Nitro Lacquer Bad...must Find Substitute, Please Help!

[Stolysmaster]

I have just gotten an email from Stewert MacDonald telling me that the Behlen Nitro Lacquer I recently ordered and received from them is bad, and intructing me to send it back. They do not know when more will be available! One of my guitars will be ready for finishing in about two weeks, and the other shortly thereafter. I guess I am looking for a suitable substitute, but I have never liked the idea of using polyurathane...I'm one of those with the belief that putting "plastic" on a guitar affects the sound in an adverse way. It's possible that I can be convinced otherwise, if anyone would care to try.

I think that some have had good results with Acrylic Lacquer, or Acrylic something or other (I think Doug at Soulmate uses it; he built the neck on the one that is ready). I want a relatively thin, hard, glossy finish (like nitro!), but something that I can spray on with my gun and compressor. I only have experience spraying lacquer.

Any ideas? Please help! Thanks

Edited December 7, 2007 by Stolysmaster

[ihocky2]

Woodcraft sells Deft Nitro lacquer and Behlens Stringed Instrument lacquer. Deft is meant as a brush on lacquer, but can be sprayed. It doesn't build as well when sprayed, but will work. But like I said they also have the Behlens. I know Lowes also sells Deft lacquer.

[Stolysmaster]

Woodcraft sells Deft Nitro lacquer and Behlens Stringed Instrument lacquer. Deft is meant as a brush on lacquer, but can be sprayed. It doesn't build as well when sprayed, but will work. But like I said they also have the Behlens. I know Lowes also sells Deft lacquer.

Thanks, ihocky2, I just found the Woodcraft site; did not know about them. I'll probably get some of the Behlen's SIL from them.

[Mickguard]

I think that some have had good results with Acrylic Lacquer, or Acrylic something or other

Acrylic is.....um...plastic.

There must be other sources for nitro though.

I like nitro, it's definitely pretty easy to use and looks great. But I'm having trouble getting past the environmental/toxic part.

I'm interested in using the KTM9 that LMII is selling --anyone know if it's the same stuff as the water-based finish StewMac is selling?

Also, I played around with a tung oil varnish on one guitar --at first I didn't like the results, but it's been close to a year now and I have to say, the guitar is looking pretty good now (I rebuffed it a couple of months ago). I think the oil just needed a really long cure time. Don't know if I'm patient enough to use it again though, not if it takes a 6-month wait before the guitar is ready! But it has the avantage of being non-toxic, all-natural.

Oops, I'm rambling.

[Hydrogeoman]

I have had very good luck using McFaddens nitro lacquer. I order it from Grizzly tools. http://grizzly.com/

[Stolysmaster]

I think that some have had good results with Acrylic Lacquer, or Acrylic something or other

Acrylic is.....um...plastic.

There must be other sources for nitro though.

I like nitro, it's definitely pretty easy to use and looks great. But I'm having trouble getting past the environmental/toxic part.

I'm interested in using the KTM9 that LMII is selling --anyone know if it's the same stuff as the water-based finish StewMac is selling?

Also, I played around with a tung oil varnish on one guitar --at first I didn't like the results, but it's been close to a year now and I have to say, the guitar is looking pretty good now (I rebuffed it a couple of months ago). I think the oil just needed a really long cure time. Don't know if I'm patient enough to use it again though, not if it takes a 6-month wait before the guitar is ready! But it has the avantage of being non-toxic, all-natural.

Oops, I'm rambling.

Yeah, I guess I didn't make it clear that I know that Acrylic is plastic too...like I stated; I know that some people use plastic finishes and don't have a problem with them affecting the sound. BUT, since it looks like I can get Behlen's, McFadden's, etc. from other places, I will probably stick with what I know, like, and have had success with; NITRO! Thanks to all who have posted.

[Woodenspoke]

I think that some have had good results with Acrylic Lacquer, or Acrylic something or other

Acrylic is.....um...plastic.

There must be other sources for nitro though.

I like nitro, it's definitely pretty easy to use and looks great. But I'm having trouble getting past the environmental/toxic part.

I'm interested in using the KTM9 that LMII is selling --anyone know if it's the same stuff as the water-based finish StewMac is selling?

Also, I played around with a tung oil varnish on one guitar --at first I didn't like the results, but it's been close to a year now and I have to say, the guitar is looking pretty good now (I rebuffed it a couple of months ago). I think the oil just needed a really long cure time. Don't know if I'm patient enough to use it again though, not if it takes a 6-month wait before the guitar is ready! But it has the avantage of being non-toxic, all-natural.

Oops, I'm rambling.

Yeah, I guess I didn't make it clear that I know that Acrylic is plastic too...like I stated; I know that some people use plastic finishes and don't have a problem with them affecting the sound. BUT, since it looks like I can get Behlen's, McFadden's, etc. from other places, I will probably stick with what I know, like, and have had success with; NITRO! Thanks to all who have posted.

If it a problem using standard laquer, water based laquer is the answer. It is still laquer. I have used and hated water based coatings in the past, but it has gotten better every year. States like California have banned VOC's like those in standard laquer and you will have no choice but to use a water based version as more states take up the cause.

Here is a link to a reputable waterbased supplier, they claim burn in over standard laquer coats as well as between coats.

http://www.targetcoatings.com/shop/catalog/Coatings-1-1.html

[brewu22]

I think that some have had good results with Acrylic Lacquer, or Acrylic something or other

Acrylic is.....um...plastic.

There must be other sources for nitro though.

I like nitro, it's definitely pretty easy to use and looks great. But I'm having trouble getting past the environmental/toxic part.

I'm interested in using the KTM9 that LMII is selling --anyone know if it's the same stuff as the water-based finish StewMac is selling?

Also, I played around with a tung oil varnish on one guitar --at first I didn't like the results, but it's been close to a year now and I have to say, the guitar is looking pretty good now (I rebuffed it a couple of months ago). I think the oil just needed a really long cure time. Don't know if I'm patient enough to use it again though, not if it takes a 6-month wait before the guitar is ready! But it has the avantage of being non-toxic, all-natural.

Oops, I'm rambling.

I think the stew mac stuff is the Target Coatings waterbase spray lacquer. Not bad stuff, pretty hard after about a week.

[j. pierce]

I really like the KTM-9. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I can't say that's because of the product, or compare it to applying other laquers - it's the only lacquer I've sprayed. It's held up well on my instruments, and once you figure out how to play by it's rules, it goes on well and looks nice. Takes a while to be really rock solid. I get the feeling traditional lacquers are a bit quicker in this respect. My acquaintances who've seen me during the spraying process says it seems to go on different than the traditional lacquer they work with. I believe it's different than the stuff Stew Mac sells, but I've been using it with the Colortone pigments for water-based lacquer with success.