Spraying and Buffing Target Coatings EM6000
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:16 pm
I just finished spraying a guitar with EM6000 and thought I would share my procedures.
I am not going to cover my pore filling process, but for this guitar, I used Zpoxy. I can't emphasize enough that preparation is essential to a good finish. The surface of this guitar was very smooth prior to even beginning. I wanted to keep a thin film of Zpoxy on the surface, so once I had the guitar pore filled and leveled, I swabbed it with Zpoxy diluted with DA (denatured alcohol). Because Zpoxy has a bit of an amber tint, this evened the color for any areas I had sanded through. Once this had dried, I sanded everything with 600G prior to spraying. Bear in mind that Target recommends sanding any pore filled wood with a minimum of 400G prior to spraying EM6000. As others have pointed out on the forum, some finishes may not adhere well to a surface sanded with such a fine grit. But I use EM6000 and have never had a problem following their instructions.
This is what the guitar looked like prior to spraying: Prior to laying down any lacquer, I mask the bridge. In the past, I had trouble with my bridges staying put. I attributed this to removing the mask prior to buffing, which got the buffing compounds on the bare wood. Despite scraping the wood with a razor blade prior to gluing on the bridge, the joint still failed. I feel to get the bridge area leveled really well, the mask needs to be removed. So, to still level the bridge area and also keep my buffing compounds off exposed wood, I have started using two layers of tape for the mask. Once the guitar is sprayed, I remove the top layer of tape that has all the lacquer on it, allowing me to fully level sand the bridge area and buff. Once done, I remove the final strip to expose the wood.
I typically brush the first couple of coats on the soundboard rather than spray. I do this prior to pore filling to help protect the top. For this, I dilute the EM6000 a bit with water. As EM6000 is water based, it will raise the grain, so I don’t want the wood absorbing lots of this stuff. I simply brush the first coat on, making sure I cover everything. I later follow with an undiluted coat. Prior to spraying, I lightly hit the top with 320G paper to clean off any residual pore filler and smooth out the top. I don’t want to sand so much that I expose bare wood. If the surface is a bit rough, I don’t worry about it as it will get leveled later.
Water-based lacquer can be a bit finicky, and I struggled a bit early on to get a clean air supply. I have a 2HP 24G IR compressor with a 5 micron in-line filter. I found this filter needed a little help, so I added a disposable desiccant filter at the gun, which did wonders. I have also picked up a used Hankison refrigerator/dryer off Craigslist, which pulls even more moisture out of the line. I have a regulator at the gun, but I only use this for very fine adjustments. I set the primary pressure at the compressor. The gun I use is an Asturo Eco/S run at the manufacturer’s recommended pressure setting of about 20 psi.
I don’t use a traditional tack cloth when using EM6000. I moisten a cotton cloth with DA diluted with water (just damp enough to remove dust not soaking wet) and swab the guitar with this prior to spraying. It doesn’t take long to dry, and the DA helps the EM6000 bond better to the Zpoxy. I usually shoot 3 to 4 coats a night after work, waiting 45 to 60 minutes between coats. Prior to shooting on a subsequent night, I will swab the guitar with a mix of DA/water, which helps the new coats burn into the old coats.
I set my gun to shoot a 4” to 6” fan from 8” to 12” when shooting the body. When shooting the neck, I’ll dial down the fluid flow just a bit and narrow the fan. I always start at the top, spraying across and beginning and ending off each side of the guitar. I’ll spray a pass left to right, then overlap that pass by 30% to 50% as I move the gun back from right to left. The fluid flow has to be wet enough for the surface to look wet and shiney, but not so much that the lacquer sags. EM6000 looks milky when the coats are sprayed too heavily. Experiment on some scraps until you have a good fluid flow. Note that the earlier coats may be absorbed more by the wood, so you may not get a good, wet film. However, after a couple of coats, the film will start building on the surface, and you can better fine tune your gun settings. Getting a feel for the optimal fluid flow takes a bit of experience and experimentation, so don’t be afraid to tinker with the fan and fluid settings until you get a setting that really works. I have found I can get by with a bit heavier coat the first coat of the evening, but I dial back the fluid flow a bit for subsequent coats shot during the evening.
Don’t worry about the surface being really rough after the first several coats and avoid the temptation to level the surface. We don’t want to sand through the lacquer. I typically won’t touch the surface with sandpaper until I have shot a half dozen coats.
