Polyester Finish

[photoshopdesigngeek]

Hey Guys,

Does anyone know anything about a polyester finish? How to apply it, what it's characteristics are, where to get it... anything about it. The guys from alembic said they use a polyester finish. I've only ever heard of a poly urethane finish.

Thanks

Ryan

[low end fuzz]

unless you have pro equiptment i would stay away from poly;

it IS harder than most finishes but as a reaction type cure (like epoxy) as opose to evaporative (like laquer)

this makes it almost impossible to buff out, because the scratch patterns are so unueven because its a layer of 2 seperate substances joining together that scratch at different .....conditions(?)

and you definatly want to spray it from a hvlp type gun to save the trouble of trying to level it out, because it is like a rock;

although if a little work and anger is what you r looking for it can be aplied by brush and sanded to a beyond mirror shine!

[Setch]

Um, poly is hard to buff out because it's hard, not because "the scratch patterns are so unueven because its a layer of 2 seperate substances joining together that scratch at different .....conditions(?)". That's utter, utter guff, and I have no idea where you got it from.

Also, HVLP is no better at laying down a smooth film of finish than a stadard gun, it simply requires less air and wastes less finish in the form of overspray.

[thegarehanman]

I echo setch's comments from experience. Poly melts into previous layers just fine, but it's easiest to avoid witness lines if you spray all of your coats before any of it has fully cured. I personally think poly sands really well, but I base that on how much the finish gums up the sandpaper. I find sanding and buffing a poly finish to be a treat.

I think(if memory serves correctly) that hvlp's use about 1/3 the volume of finish that a standard gun uses for any given area. As for laying down a smooth finish with a cheap lvhp gun, I do it all of the time. Sure, it needs a little work with some sandpaper and a buffer when I'm done, but so does any finish I've ever sprayed with an hvlp gun : .

Just remember, you really should not be spraying any non-water based catayzed finishes without proper skin protection and ventilation. That means a full spray suit, a decent mask(or better yet a fresh air supply) and a proper spray booth with explosion proof fans, lights, etc.