brush vs gun
 

hi guys, i am starting to refinish two basses, still in sanding stage, i will use minwax nitro finish, but my concern is that the guy at home depot told me i can apply the finish using a paintbrush. What could be the pros and cons? Thanks!

Hi.

With mediocre skills and mediocre materials and tools, in my point of view and experience, a brush can yield passable results with higher probablity than a gun would.

In expert hands and with pro materials and tools it's (IMPOW again) only a matter of preference. The result will be top-notch regardless of the method.

The cost of the project and the efficient use of the paint is in the side of the brush as well.

BTW, I'm NOT talking about a $1 plastic brush here, but not a $100 one either.

Regards
Sam

With the quick dry time of lacquer it strikes me as a particularly bad finish to brush on. For brushing I would consider something like poly with a longer dry time. I'm afraid if you use a brush you might having bristles sticking in your finish before its completely applied.

By the way, are you sure its nitro? Nitro has become a bit of a specialty finish and I can't recall ever seeing it in a retail construction store.

hi guys thanks for your inputs. Big B. I saw the can where the finish come and it says nitro finish, I havent buy it yet, once I do it will post a pic so you can tell. Btw I live in México, so i am talking about a home depot in México.

oh! There was a testboard too, with stain color charts and then nitro and poly finishes, the one he claims to be nitro seemed kinda matte finish while the poly was very glossy and thick to the feel, he also told me he didnt polished those finishes. Sounds rigth to you?

Gun is better if you can get your hands on one but all finishing is very difficult. Matte is easier to deal with. In my experience a factory-finish clear coat is the most difficult part.

oh i see, however ill end polishing the nitro, a friend who owns a hardware store is giving me some help to get a compressor and a good gun at a very reasonable price, ill also do test before working in the basses. Ill too post pics when finished since one is kinda an extreme makeover hahaha

i once did a nitro with brush. with a proper brush, good moves and patient sanding afterwards you can get quite fine results.

yeah i think patiente is key for everything you achieve, but then, using gun could be time saving? Or even using gun needs sanding between coats?

Hi.

If everything goes as planned, a spray gun could save some odd minutes, but anything You save in time, you'll lose in overspray.

With an object like an instrument body, a spray gun can indeed provide some needed quickness for the opposite side overlaps, but unless care is taken those overlaps will run.

Good luck.

Regards
Sam

PS. A practice piece is a grand idea ;).

thanks a lot Sam!

I have never used a brush on any gloss finish. Nitro is pretty easy to spray. Just spray a bunch of light coats, if you get a run its not the end of the world. Just block it out and continue spraying.

On the rare occasion I use nitro any more, I mix it 4 parts lacquer, 2 parts thinner, 1/2 part retarder. That mix lays down very well for me. But I usually spray an automotive urethane any more. It builds faster, is more durable, and is ready to buff and polish over night, instead of a month. It is a bit more difficult to spray than nitro though.

If you want a gloss finish, make sure you buy gloss lacquer. I would bet money that every thing they have at home depot is either matte or semi-gloss. There is a matting agent in those finishes, and no amount of buffing you do will yield a deep gloss finish. If that is all that is available, buy the can and let it settle over night. The matting agent will separate from the lacquer, and you can just pour the lacquer into another can leaving the matting agent in the can.

oh! You hitted a point, i think by the finish chart he has its a medium gloss nitro, funny thing is that one of the bases will be paint with automotive paint (dupont) but i wasnt attracted to use automotive finish...ill go check that too

This is finished in an automotive urethane clear, Zolatone (a lower line of Dupont) is the brand. I think it looks every bit as good as nitro. It is also fully cured over night.

Hopkins, I love ya! Thanks for the hint, Im on my way to check the automotive finishes.

Haha, no problem man.

I'm not trying to sell you on the urethane vs nitro. They both have their advantage. A nitro finish is a bit more forgiving to spray, and much easier to repair if it gets damaged down the road, but the urethane finish is much more durable, dries faster, and builds faster than the nitro.

I will still use nitro if asked for it, but I prefer the urethane.

awesome ill let you know what i found.

well i went to dupont dealer and the only guy there was very kind to explain the different finish and paints they handle, and why of the price gap on their finish (10 usd cheapest, 55 usd medium 110 usd their best all of them for 500 ml of product). So i decided to go for the cheapest, which acvording to the guy cures overnight . But now two question, what kind of sealer or filler i use for the paint??? And how much product i more or less will use???

Did you buy a solid color or clear? I dont use any wood sealer at all with that finish.

one was will be trans black, with an alcohol based stain, the other one will be solid dupont pearloid paint.