I am not going to cover my pore filling process, but for this guitar, I used Zpoxy. I can't emphasize enough that preparation is essential to a good finish. The surface of this guitar was very smooth prior to even beginning. I wanted to keep a thin film of Zpoxy on the surface, so once I had the guitar pore filled and leveled, I swabbed it with Zpoxy diluted with DA (denatured alcohol). Because Zpoxy has a bit of an amber tint, this evened the color for any areas I had sanded through. Once this had dried, I sanded everything with 600G prior to spraying. Bear in mind that Target recommends sanding any pore filled wood with a minimum of 400G prior to spraying EM6000. As others have pointed out on the forum, some finishes may not adhere well to a surface sanded with such a fine grit. But I use EM6000 and have never had a problem following their instructions.
This is what the guitar looked like prior to spraying: Prior to laying down any lacquer, I mask the bridge. In the past, I had trouble with my bridges staying put. I attributed this to removing the mask prior to buffing, which got the buffing compounds on the bare wood. Despite scraping the wood with a razor blade prior to gluing on the bridge, the joint still failed. I feel to get the bridge area leveled really well, the mask needs to be removed. So, to still level the bridge area and also keep my buffing compounds off exposed wood, I have started using two layers of tape for the mask. Once the guitar is sprayed, I remove the top layer of tape that has all the lacquer on it, allowing me to fully level sand the bridge area and buff. Once done, I remove the final strip to expose the wood.
I typically brush the first couple of coats on the soundboard rather than spray. I do this prior to pore filling to help protect the top. For this, I dilute the EM6000 a bit with water. As EM6000 is water based, it will raise the grain, so I don’t want the wood absorbing lots of this stuff. I simply brush the first coat on, making sure I cover everything. I later follow with an undiluted coat. Prior to spraying, I lightly hit the top with 320G paper to clean off any residual pore filler and smooth out the top. I don’t want to sand so much that I expose bare wood. If the surface is a bit rough, I don’t worry about it as it will get leveled later.
Water-based lacquer can be a bit finicky, and I struggled a bit early on to get a clean air supply. I have a 2HP 24G IR compressor with a 5 micron in-line filter. I found this filter needed a little help, so I added a disposable desiccant filter at the gun, which did wonders. I have also picked up a used Hankison refrigerator/dryer off Craigslist, which pulls even more moisture out of the line. I have a regulator at the gun, but I only use this for very fine adjustments. I set the primary pressure at the compressor. The gun I use is an Asturo Eco/S run at the manufacturer’s recommended pressure setting of about 20 psi.
I don’t use a traditional tack cloth when using EM6000. I moisten a cotton cloth with DA diluted with water (just damp enough to remove dust not soaking wet) and swab the guitar with this prior to spraying. It doesn’t take long to dry, and the DA helps the EM6000 bond better to the Zpoxy. I usually shoot 3 to 4 coats a night after work, waiting 45 to 60 minutes between coats. Prior to shooting on a subsequent night, I will swab the guitar with a mix of DA/water, which helps the new coats burn into the old coats.
I set my gun to shoot a 4” to 6” fan from 8” to 12” when shooting the body. When shooting the neck, I’ll dial down the fluid flow just a bit and narrow the fan. I always start at the top, spraying across and beginning and ending off each side of the guitar. I’ll spray a pass left to right, then overlap that pass by 30% to 50% as I move the gun back from right to left. The fluid flow has to be wet enough for the surface to look wet and shiney, but not so much that the lacquer sags. EM6000 looks milky when the coats are sprayed too heavily. Experiment on some scraps until you have a good fluid flow. Note that the earlier coats may be absorbed more by the wood, so you may not get a good, wet film. However, after a couple of coats, the film will start building on the surface, and you can better fine tune your gun settings. Getting a feel for the optimal fluid flow takes a bit of experience and experimentation, so don’t be afraid to tinker with the fan and fluid settings until you get a setting that really works. I have found I can get by with a bit heavier coat the first coat of the evening, but I dial back the fluid flow a bit for subsequent coats shot during the evening.
Don’t worry about the surface being really rough after the first several coats and avoid the temptation to level the surface. We don’t want to sand through the lacquer. I typically won’t touch the surface with sandpaper until I have shot a half dozen coats.