emulsion, cracking and keeps cracking, primer instead?

[simon1138]

Hello,

I bought an electric HVLP spray gun and am trying to learn to spray with it. I have an oak body that I am trying to spray. I have managed to grain fill it now painting. I thought that emulsion would be a good option as it is cheap and would maybe work as a primer. Also read somewhere that it can fill small cracks and dents. I tried spraying it on and it seemed ok. I thought that I would do a second coat and that cracked on drying. I have just tried to fill the cracks with a third coat and that seems to have done nothing. I am trying to make do with low cost products. I have managed to spray some wood and get a fairly flat finish, nice and smooth. I think that first crack is the issue. I just dont want to keep going back and forth with sanding and then painting all the time. I tried a coloured lacquer on another body that I have and that is sticky? I have no idea why my lacquer (spray can, lidl £2.99) is always sticky. Three days drying. Yet I sprayed onto a test piece and that dried quick and not sticky? 

I do plan to do a red and black crackle effect on my oak body. Red first and while that is drying spray on the black. Problem is spraying water based paint onto emulsion and I am guessing that it will crackle but not how I want. 

[Bizman62]

6 minutes ago, simon1138 said:

I have no idea why my lacquer (spray can, lidl £2.99) is always sticky.

I bought two rattle cans of clear lacquer from Lidl about a year ago for my current build. When I finally got to the finishing stage the first can worked decently and dried relatively fast. With the second one I had more issues. First the stuff didn't want to come out from the nozzle, instead there was lacquer all over the top of the can. Very messy! When the stuff finally started flowing I was too worried about it stopping again so I ended having some heavy runs. They hadn't solidified in two weeks, still soft and sticky when I cut them flatter with a razor blade! There's better products available at automotive and hardware stores for about the same price, featuring turnable fan spray nozzles etc.

Lidl often have some really good stuff for a low price but the lacquer certainly doesn't fall into that category!

[ADFinlayson]

Emulsion only works as a primer on plaster IMO, you need a proper wood primer and you get what you pay for with lacquers. I have been using Morrels (UK) lacquer from Wood Finishes Direct which I highly recommend. It's a bit of an outlay but I've had 6 guitars out of it and I've still got half the tin left. If you've got your HVLP setup then it works out way cheaper in the long run but they do also do rattle cans. https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/morrells-250-pre-cat-lacquer

Morrels are a good company, I emailed them when I first got the lacquer, after some advice, and someone that actually knew what they were talking about called me the next day.