Stolysmaster Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 (edited) What's the latest word on polyacrylic finishes? The reason I ask is that I was just doing some touch up/restoration work on an old rocking chair the wife inherited, and so far I'm having tremendous results spraying General Finishes Polyacrylic Water Based Top Coat. I'm wondering what people think of this finish for a guitar because it is so easy. I don't know how it will buff out when dried enough, and I'm not going to gloss up the finish on this piece of furniture anyway. For a guitar: How much does this stuff shrink? How hard does polyacrylic get? Does polyacrylic yellow much over time? How durable is it? Just looking for some feedback on this finish for a guitar; please! Edited November 3, 2013 by Stolysmaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Never heard of general finishes. But pretty much ALL water based poly finishes have a blue tint. They generally dont dry very hard at all. And dont spray as well. AT least the ones i have experimented with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stolysmaster Posted November 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) Well, this is poly/acrylic blend, not a pure polyurethane, so I wonder what the differences are (?). I have not noticed any blue tint, but it is going on top of a brown stain. I will try spraying some on a piece of maple to see if it dries with a blue tint. So far it seems to be noticeably harder than polyurethane, but I'll have to wait until I've built up the finish a bit more to get a better take on the hardness. One thing is sure; it sprays very nicely, and is more forgiving and more self leveling (especially on vertical surfaces) than nitro-lacquer. I would really like to see some other opinions on "poly-acrylic", or polyurethane/acrylic blends. Thanks. Edited November 4, 2013 by Stolysmaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Yes, i know it is a poly acrylic blend... that is what i was talking about. Acrylic anything always has a blue tint. Polyacryilic, acrylic lacquer. Normally polyurethanes are some of the hardest finishes. Maybe you found one brand that is actually decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 I have used it before. It will polish out to a very high sheen, almost mirror finish when looked at from a side glancing view. It will not be clear though as the polymers add a cloudy look. So it will have a shiny slight satin look to it when viewed straight on, almost plastic looking. It is a very durable finish though. Hope that makes since? MK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stolysmaster Posted November 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Killemall8; Wow! We have VERY different experiences with straight polyurethane. I have found it to be a pretty SOFT finish, very often being able to put a mark in it with my fingernail. I have always thought that the reason I have NEVER seen polyurethane crack is because it is so soft and pliable. But maybe I'm wrong about that. MiKro; glad to hear about your experience with polyacrylic. I'm doing some experimenting with what I have left over from the rocking chair, and will see if I get the same results you have had; that is, being not as glossy when viewed straight on...very interesting. Thus far I have still not noticed any "blue" color effect on the unstained maple I sprayed as an experiment. Thanks to both of you for your input. As far as sound goes, I suppose the usual applies...as long as it is a hard finish and I keep it fairly thin, I don't think it should deaden the sound of a guitar or diminish the high end "sparkle" like so many thick finishes do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Nah, you dont have to worry about it "deadening" any of the sound. Even epoxy or thick poly wont do that. I have used poly exclusively the past few years because it is the only finish that does dry hard and fast. All the other lacquers and other finishes i have used stay soft and shrink forever. The minwax polyurethane i use dries in like a day and is completely hard in about 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stolysmaster Posted November 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Yes, lacquer definitely "shrinks forever", and the fumes are horrendous! But it looks and sounds great when applied fairly thin. The reason I commented about the sound of thick finishes is that I have stripped and refinished four 1982 Ibanez Artist guitars that were opaque finishes from the factory. They were all coated with the most incredibly thick and extremely hard to remove gunk finishes. But after being refinished with relatively thin amounts of Nitro-lacquer over stain; the tonal difference was nothing short of astounding. All kinds of high end sparkle and openness / airiness emerged from each guitar in every case! Harmonics bloomed easier and faster, and all guitars had a bit more sustain as well. I never would have thought that something so seemingly minute would make such a change...but it did. Lacquer is also easy to touch up and repair if necessary, since it "melts" into itself with additional coats. But it is not without problems...shrinking being one of the worst. And it is not very durable; chips easily, and many substances will disolve it or mess it up. Once, I had refinished a stock black Gibson Flying V (it had considerable orange peel from the factory) with a beautiful Gibson style Cherry Nitro finish. I had just put deet bug spray on my hands and applied it to my neck and around my ankles so mesquitoes would not eat me alive while having some pics taken with the guitar outdoors down in Texas. Well, when I touched the back of the neck with my hands, having residual bug spray on them, the nitro finish began to literally melt in my hand!!! And once, after a gig here in Colorado about twelve years ago, I left one of those refifnished Ibanez Artists in my vehicle overnight, and the temperature dropped to the low twenties during the night. The next day, in the right light, I noticed cracks all over the top of the guitar!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stolysmaster Posted November 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 I have used it before. It will polish out to a very high sheen, almost mirror finish when looked at from a side glancing view. It will not be clear though as the polymers add a cloudy look. So it will have a shiny slight satin look to it when viewed straight on, almost plastic looking. It is a very durable finish though. Hope that makes since? MK I had sprayed some of the extra from the can (diluted to 85%/15% Polyacrylic/water) on some hard maple; part of it stained, part un-stained. Last night I sanded with some 600, then 1000, then 1500, then buffed with a polish...didn't want to go through the usual routine with all the graduating grits 'cause I was in a hurry. When done, I was pleasantly surprised that I did not see any cloudiness, even looking straight on. I checked again in the sunlight this morning and it still looked very nice. Maybe my eyes are not quite as discerning as MiKro's! Good chance I will use this on the next guitar...the custom Ibanez Artist with mahogany back from old Kalamazoo billets and white limba neck and top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micter Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 I've not heard of any real success stories with people finishing with Polycrylic. I have heard of lots of guys using it as a grain filler. YMMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted November 20, 2013 Report Share Posted November 20, 2013 I love it, it is my main finish these days. Really easy to use. I use the flat though, don't have any experience with the higher gloss versions. It is a bit white/bluish, so I tint it with a little Transtint honey amber and vintage dark maple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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