Finishing lacquer

[Dansk_84]

Hi

I was wondering if anybody ould tell me the differents between Nitrocellulose Lacquer and Polyuthene Lacquer.

Dan

[voodoochild]

Hi

I was wondering if anybody ould tell me the differents between Nitrocellulose Lacquer and Polyuthene Lacquer.

Dan

I take it you are asking what the difference is between polyurethane and nitro lacquer? My experience has been that nitro is easier to repair. It is also easy to mix colors, and clean your spray equipment. However lacquer doesn't hold up as well as poly. If you apply poly thin enough it sounds just as good as lacquer IMO.

[jason76]

poly or 2k urethane is a two component system meaning you mix a catalyst or hardener into the poly and probably some reducers as well. Pot life is usually ony a couple hours.
Cures fast, buffs out really nice, high build, super hard doesnt crack if its to thick. Doesnt yellow.

Nitro you can spray it right out of the can. Doesnt build very fast, not as durable, Buffs nicely, It seems to age or yellow.

Both finishes have their place. I like nitro just because it wears and gets character over time. Poly is like dipping your guitar in hard plastic.

[Rob Mercure]

Nitro is an almost natural finish and is harder and more brittle - it is widely reputed to enhance the tone of an instrument and, as noted, easy to repair. Poly is a more variable finish as there are different formulations for different applications - it is soft an rubbery and tends to soak up tones. Martin still uses nitro until this day due to better tone while most other manufacturers have switched to various poly formulations - but these are specifically blended for musical instrument use. You typical floor finish will work poorly.
I was just talking to a friend who has a really nice 1930s Martin 0-17 who someone had stripped of the original finish and covered with a soft poly goop - a crime in my book.

Rob

[mikej]

The worst thing about Poly in my opinion, is that if you happen to sand through the finish to the bare wood as when prepping for buffing, you get that white outline around the spot that`s about impossible to get rid of.