Discussion of Waterborne finishes

[Renron]

This came about from reading the great thread on "How to High Gloss finish"
That has some of the finest detailed finish work I've ever seen.
However not all of us want strictly a "Piano Black" finish, therefore I am asking for your experienced input with some of the CLEAR Waterborne finishes.
We all want cleaner air and water, not to mention the restrictions now imposed upon us by the "GOV"

I use a Graco /Croix HVLP Turbine and cup gun at present, but have purchased an Iwata LPH-400 HVLP gravity to use with my Air Compressor, I expect a much better finish with the Iwata gun. It is a professional auto finish gun.

Here are a few of the companies that offer WB top coats. Your experience / opinions are MOST welcome;

ICA Isolante
Fuhr 355 Acrylic Varnish or Industrial Urethane 260 (Waterborne)
MLC Aguabarnice or Agualente
ILVA Waterborne products
ICA Waterborne products UCA901
General Finishes Enduro
Hood Finishing Pre-catalyzed clear Laquer
Sherwin Williams Ultra Cure UV
Target / Oxford USL, (now called em6000) em9000, em93000
Minwax Water Based Oil-Modified Polyurethane

I have used the Oxford USL(em6000) in both Black and Clear, the black is actually a very deep grey/black and not a true black like the bezel on the Pioneer / Samsung TVs. I find the color attractive but it is not Jet Black. Sherwin Williams WB tints can be added to the Clear for color / tint changes.
The Clear High Gloss sprays well at 75 - 95 degrees (I have shot it as low as 50*) but dries too quickly when warmer and thinner must be added to achieve flow-out. This increases the odds of a run or sag in vertical surfaces, so product knowledge and experience is required. It sprays slick and smooth then looks lumpy as it starts to dry, this is normal, it then flattens down and produces a good semi-gloss finish. This can be sanded then buffed to a high gloss after it dries for a min. of 72 hours.
Putting down subsequent coats can be as soon as 20 minutes. Sanding with 320 or finer to remove dust nibs between coats. Best thing about the EM6000 is it's 100% burn in within 24 hours (sanding between coats is not necessary), meaning if you sand through a layer, the next spray coat will dissolve and blend with the previous layer perfectly!
Laying multiple coats in one day will cast a blue hue to the finish but it dries clear. Complete dry is about 4 weeks in my experience.

Minwax Water Based Oil-Modified Polyurethane; I've used it on clear Douglas Fir Vertical grain kiln dried and it went down smooth, dried fairly hard but had a distinctive blueish cast to it. Looked plastic IMO.


I look forward to comments on this and other products.

Thanks,
Ron

 

[Renron]

Some tips on Waterborne / Waterbased clears:

Don't over thin them, read and follow the manufactures recommendations.
Don't let them freeze..........Bad.
Always Strain them into your spray gun.
Don't shake the can to mix it up. Tiny bubbles will form and may become trapped underneath the surface, as it dries from the outside in.
Stir well, the components will separate in the can and need to be remixed for least two minutes, again don't shake the finish.
If the finish is cold bring it up to room temperature before spraying by placing the sealed can in warm water for 1/2 an hour prior to spraying.

Got any other tips to share?

Ron

 

[Renron]

Here is a PDF which tests various WB finishes.
Ron



edited to clean it up some.....

 

[scott wurcer]

I have used BonaKemi two part floor finish, six coats with sand screen after the first two. Water clear and hard. Water based and almost completely odorless.

Looks like yellow mustard is the toughest test?

 

[Renron]

Scott, thanks for the input.
Reading the Product info on BonaKemi, it seems to be a professional floor finish for heavy duty use in commercial / sports wooden floor arenas.
They do not recommend spraying their product though.
Looks like very tough stuff!

Mustard...........Who woulda thunk?

Ron