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I was curious if anyone has used the Sherwinn Williams LOVOC Nitro Lacquer. I've read some reviews that this was in their own opinions, one of the best lacquers out there. As the local SW store here got stuck with an order the customer decided he didn't want, he's got 3 gallons of LOVOC nitro at half cost, as he can't move it. It's 25 bucks for a gallon of gloss.

With that said the vinyl sealer that goes with it will be another 25 bucks for a gallon, and the final few coats I spray will be reduced to 40% with Acetone.

The papers with the lacquer say that the lacquer is sprayable as is, which leaves me to believe that the lacquer straight from the can is going to be 25%, as further in the instructions is says reduce to a maximum of 15% (which would be the 40% I want).

Anyone have experience or results to show for this lacquer?

-Dan

Not sure if you are a member of OLF or not but one of the members, Woody B, uses a lot of Zsherman Williams products. Be worth shooting him a PM if you are a member.

Oh, his last name is Brackett if you won't to Google him and give him a call. Can't remember if it's 1 "t" or two at the end of his name. Try "Brackett Instruments".

I use Seagrave Nitro from Stewy Mac and always great results, the 4 guitars that I sprayed, 2 of which were sprayed over a year ago still look amazing, When I built my fifth guitar I thought I would save some money and use the Sherwin Williams Nitro. I got it for $25 gallon and $25 gallon for the sealer. They both sprayed great right out of can, looked great, but after a month I was starting to see cracking develop on the neck, then after about 6 weeks I had trouble! The entire finish cracked, the top, the back, the head stock, wasn't an area on the guitar that did not have a crack on it! Now I am not sure at this point if it was the sealer or the lacquer itself, after talking with the manager at my local SW, he thought that maybe it was applied to heavy, once again I followed the same steps as if I was using the Seagrave brand, ( humidity, temp, pressure on the gun ) so the verdict is still out on what it actually was? When it comes to building a nice custom built acoustic guitar the finish is just as important as any other step! So from now on I will fork out the extra bucks for a product that is gonna protect my invest for years! I tried to cheap out and got burned! Just my experience with it!

Jeff

Most all of the "low VOC" lacquers out there are simply formulated with less solvent and more solids. The 15% reduction is the max allowed to meet "low VOC" standards, but will definitely be heavier than what you are used too. You can reduce it farther to get the viscosity you want, of course you are then no longer "low VOC" and most likely in violation of federal laws. This is most likely some type of pre-cat lacquer, so how long has it been abandoned at the store and how fast will you use it? Pre-cats have a definite shelf life, old finish will not cross link properly. If you follow the directions with the product and go with a max 15% reduction you will need to cut back on the number of coats applied or dry film builds will become excessive and crazing as Jeff mentioned will be the likely result. Typically 2-3 coats at 4-6 mills wet is all that is needed with a finish of this type to get the proper dry film build when applied as directed. Another note, I do not like using straight acetone as a reducer for my coatings, you are far better off using high quality pre-blended lacquer thinners and a retarder to adjust your mix, your local auto body supply house should have a decent selection if the SW store cannot provide them.