Duratex to be available in smaller quantity

[DukeLeJeune]

One of the theoretical advantages of Duratex is that it can be touched up, which is great if you have a bucket of it in the basement but sucks if it's what your cab builder used and you don't have any on hand. So today I contacted Duratex to see if they had any ideas before I tried to develop my own solution. We had an interesting conversation, and Dan at Duratex told me that I could post this information here.

Acrytech is planning to offer a $19.95 "sample kit" that would consist of 16 ounces of Duratex in a thick plastic bag along with a little 2" wide textured roller, for $19.95. I presume this would be the regular black color.

If you only snip the corner of the bag, it can probably be folded over and clamped shut with one of those strong paper-clamp thingys; just make sure it stays upright just in case. Or you can squirt it all into an empty Gatorade bottle or something like that. Spray or sprinkle a little water on top just to keep it humid inside the bottle so that it doesn't start to dry, and do that again after each use.

Why just a bag? Well that keeps their labor and costs down so it keeps our costs down, and the bag + roller will fit into a small US Postal Service Priority Mail shipping box, which simplifies the process for them.

Sixteen ounces is enough to do more than just touch-ups; I haven't measured but probably use less than that on one of my 1x12 cabs, and I do four coats.

For very small touch-up jobs, Dan suggested that a Q-tip works better than the roller. In fact, if you put a little Duratex in a small airline-travel-size bottle with a few Q-tips rubber-banded to it, you'd have an on-the-go touchup kit.

I am sending Dan a link to this thread, so you can post questions and comments here and he'll see them.

If you like the idea, you might post a quick thumbs-up so that Dan knows it will be worth his investment and time to bring it to market.

I have no affiliation with Duratex other than happy customer.

Duke

[M0ses]

Are you saying I could Duratex my fEarul for $20 plus shipping???

YES PLEASE!!!!!!

[rpsands]

When you paint the cab first, it feels like duratex lasts almost forever. Hardly takes any to do even a couple coats.

But yeah, this is awesome.

[Rick Auricchio]

It's a great idea to first paint with satin black latex. That way, any tiny misses with the Duratex won't show. This was especially helpful when I built my BFM Omni15, which has interior corners in the horns; they're hard to cover perfectly with the Duratex.

I doubt it took more than 48 ounces of Duratex to do a two-coat job on that cab.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by DukeLeJeune

One of the theoretical advantages of Duratex is that it can be touched up, which is great if you have a bucket of it in the basement but sucks if it's what your cab builder used and you don't have any on hand. So today I contacted Duratex to see if they had any ideas before I tried to develop my own solution. We had an interesting conversation, and Dan at Duratex told me that I could post this information here.

Acrytech is planning to offer a $19.95 "sample kit" that would consist of 16 ounces of Duratex in a thick plastic bag along with a little 2" wide textured roller, for $19.95. I presume this would be the regular black color.

If you only snip the corner of the bag, it can probably be folded over and clamped shut with one of those strong paper-clamp thingys; just make sure it stays upright just in case. Or you can squirt it all into an empty Gatorade bottle or something like that. Spray or sprinkle a little water on top just to keep it humid inside the bottle so that it doesn't start to dry, and do that again after each use.

Why just a bag? Well that keeps their labor and costs down so it keeps our costs down, and the bag + roller will fit into a small US Postal Service Priority Mail shipping box, which simplifies the process for them.

Sixteen ounces is enough to do more than just touch-ups; I haven't measured but probably use less than that on one of my 1x12 cabs, and I do four coats.

For very small touch-up jobs, Dan suggested that a Q-tip works better than the roller. In fact, if you put a little Duratex in a small airline-travel-size bottle with a few Q-tips rubber-banded to it, you'd have an on-the-go touchup kit.

I am sending Dan a link to this thread, so you can post questions and comments here and he'll see them.

If you like the idea, you might post a quick thumbs-up so that Dan knows it will be worth his investment and time to bring it to market.

I have no affiliation with Duratex other than happy customer.

Duke

great idea,but rollers are available everywhere,and maybe better to save costs and just ship the duratex

[Ukiah Bass]

This validates my decision for having LDS 12/6 and 15/6 cabs finished with Duratex. I think Don said the bedliner finish was 5 or so pounds heavier. I wanted the lighter weight and chose Duratex. Now if there's a scuff, repair is simple. Here's to good lightweight gear! Thanks for info Duke!

