Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

On my next finishing job, I really want to try waterbased finishes. Nitro is great but the fumes and volatility are a big minus for me, especially in the winter time because I can't spray indoors.

What are your opinions on the Stewmac water based "lacquer" vs the KTM-9 finish? Is KTM-9 worth the extra money? Does it apply the way way? Is it tintable the same way?

Edited by guitar2005
Posted (edited)

Can't speak for any of those... but I just tried out Target EM-6000 and it worked like a charm... It doesn't apply quite the same as nitro. You have to use waterborne techniques that are unique to waterbornes... keep the coats thin and thinner. If you lay down very wet coats youll develop a milky look... keep them thin and build up gradually and it'll be water clear.

It is tintable. You can use trans tints for the translucent finishes... Stew Mac Sells tints and opaques for waterbornes also.

This guitar was finished in EM-6000 the back was EM-6000 with Stew Mac Black opaque added the top is just clear on a red dyed top.

P1010249.jpg

P1010247.jpg

Edited by 3DogNate
Posted (edited)

Very nice. Did you use a tint in the clear or was that a stain? It looks like a tint to me. I want to do a black finish and I was thinking of using Stewmac's pigments.

I'll definitely look into the EM-6000 product. Looks very interesting and is cheaper than the KTM stuff but I'd really like other people's opinions before I go for it.

Edited by guitar2005
Posted

Dude that is an absolutely killer guitar there and the finish looks amazing. I have not had much luck with waterbased finishes but it must be my old school techinique that keeps kicking in and messing things up :D:D I think if I was to try the waterbased stuff I would definately apply a polyester clear basecoat for the rock hardness and then the waterbased clear for topcoats to give it the gloss and the durability. I also found that nozzle size is the key to waterbased finishes and I was informed a minimum of 1.8mm is needed ? maybe you can fill me in on what you used as this might be where I mess up. Got to admit I would love to switch to waterbased stuff to do my bit for the planet as polyesters and polyurethanes are not very environmentally friendly B)

Posted

I have used KTM-9 with as small as .5 mm (that took a while) and had great results. You do have to treat it a bit differently than Nitro - because they are quite a bit different. Was it worth it? For the reasons you state - yes. I can finish guitars, necks, other projects quite safely in the basement with the strongest fumes being the denatured alcohol used to clean out the gun between coats. I have tried shooting with and without wiping down between each coat with denatured alcohol and wiping down is definitely recommended. It does seem to get a little harder over time as well - initially kinda soft, but so are many other finishes. Also noted that it accepts water-based dyes (even food color) quite well. As an experiment, I mixed a few drops of Fascolor in a batch for a nice haze of color. Hope this answers some of your questions. Otherwise, once it's on there (15-20 coats at least) it polishes up like anything else.

Posted

Not so much tip size as flow adjustments. The water-based stuff flows differently than solvent based (usually because of the fact that water is heavier than some solvents, esp. in aerosol form).

Posted
Not so much tip size as flow adjustments. The water-based stuff flows differently than solvent based (usually because of the fact that water is heavier than some solvents, esp. in aerosol form).

And the gloss doesn't "really" have a gloss until it's been leveled and polished. (Unlike Nitro, Polyester, 2k Urethane which under all the right conditions can 98% ready to go out the door off the gun.)

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

FYI - I learned that the StewMac lacquer is made by Target Coatings and is based on their EM6000 finish with slight formulation differences.

I think I'll be trying the EM6000 product as I can order it from within Canada.

Posted

Target's 6000 and 9000 stuff is milky in the can and dries clear if you lay down thin coats. Put it on too thick, and you'll have a nasty blue haze (ask me how I know).

Yes keep it thin with many coats... or it'll look like **** for sure. Keep it thin and it'll look as good as anything can.

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...