Does anybody know how to fix lacquer blush short of completely stripping off the finish and starting over? I’ve owned my Turbinaire HVLP spray system for about four years. But since I rarely actually use it, I’m still a relative newbie to the world of spray finishing. Because I don’t have a dedicated spray both, or even a temperature controlled work area, I do all of my spraying outdoors in my driveway. But since I live in the Northeast, this means that I can only spray on those few days a year when it is not too cold, not too hot, not raining, AND apparently (as I just learned the hard way) not too humid. I have successfully used my HVLP to spray water based polyurethane, shellac, and even house stain. So armed with the confidence of those experiences I decided to try taking my finishing repetoire to the next level by learning to spray lacquer. The project at hand is a series of six small Tansu inspired storage cabinets for my wife’s study. Not wanting to risk the pitfalls of using inferior finishing materials, I am spraying “Behlen’s” “Qualalcq” spraying lacquer. I started with their sanding sealer, diluted 1:1 with their proprietary thinner as per the instructions on the can. As a precaution against blushing I also added 10% retarder. My first test spray met with difficulty because it was too hot outside (around 90 degrees in direct sunlight) which caused the finish to flash dry. So I waited until the cooler evening hours and tried again. Eureka! Success. So I sprayed on two coats of sanding sealer and let everything sit overnight. Next I rubbed out the finish with 600 grit stearated abrasive paper. Then this morning I attempted to spray on the final coats of lacquer. Once again, the lacquer was thinned 1:1 plus 10% retarder. Not wanting to get caught in the heat of the day I started early before the morning haze had fully burned off. OOPS! Bad idea! Despite the retarder I got severe blushing. I assume that this was caused by the high humidity of the early morning hours. This foray into the world of sprayed on lacquer is turning into a bit more of an adventure than I had bargained for. Any suggestions?
Discussion Forum
Get It All!
UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month.
Start Your Free TrialCategories
Discussion Forum
Digital Plans Library
Member exclusive! – Plans for everyone – from beginners to experts – right at your fingertips.
Highlights
-
Shape Your Skills
when you sign up for our emails
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. -
Shop Talk Live Podcast -
Our favorite articles and videos -
E-Learning Courses from Fine Woodworking
-
-
Replies
First, give it a day in less humid conditions--the blush may dissapear. If not, according to Andy Charron, try dusting on a coat of straight retarder.
Hi Keith...
There's some good stuff on the Woodweb finishing forum by Mac Simmons on blushing and how to control it in the first place - FWIW, I've been spraying Target coatings USL, a water-based lacquer all summer on my stuff in the worst heat and have not had a problem with blushing...
I have a compressor and Astro HVLP conversion gun....
-Mitch
Hey Mitch:
Long time no see. Thanks for the reply. Even before I got the response from Steve Schoen, I referenced Andy Charron's book and found his advice to use a coat of straight retarder to remove the blush. I tried it and it worked like a charm. Also, Flexner's book seems to indicate that I can reduce future blushing problems by simply increasing the proportion of retarder beyond the manufacturer recommended 10%. Apparently cranking up the retarder won't harm the finish. It will just increase the drying time. However this whole experience has left me a bit sour on the whole idea of spraying lacquer alfresco. Unless you have a climate controlled both to spray in, the stuff is just too damned finicky. I'm also not too crazy about the sheer volume of hydro-carbons that I've been dumping into the air for the last two days. Tell me more about your water based lacquer. Where do you get it? What's it like to work with?
Keith
Check out http://www.targetcoatings.com and read the "user guide" they have up there - it will tell you everything you need to know. Target has water-based drop in replacements for all the solvent finishes and they look fantastic and work like a dream - they have water based shellac, sealer, lacquer, conversion varnish, and polyurethane - all tintable with transtint dyes or golden acrylic pigments - and its not flammable and doesn't stink when you apply it - its all I'll use....You buy it online right from the site...
Mitch:
I just spent some time surfing through the Woodweb site. Wow! You weren't kidding. What a great resource. I just added it to my favorites list. Thanks again.
K.L.
Wait for a less humid day and then spray on some straight lacquer retarder.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled