![]() ![]() When I switched to off the shelf Minwax no more problems. Admittedly, I did not use Behlen but another lacquer specifically for stringed instruments (Seagrave, formerly McFadden) and I found it to be brittle as glass, easily chipped and cracked with the slightest of bumps. The finish has better resistance to cold-checking and scuffs. Stringed Instrument Lacquer produces a hard, durable finish that's less brittle and more flexible than standard furniture lacquer, to accommodate the expansion and contraction of wooden instruments. I don't know if what I used instead will do any better but we shall see. But I sure didn't like it when mine got bumped and it acted like glass and made a big ugly crack. The only time your instrument will look pristine is when you take it out of the shop." If my instruments develop good old fashioned honest weather checking I wouldn't mind it. Those that have finish checking, and those that will have it. That will tell you exactly what's in it and in what proportion.Īs far as "checking" goes, the Weber Web site states "There are two types of instruments. All you have to do is look up the Material Safety Data Sheet, required by the government for any chemical product. I also know that if you want to compare ingredients they aren't the deep dark secret many think they are. Minwax, by contrast, says to use "any standard lacquer thinner". I do know that different brands of nitro have their own matching thinners, retarders, etc. Close enough for government work, as they say. Appearance wise it is a match so it really doesn't matter to me that it's not "the right stuff". I think that's because my replacement coats are sanded down to be much thinner than the old finish job. Tone wise it sounds better than before, more of a woody sound than previously. Probably has plasticizers that make it easier for an amateur to work with. It is a nitrocellulose type but, now that the job is complete, I have to admit it feels a little different, more plastic like, so it is a different formula for sure. I don't have spray equipment so I went to the handy dandy Home Depot and bought some Minwax Brushing Lacquer. Made a big mess of it, ended up having to strip the back and sides to bare wood. I had never repaired lacquer before so I bought some Seagrave (McFadden formula) and matching thinner. It was McFadden by the way, I know that for a fact. I have a mandolin that took a light blow to it's edge (wood binding) and a big chip came right out and it cracked like glass, about 1 inch from the chip and kept expanding. I take issue with the claim that lacquer for musical instrument use is "less brittle and more flexible" than that for furniture. Sometimes you just have to live and learn.ĭon't have much experience in this area but let me chine in with what i do know. Here are a couple of pictures showing the problem. I was a bit shocked and noticed that LMII was no longer offering this product, so i guess that I was not alone having this problem. Within a year the surfaces covering the softer woods (sound board) developed spider cracks over the whole surface. It was expensive, but the first few instruments looked great. LMII was selling a new product called "Hard Shellac" that looked promising. I was looking for a finish that I could apply with a brush and that could be polished out to a nice glossy finish. Sometimes you just have to live and learn. I've had to do that more than a few times. The worst thing that could happen is you'll have to strip the finish back to bare wood and do the finish again. The only way to tell for sure would be to use the product you bought on an instrument and let time tell the answer. It's ready to spray with no thinning required, for faster finish build-up in multiple coats." "Stringed Instrument Lacquer produces a hard, durable finish that's less brittle and more flexible than standard furniture lacquer, to accommodate the expansion and contraction of wooden instruments. Some were a little easier to spray, but all worked as advertized. All the major brands (Behlen, McFadden, Cardinal, Seagrave, etc.) and they all have worked fine so far. I've sprayed gallons of instrument grade nitro lacquers. Will the brands not specifically formulated for acoustic instruments work equally well? Maybe not. To answer your question "Are nitrocellulose Lacquers basically the same?" the answer is.
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