After doing quite a bit of reading I am a little more informed but just as confused on what type of clearcoat I want to use. I have 2 projects I am planning, one being a solid, possibly metallic, finish and the other being dyed. For the dyed I will be using either the Stewmac liquid stain or analine dye. But from there I am not sure what will work the best and easiest. These will be my first two finishing jobs, so I want something less complicated and more fool proof. I don;t have a spray booth so 2 part polyurethane is out. These are my following options and thoughts on them, a little shove in the right direction would be appreciated.
Nitro:
Pro- Less sanding between coats and no lines showing if coats are sanded through because of the layer melting. Less chance of runs.
Cons- Goes on thinner than Poly. I really dislike the yellowing factor, I am looking to do medium to dark blue or green or purple, and want the color to stay the same over time. I also don't like the checking it does.
Acrylic Laquer-I haven't found anything telling me a whole lot about it and the advantages over nitro.
Waterbased Laquer
Pros- A lot less toxic. Supposed to yellow a lot less and shrink less.
Cons- Can't find enough people that have used it to make me feel comfortable using it and not much info on it.
Polyurethane-
Pros-Can be bought at home depot or lowes, goes on thicker, doesn't yellow or shrink.
Cons- must be sanded well between coats, if coats are sanded through lines are present.
When sanding between coats on poly, exactly how much must it be roughed? My main concern is if there is orange peel must I sand all the way until it all roughed, or shouldn't the orange peel bee too much of a problem?