Looking for particular lacquer

[SoulFetish]

Anybody know a vendor where I can source acrylic lacquer? Im want to do a translucent true white, and I do not want it to age yelllowing like nitrocellulose.
every instrument lacquer Ive found uses nitrocellulose for everything. ( illustrating the power of bullshit that guitarists believe).
can even be just clear acrylic lacquer at this point.
any help is appreciated

[Chuck H]

If you're looking for the most pro product you want CAB acrylic lacquer. Sherwin Williams sells it. Non yellowing. It's still thinned with lacquer thinner so not water cleanup. Dries fast like nitro.

[SoulFetish]

If you're looking for the most pro product you want CAB acrylic lacquer. Sherwin Williams sells it. Non yellowing. It's still thinned with lacquer thinner so not water cleanup. Dries fast like nitro.

im pretty sure I called one of the sherwin Williams commercial locations and the whoever I spoke with did not have any familiarity with the product. I believe I even think I gave him the part number for the gloss type CAB acrylic. The fact that I was mentioning “acrylic” was a big stumbling block in that conversation.
I was questioning whether they still manufactured it. Can you confirm that, Chuck?

[Chuck H]

I can't confirm they still make it. I haven't used it but I used another CAB lacquer many years ago and was impressed. I CAN confirm that they still have site promo for the product and the page is dated 2024.

https://industrial.sherwin-williams....r.9197997.html

It might require a special order.?. That would still be better than paying shipping for an alternate product on line.

[tedmich]

I've had great luck spraying good old Rust-oleum Glossy Black Lacquer on my old Carvin's neck; its held up for almost 10 years ! They also make a white version but do you want transparent like this?

If so you'll need to spray a version thinned with clear, as the whites are pretty opaque.

Mohawk sells a bulk CAB (Cellulose Acetate Butyrate) acrylic lacquer too but you'd have to buy a gallon of white and a gallon of clear I think and its about $60/gal

If its an ash body, a céruse finish in white can look amazing!

[SoulFetish]

My man, Chuck! Quick update:
I just went into the local Sherwin-Williams store and the manager. There was super helpful.! Long story short,
he called one of Locations nearby, It is getting shipped to this location. Should be here today or tomorrow.

[Tom Phillips]

My man, Chuck! Quick update:
I just went into the local Sherwin-Williams store and the manager. There was super helpful.! Long story short,
he called one of Locations nearby, It is getting shipped to this location. Should be here today or tomorrow.

I'm curious what container sizes they offered. Chucks post showed a 5 Gal container and the spec sheet did not specify the packaging offered.

[SoulFetish]

I'm curious what container sizes they offered. Chucks post showed a 5 Gal container and the spec sheet did not specify the packaging offered.

The smallest they offer is 1 gallon, which is what I got (cost around $60)

[J M Fahey]

Glad you found it.

"Acrylic" by itself leads to lots of confusion.

There is a common household wall/wood water based paint, which is "based on Acrylic resin", whatever that means, and what an average Home Depot or "Home" focused paint shop salesman knows.
Absolutely unsuitable here.

There is also a water based THICK black car undersides protector, again "Acrylic resin based"

What you need is "Acrylic Car paint type lacquer" , Thinner/solvent based, and Sherwin Williams still makes it by the Ton for the car paint market, I buy it here in Argentina, go figure, but not at "regular" pint shops (unless they are huge), need to visit one which carries the "Car Paint line"

There are a few ready mixed basic colours (Black, White) but for all others you buy an 875cc transparent base can (which is usable as-is as transparent lacquer) to which you add a 125cc pigment/colour pouch to make 1000cc (1 liter) of final paint.

American market cans will probably use US typical sizes, no big deal.

[Mick Bailey]

The problem I have with a lot of automotive acrylics is that they don't have a decent level of hardness and weeks or even months later I can still mark the finish with a fingernail. I was talking to the guy in our local auto paint shop about this and he gave me a rattle can to try out with their in-house lacquer and it's a lot better, but still not as good as those hard-cutting cellulose finishes from 30+ years ago. My last build was a Gurdy and as a trial I used melamine lacquer which has a cure time of 1 week to be handled safely and develops its ultimate hardness over the following three weeks. It's a superb product, but the can went off too soon after opening. I used this over natural wood so don't know if it yellows, but it's the hardest finish I've ever used. Another product I have right now is some 2 pack epoxy to try out which I'm going to apply to a maple neck to see how it flows. Very slow cure though - about 24 hours and a long open time where it can pick up dust.