Acoustic Guitar Construction

I use halogen and forced air heaters to speed dry time -- while this lets you recoat sooner the Tech's tell me that over all chemical cure time is still the same -- the time to shrink back and harden. Sorry for the blur.

Not to be pedantic, but nitro lacquer does not cure, it dries as the solvents evaporate. Wipe on poly cures, UV cured poly cures. With nitro, there is no chemical reaction that changes the nitro as it dries, which is why additional coats burn into previous coats. With finishes that cure via a chemical reaction, subsequent coats do not fully burn into previous coats and that is why you get witness lines with repairs, sand through, etc. It is a subtle point, but it is an important one, and the reason why I use nitro as opposed to other finishes.

I suppose time for oxygen and heat to catalyze the chemicals is what is actually happening. Still the entire industry refers to the wait time before buffing/polishing lacquer or any coating as cure time, even the Techs I communicate with at the chemical manufacturers.

Cure actually is when an illness is resolved. -- yes?

Great point about the ability for the solvents in a top coat to burn in to the previous layer, I believe this is the key property for great application results and ease of future repairs.

Thanks for the great info guys, I will definately give this finishing method a try. Thanks Jack.

Tony, I got a good brush and some Deft brushing laquer and got the first coat on today (thinned with 10 percent Thinner), I overworked it a little and left some brush stroke marks. Do you level sand between coats ? How many coats do you do, and how long before the next coats. Looks pretty good so far. Thanks for the help. Jack

Jack -- don't thin the brushing lacquer. And if you must, use "Retarder" one of the things that allows the Deft and the other brushing lacquers to be applied in this manner and still flow out is the premium slow evaporation thinner/solvent in the forumla. Using out of the can standard thinner rushes the gassing off and causes the material to dry too quickly. As you have found out you need to lay the product on versus stroking it on like latex or enamel.

I thin about 10%. Ken is probably right, but it has worked for me.
You will have lots of brush marks. It's unavoidable. Just lay on each coat and try not to fix any mistakes. You will make them worse. Level after 3 coats. Not after each coat. Brushing is slower than spraying g in every way. Application and sanding take longer. It's a fact but you also don't need specialized equipment to apply a brushed finish. So go slow and you will end up with a fine finish.