problems spraying Kem Aqua lacquer

[email protected] wrote:

>
> All results seem a bit rough. I left them to dry overnight and
> will sand to 400 followed by 3 coats of kem aqua lacquer tommorow.
>
> Can anybody tell me why the results are not smooth and what I
> should change to get better results. ( I need to get this cabinet done
> this week - before the guys come to put the granite down on it.)


Are you laying down a full, wet coat?

When I switched from NC to water-base lacquer, it took a bit for me to
get used to how much more of a coat the water based product needed.
The first time I got it right, I thought I ruined the piece. Luckily, I
let it dry, and it looked fantastic.

I agree with Barry, it needs to go down pretty wet. Also, be careful of
going back over a partially dry coat. The stuff dries fairly quickly so the
edges need to stay wet as you're spraying. I've had issues where I was
doing a set of doors and after I finished, I noticed the first door had an
edge that was a little light. So I tried to touch it up and the first coat
had already dried to the point where the two would not blend (for lack of
better term).

Also, you mentioned shellac based Zinzer. I used that stuff almost
exclusively for my white finishes. Here is a typical schedule:

Sand to 320
Zinzer shellac-based primer (white)
Sand with 320
Zinzer shellac-based primer (white)
Sand with 320
One coat of kem aqua tinted
Dry for 2-4 hours at least
2nd coat of kem aqua tinted

I'm using a Fuji 3 stage HVLP so I can't necessarily advise on your sprayer
setup.

Good luck!

Eric



<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I am using Kem Aqua for the second time. The first time did not
> produce results comparable to my experience with Sherwin Williams Nitro
> lacquer - so I guess I need help.
>
> I am using a Sharp Cobalt HVLP conversion gun. The results look a bit
> rough - sometimes it even looks like a dry application.
>
> Today I did a couple of new samples:
>
> I sanded the piece to 220, raised the grain and let it dry, and
> then sanded lightly again.
>
> The test piece and the Kem Aqua sealer were stored in my shop at
> about 65-70 degrees.
>
> I have the gun and compressor set as per Sherwin Williams
> instructions.
> air at 45 psi
> fluid tip pressure measured between 5 and 10 psi
> fluid flow control wide open
> fan set about 12 inches high
> gun about 8 inches abouve the work piece (piece is lying flat
> and the gun is pointed down)
>
> I put two coats of sealer down about 30 minutes apart.
>
> I tried varying the tip pressure and the fluid flow rate on each
> of two samples (4 tests)
>
> test 1: cut fluid flow in half and tip pressure at 5
> psi
> test 2: cut fluid flow in half and tip pressure at 10 psi
> test 3: fluid flow open full and tip pressure at 5
> psi
> test 4: fluid flow open full and tip pressure at 10
> psi
>
> All results seem a bit rough. I left them to dry overnight and
> will sand to 400 followed by 3 coats of kem aqua lacquer tommorow.
>
> Can anybody tell me why the results are not smooth and what I
> should change to get better results. ( I need to get this cabinet done
> this week - before the guys come to put the granite down on it.)
>
> When I get to the real cabinet I intend to use an oil based
> glaze to color it.
> I think the spray schedule should be:
>
> seal with shellac
> put on glaze
> seal with shellac
> one coat of Kem Aqua sealer (needed?)
> three coats of Kem Aqua lacquer
>
>
> Does anybody have any experience with mixing Kem Aqua and shellac
> (Zinzer )
>
>
>
> Len
>