Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Spraymax 2K aerosol poly
- Thread starter BassUrges
- Start date
You will have to invest in a decent mask rated for paint, and be careful overall, you do NOT want this stuff in your lungs or on your skin. Check if its flammable, if so you can't run a regular fan near it, non explosion proof motors can ignite vapors. I've used 2k clear as auto clearcoat before, dries pretty hard, but its nasty stuff. You have a limited window to use it too, once you start, you have to keep going, or it kicks off still in the can.
If you want a catalyzed poly, this is probably the cheapest way. It has more depth, gloss and is harder than water based. I prefer 2k clear but it is harsh stuff. Goodluck.
I have used the Spraymax 2k before, and there are some considerations you need to take into account before choosing it.
- Do NOT spray inside. It contains isocyanates which are incredibly toxic.
- Use a good mask with organic vapor cartridge
- Once the can is activated, you only have about 24 hours to use it all before it cures in the can.
- I had adhesion problems over DupliColor Perfect Match, but it worked pretty well over sealed natural wood.
- One can will coat a body, but just barely. It is easy to burn through, particularly on edges if you only use one can.
- For the cost, I personally am looking at alternatives such as Crystalac Brite Tone or Solarez.
The 2k will work, but for me, personally, it's not ideal.
- Do NOT spray inside. It contains isocyanates which are incredibly toxic.
- Use a good mask with organic vapor cartridge
- Once the can is activated, you only have about 24 hours to use it all before it cures in the can.
- I had adhesion problems over DupliColor Perfect Match, but it worked pretty well over sealed natural wood.
- One can will coat a body, but just barely. It is easy to burn through, particularly on edges if you only use one can.
- For the cost, I personally am looking at alternatives such as Crystalac Brite Tone or Solarez.
The 2k will work, but for me, personally, it's not ideal.
I have used crystalac, 2k, several other water based variants and can say the 2k is a better finish with fewer coats. Goodluck with it o.p.
One other note: get medieval on the dust control procedure, I used 2k on a car door panel,outside of course (not my brightest idea) and then..... the pine pollen descended. There’s no getting dust out of this stuff once it cures, short of sanding it all off. I built myself a cheap wood and plastic spray booth with HVAC filters for intake and exhaust, and STILL with the lint, tiny fabric fibers, etc. Finish work sucks, at least with light colors, everything shows. If I ever spray another bass, gonna be BLACK. Black is a fun color because it not only shows all dust and lint, it also shows every sanding scratch you didn’t get out with finer grades, every failure of flatness, and all orange peel.
You have me worried about dust now. On flatter projects finished with conventional Home Depot brush-on poly, I deal with both dust and brush marks by sanding with 400 and then either polishing or waxing, depending on the finish I want. I was hoping to try that here.
You have me worried about dust now. On flatter projects finished with conventional Home Depot brush-on poly, I deal with both dust and brush marks by sanding with 400 and then either polishing or waxing, depending on the finish I want. I was hoping to try that here.
I’m in dust and lint hell right now, trying to paint a p bass body Seafoam Green, a perfect color for highlighting the presence of mysterious black fibers of some sort ( my hair is grey, what the hell is this stuff?). They wouldn’t have been visible on black, but the pine pollen on Cape Cod in the spring is brutal, all the cars turn yellow, big drifts of it in the street in puddles when it rains. Plus, I’m allergic to it. Good times! That’s why I paint in winter, but I fought the Lint and the Lint Won.
My current plan involves seafoam green, too, but the only way I’ve figured to get the right color so far is...house paint. Which poses a problem for smooth spraying and cannot be sanded after application.
There may be hope in the form of hobby-store airbrush paint, but I’d have to mix it myself instead of taking a chip to the counter.
I have a house painting spray gun and a little airbrush. Not really sure how this is going to work.
But I have Testors Color Shift for pearlescence and this thread is about picking the clear.
There may be hope in the form of hobby-store airbrush paint, but I’d have to mix it myself instead of taking a chip to the counter.
I have a house painting spray gun and a little airbrush. Not really sure how this is going to work.
But I have Testors Color Shift for pearlescence and this thread is about picking the clear.
What are you using for the color? If it’s water based, even if it’s not Varathane, there are several choices for colorants. If it’s not the paint supply where you get it should be able to mix something up.
Before Bruce Johnson posted about Mixol pigments, which you should be able to mix to a seafoam green in most any paint, and before I found the Createx colors, again probably a good green there, he had been mixing the small sample cans of Behr house paint in ProFinisher. In fact, the bass below was painted that way. I know it’s not exactly seafoam but Home Depot should be able to mix up something appropriate.
P.S. sorry for the hijack. Really just trying to help.
Before Bruce Johnson posted about Mixol pigments, which you should be able to mix to a seafoam green in most any paint, and before I found the Createx colors, again probably a good green there, he had been mixing the small sample cans of Behr house paint in ProFinisher. In fact, the bass below was painted that way. I know it’s not exactly seafoam but Home Depot should be able to mix up something appropriate.
P.S. sorry for the hijack. Really just trying to help.
Last edited:
Means2nEnd
Supporting Member
There are some great posts on some guitar building blogs with pics that were outstanding but I think we all know with the right light, angle, super fixing filters in the iphone there are ways to make a rock look like a diamond. From what I have seen and read from the guys I think are the most reliable is that stuff is great but all the above warnings are all with much merit. It is the real thing. Sanding it is like sanding a hammer...
The concern there would be that the house paint will be soft and not provide a good base for the clear. Kind of like pouring a thing layer of concrete over soft sand. The concrete will still crack with some pressure.
Means2nEnd
Supporting Member
Woops forgot they also mentioned what rattle can color works well with it as far as adhesion. I will try and find the links as I am also like a lost ship trying to find better finishing products for my little shop. There are some youtube vids with car guys doing panels with color and top coat the whole shabang and they look awesome.
I’m using some Deco Art acrylic craft paint I got at Hobby Lobby for sea foam green, probably more like seafoam blue, but it dissolves nicely in a teaspoon of denatured alcohol. I used a 20% mix into Varathane Ultimate, any more than that softens they paint, supposedly. It took a while to get to full opaque though, maybe mixol is more intense on pigment. The Stewmac stuff is more high pigment content, but they only have a few colors, I guess you could custom mix. I tried the Behr acrylic black house paint, NFG, it took forever to get to opaque, like 20 coats!
I'm conducting a series of experiments to determine what sticks to what for primer/color/glitter/clear. So far everything sticks to everything, about as you'd expect, and the hope would be that a thick clear over everything would protect it well.
It's for the back of the mermaid bass in my avatar, which will ALSO get the colorshift glitter on the tail...I feel like I need a surf rock band now.
It's for the back of the mermaid bass in my avatar, which will ALSO get the colorshift glitter on the tail...I feel like I need a surf rock band now.
Cool. I meant to mention that an auto body paint place might be able to do that but forgot. Keep us posted.
Well, the spray can appears to take about 3-4 coats to achieve opacity. I’ll do a more formal test with the filling primer on scrap to make sure I can get the smoothness I want and then the real thing.
And then I still need to pick a clear.
And then I still need to pick a clear.