[DukeLeJeune]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

great idea,but rollers are available everywhere,and maybe better to save costs and just ship the duratex

The particular rough-texture roller that Acrytech sells, and which mimics the pattern of sprayed-on Duratex, is not widely available. It's not in Lowes or Home Depot, for example. The actual purpose of the kit is to be a "sample" so people can decide if they want to buy a large quantity, so the little roller is useful for that.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by DukeLeJeune

The particular rough-texture roller that Acrytech sells, and which mimics the pattern of sprayed-on Duratex, is not widely available. It's not in Lowes or Home Depot, for example. The actual purpose of the kit is to be a "sample" so people can decide if they want to buy a large quantity, so the little roller is useful for that.

either way it's a great idea

[wcriley]

Add me to the Thumbs Up list!

[singlemalt]

A pint of Duratex would go a very long way. It would cover a 15/6 with at least a few coats. What a great idea.

I'd rather have a bag of white, that I could have tinted at the paint store.

As for rollers, I used a contractor pack med texture weenie roller, and got an acceptable texture. I just rolled until I got a "tacky" sound and even stipple.

For $20, I'm in, and I'd be happy to try the roller.

[BurningSkies]

Great idea!

Dan at A-T is a great guy to work with, and he's got a great product. I've got one of his rollers, and it's well worth the paltry sum he charges for them. It's lasted two cabs and multiple rollings and I have never seen another like it in any paint/hardware store.

[Queg]

Great idea! Thumbs up!

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by DukeLeJeune

If you like the idea, you might post a quick thumbs-up so that Dan knows it will be worth his investment and time to bring it to market.

I like it!

MM

[masonsjax]

I already bought a gallon of white that I'm going to tint a custom color. I wish I could've saved $40+ by buying one cabinet worth instead of a lifetime supply.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by DukeLeJeune

One of the theoretical advantages of Duratex is that it can be touched up, which is great if you have a bucket of it in the basement but sucks if it's what your cab builder used and you don't have any on hand. So today I contacted Duratex to see if they had any ideas before I tried to develop my own solution. We had an interesting conversation, and Dan at Duratex told me that I could post this information here.

Acrytech is planning to offer a $19.95 "sample kit" that would consist of 16 ounces of Duratex in a thick plastic bag along with a little 2" wide textured roller, for $19.95. I presume this would be the regular black color.

If you only snip the corner of the bag, it can probably be folded over and clamped shut with one of those strong paper-clamp thingys; just make sure it stays upright just in case. Or you can squirt it all into an empty Gatorade bottle or something like that. Spray or sprinkle a little water on top just to keep it humid inside the bottle so that it doesn't start to dry, and do that again after each use.

Why just a bag? Well that keeps their labor and costs down so it keeps our costs down, and the bag + roller will fit into a small US Postal Service Priority Mail shipping box, which simplifies the process for them.

Sixteen ounces is enough to do more than just touch-ups; I haven't measured but probably use less than that on one of my 1x12 cabs, and I do four coats.

For very small touch-up jobs, Dan suggested that a Q-tip works better than the roller. In fact, if you put a little Duratex in a small airline-travel-size bottle with a few Q-tips rubber-banded to it, you'd have an on-the-go touchup kit.

I am sending Dan a link to this thread, so you can post questions and comments here and he'll see them.

If you like the idea, you might post a quick thumbs-up so that Dan knows it will be worth his investment and time to bring it to market.

I have no affiliation with Duratex other than happy customer.

Duke

You're a genius.

I am fairly certain that I could do one of my tiny 1x12's with sixteen ounces of Duratex. Meanwhile, I've already got 7/8 of a gallon in my basement, hoping it won't deteriorate before I get a chance to use it again.

The bag concept sounds great. Why ship a heavy container that has to go into a box anyway?

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by masonsjax

I already bought a gallon of white that I'm going to tint a custom color. I wish I could've saved $40+ by buying one cabinet worth instead of a lifetime supply.

I had to tint some paint for my house. The problem is that my house is Brown. The trim is Brown. I've got a good color match for the exterior brown trim paint, but can't get a tinted primer. And if I use white primer, then I need multiple coats of the trim paint. What a hassle.

I found some bottles of black and brown pigment at Home Depot. They are sold for tinting concrete. These are apparently some kind of iron oxides suspended in water. And I mixed my own house-colored primer. It's a huge time saver. The color match doesn't have to be perfect, as I still paint over it, but it does a lot better than white.

[Nachoooooooo]

If this will cover a 15/6/1 (all except baffle) then I'm interested. Current state of my cab is all stained, which isn't going to hold up well on the road.

[tilehilder]

That would be great.

[MX21]

I think it would sell. I already have most of a gallon left from building my fEarful 1212/6, but I would have bought the 16oz if it had been available.

[mntngrown]

Let em know I'll buy a small ammount of black once I get my Lds built cab.