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Catalyzed Conversion Varnish?

kirkdickinson

kirkdickinson

Supporting Member
Feb 25, 2012
4,046
10,737
Belmont County, Ohio - USA
#1
I am getting ready to build a zebrawood body and have been researching different finishes. I was leaning toward doing a poly finish myself. I asked my brother who dabbles in wood work what he would do.

He has an Amish friend that owns a production furniture finishing plant. We have some chairs that he did 20 years ago and the finish is still perfect with heavy use. He says that the Amish guy uses catalyzed conversion varnish. They have a high end system and spay booth and do work for several different Amish furniture shops. They set up all the jobs and spray several hours a day. I guess cleaning the gun in very critical, so they don't stop for lunch because it will clog up.

My brother thinks the Amish guy can do my body fairy cheap. Much easier to do than the furniture that they usually finish.

What are the thought here on catalyzed conversion varnish?
 
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#4
I tend to think of wood finishes on a continuum. At one end of the continuum you'll find finishes that are fairly easy to apply, touch up, and repair; at the other end are finishes that are challenging to apply well, and difficult or impossible to touch up or repair invisibly.

Catalyzed conversion varnish is among the latter; it can be challenging to apply well, and very challenging to touch up or repair invisibly.
 
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#6
Your Continuum reference is perfect.
Jazzdogg said:
I tend to think of wood finishes on a continuum. At one end of the continuum you'll find finishes that are fairly easy to apply,
Click to expand...

Jazzdogg said:
Catalyzed conversion varnish is among the latter
Click to expand...

Yes, Jaco only needed nitrocellulose :confused::roflmao:
 
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#7
T_Bone_TL said:
It's poisonous as all get out to work with, so handing that off to a (one hopes properly setup) production shop seems like a good way to get it done.
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Pshht...I spray it outside. & wear a respirator :yawn:
It's ok. Really.
LPLV... flashes off really fast & any overspray not on the instrument is dry solids almost immediately.
kirkdickinson said:
My brother says they have huge fans in the spray area and the guy spraying wears a suit and a respirator.
Click to expand...
Yes. don't breathe it whilst applying. :ninja:
However... I find the residual curing odour extremely pleasant. :rolleyes:
 
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#9
Thumpin6string said:
I've never used it. My preferred finish is an automotive grade catalyzed acrylic urethane. Easy to spray, easy to polish, easy to repair and holds up better than poly.
Click to expand...

I don't have the equipment or ability to do a spay finish myself. If I finished myself, I was leaning toward brushing and/or wiping a poly finish, but the Amish cabinet shop could do a "professional" finish. Professional as in a pro furniture finish. I see how durable this finish is on chairs with much heavier use than is likely on a guitar. 20 years of daily use and they still have a nice shine to them and there are no chips even though they get banged against the table, etc...
 
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#10
Jazzdogg said:
I tend to think of wood finishes on a continuum. At one end of the continuum you'll find finishes that are fairly easy to apply, touch up, and repair; at the other end are finishes that are challenging to apply well, and difficult or impossible to touch up or repair invisibly.

Catalyzed conversion varnish is among the latter; it can be challenging to apply well, and very challenging to touch up or repair invisibly.
Click to expand...

I see your point about challenging to apply, but if I go to a guy that has been spraying this for 6-8 hours a day for years on high end furniture, I think (hope) I could expect a professional application and a high end result. About the touch up and repair... how likely is this going to be needed? We have 20 year old chairs from the same shop that have been used and abused. I can see how well they held up. No chips and the finish is nearly as glossy as it was new.
 
#11
Zebrawood is a wood that, if you put a high gloss finish in it, it loses something - it starts to look like Formica or something. I use some Danish oil for a bit of color (if you put a touch of yellow, red or pinkish on it, it pops),and then go with a thin poly finish - Minwax, with the first coats poly for toughness, and the last coats being satin, not gloss. I don't fill the grain. In the end, it looks like Zebrawood, not Formica. This is a finish that is also easy to apply, and retouch later if necessary.
 
#12
Conversion varnish, or CV, is what Rickenbacker used to use. But for California air emissions regulations, they might still be using it, although I believe they have gone to UV cured finishes.
 
#13
Misread that as "Catalytic Converter Vanished"

Let the pros do it in their shop and you'll be making a heritage piece that should last for decades.

(I play a bass with an unvarnished Zebrawood fretboard and it's outstanding. Don't like poly finishes much)
 
#14
micguy said:
Zebrawood is a wood that, if you put a high gloss finish in it, it loses something - it starts to look like Formica or something. I use some Danish oil for a bit of color (if you put a touch of yellow, red or pinkish on it, it pops),and then go with a thin poly finish - Minwax, with the first coats poly for toughness, and the last coats being satin, not gloss. I don't fill the grain. In the end, it looks like Zebrawood, not Formica. This is a finish that is also easy to apply, and retouch later if necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that was the type of information that I was looking for.

I was watching video of someone using Iron Nitrate, Iron Acetate, or Iron Oxide to stain an ash body. They applied it, and then sanded it off on the high spots. It really made the dark grain pop. I was going to experiment on some cutoffs after I get the body cut out. My worry with that is that it would stain the light areas too much.
 
#15
ImTheOnlyOne said:
Misread that as "Catalytic Converter Vanished"

Let the pros do it in their shop and you'll be making a heritage piece that should last for decades.

(I play a bass with an unvarnished Zebrawood fretboard and it's outstanding. Don't like poly finishes much)
Click to expand...

What finish is on your Zebrawood? Do you have a photo?

Here is what my raw wood looks like:
zebra3.jpg
 
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