on shellac (not blond) and then apply general finishes poly acrylic. Both spray well and I hate oil based clean up.
2) To add color I use a base coat of shellac mostly to stop grain raising and reduce blotching and then use a water based dye added to the poly acrylic top coat. You can use pre mixed dye colors or use concentrated dyes. I especially like this method for matching colors. Each coat gets a little darker and can be tweaked a little. If I use pre made dyes a good ratio is 1 part dye to 2 or 3 parts top coat.
The reasons I am thinking about switching are:
1) Good results, and I’m getting more comfortable using them
2) Spray well with home shop equipment
3) It’s simple. All I have to keep on hand is shellac/alcohol and top coat (with a few dyes).
4) Not as flammable ( the top coat anyway)
5) Not as toxic. I still wouldn’t want to breath it.
Overall I like the results and in most situations I think that the benefits for me outweigh the disadvantages. Every project is different so I would still use my old standbys for some things.
Give them a try and tell me what you think.
Has any one else had similar results?
Replies
I'm with you!
I tried at least 10 different brands and finally settled on General Finishes. By far the best of those I used.
Clean-up is a key benefit.A quick wash out in the sink is all the brush requires. My 'expensive' brush is as good as new after countless washings. But I always pre-wet the core so I don;t get hardened finish at the ferule.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
I haven't found any waterborne,s that look like traditional oil based choices. I mostly do casegoods. Spraying the interiors usually results in seedy over spray on horizontal surfaces. I would go waterborne except for these issues. For the time being, they are relegated to the insides of drawers. Manufacturers keep developing new products and waterborne is the future. I'd like to see a longer flash over time, better light reflectivity and a less sterile appearance.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
"I haven't found any waterborne,s that look like traditional oil based choices. I mostly do casegoods. Spraying the interiors usually results in seedy over spray on horizontal surfaces. I would go waterborne except for these issues. For the time being, they are relegated to the insides of drawers. Manufacturers keep developing new products and waterborne is the future. I'd like to see a longer flash over time, better light reflectivity and a less sterile appearance."
I agree with you to some extent that is why I like to use orange or garnet shellac as a base.
I've used the Minwax water based stains and polycrylic finishs on a couple of recent projects and I'm very impressed. Great color, easy to apply, dries fast, and easy cleanup. What more could I want? - lol
I was really pleased with them on the sleigh. SWMBO wanted eight of them for Xmas presents and she wanted to keep the cost down. I made the sleighs from #2 common pine and shot the colors before assembly. The only hassle was with the viscosity (it's really thin), and I'm ordering a new needle and tip for my HVLP before I use them again.
I made the end tables from red oak and applied the stain and finish with a foam brush. What I liked about the Minwax on them was that i didn't get the marked color difference in the grain that is common in red oak.
Edited 1/17/2009 5:10 pm by Dave45
U,
I'll agree with those good sentiments, re: General Finishes brand High Performance water based poly; it's criminally simple to use. I snickered at the instructions on the can: "DO NOT over brush. Apply and move on." Sage advice, both actual and metaphysical.
Three coats on both bubinga and cherry snare drum shells look snappy. I used a foam brush, pretty thin coats, everything leveled out and finished great. I only needed a very easy sanding in between coats to knock down nibs.
Gen Fin High Performance is a touch spendy at $16 for a pint can, but it was worth it. My other go to's are Tried and True linseed oil and Minwax oil based wipe on poly, so it's nice to have a water based poly as an option.
Cheers,
Seth
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