Refinishing Problem

[Richard Anderson]

Terry,
I can sympathize with you. I have been using water based lac. since it first
came out and it has only been in the last year or two that I have found a WB
lac. and gun that doesn't produce excessive orange peel. Orange peel is
usually attributed to insufficient atomization although some products won't
flow no matter what. I used an HVLP turbine gun for many years and .051 was
the tip size recommended by my finish supplier for his product. When I had
worn that tip out and couldn't get replacement parts for that gun I bought a
Wagner conversion HVLP gun. It works significantly better and I don't have
to listen to the turbine whine. This gun and the newest lac from this
supplier is the first time I've had WB behave anywhere close to NC.

Have you tried thinning? You can usually thin up to 10% with most WBs. Most
thin with water, but you can get some interesting results thinning with
solvents (try xylene or MEK first, or lac. thin. works too). Do lots of
samples ahead of time, you don't want any surprises later. You might also
experiment with different tips. If you've got the cfm a smaller tip might
help. Keep in mind that finish suppliers usually work with finishers who
don't mind, or even like a little orange peel. It took several years of
complaining before my supplier realized what a problem even a little orange
peel was for me.

You might also try heating the lac a little, maybe 90F. It might be enough
to help it flow. One of the advantages of turbine guns is the heated air
(mine got almost too hot to hold after about 30 mins). If your air isn't
noticeably warm, heating the lac. is worth a shot (warm water bath is
easiest).

For those who are wondering, I'm using Aqua Cote made by Cash Coatings. I'm
buying it from Elite Finishing Supply in Toluca, IL 1-800-338-9562. Talk to
Don or Jim. They have a very nice stripping set up and I've been taking my
parts there to strip for many years as well as buying supplies from them.
They understand piano refinishing's special needs. Aqua Cote is the closest
thing to NC that I've used. It's not hard as a rock but it sands well
(especially with 3M gold), flows well, is sandable in an hour or two, and I
can flip parts the next day without printing. They also make a black that is
fantastic. It actually looks black and can be rubbed satin or compounded up
to high gloss.

Hang in there! I can attest that it is possible to do piano finishes with
WB, although I've worn out my shoulders in the process.

Richard Anderson

> From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 18:20:23 -0500
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Subject: Refinishing Problem
> 
> PianoTech Refinishers:
> 
> I am looking for input from any of the refinishers in the group that work
> with water-base materials. I am having trouble with what I believe is
> commonly referred to as "orange peel".
>