spraying clear finish

[arkiewood]

I was thinking about trying to spray a clear finish on my projects instead of brushing on. If you spray on do you have to sand in between coats or just wait for it to dry and spray another coat on?

Thanks for any input and suggestions.

[spirithorse]

Greetings,
There should be instructions for use on all the brands available.
I just checked a can of KRYLON CLEAR, which is all I have on hand
at the moment, and it says, "Dries in 10 minutes, can be handled in 1 hour,
and apply more coats any time.". No mention of sanding between coats.

God Bless! Spirithorse

[julief]

Either way.  I wipe my pieces down with a piece of brown paper between sprays.  It gives you a very smooth finish.  It takes out the tiny air bubbles that sometimes happen when you spray.  I prefer to spray than brush.  It is just so much easier to get all the nooks and crannies.

[Brian Pardue]

I normally use a ultra fine steel wool between coats if I am spraying which is mostly what I'm doing in the winter months. 

[Russ C]

This is how Russ does it!

I use Spray Lacquer and it is much easier than brushing. I feel the project and lightly sand between coats (3 to 4) as needed (paying attention to the end grain that can be felt) with 1000 grit sandpaper. A brown paper bag will work also.

I tried Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic. The problem I found was when applied to bare wood (tried on different species), even though it appeared to be dry, when it was laid on other surfaces it had a tendency to stick to them. Some projects had this problem even after three to four weeks. 

[Brian Pardue]

I had the same issue as Russ. Try the Rustolem brand "Clear Glass" I seem to not have the problem. I just refinished a lot of word art that stuck to newspaper after the first finish went on about a month or so ago.

[Rapid Roger]

Russ,
Not to be a Yahoo but, did you put oil on the wood before spraying? Some oils that pop the grain and look very good but are very slow drying or never dry. Even BLO takes some time to cure and I'm not sure that lemon oil ever completely drys. Also if you put oil on plywood, remember that  there is only about 1/32" of wood to soak the oil in before it hits a layer of glue and quits soaking thus extends the drying time.
Some paint like clear coat products just don't want to work well with any oily surface. Remember oil and water don't mix! 
Personally, I just use oil to pop the grain and as a finish also and just buff the surface with brown paper for a semigloss finish. With most scrolling pieces, they don't get much abuse and a I personally just don't care for the glossy finish anyway.

Rog

PS Just had another thought about the problem....Is the wood you are using an oily wood? Some woods have a natural oil in them and need to be dried out before finishing. You can use alcohol, mineral spirits or something to cut the oil and let it dry for just a few minutes before applying a solid finish. Walnut is an oily wood and so are a lot of other exotics.

Rog (again) 

[jerry1939]

I have been using Rustoleum Clear Enamal on basswood carvings for years and also on scrolling that I started 3 years ago.  One thing to remember:  Prop your piece up from whatever it is sitting on to allow the propellant to also escape underneath.  Otherwise it doesn't want to spray into a corner.

Have never been a fan of the Krylon brand.  It seems more "watery" to me.

jerry

[Kragax]

For flat work I have quit using either. I have been using a wipe on poly from Minwax. Works great.

[Russ C]

@ Rapid Roger,
Not to be a Yahoo but, if you had read my post I stated "when applied to bare wood". Bare wood to me means nothing applied. No finish, no oil, nothing. I also stated "tried on different species". So different types of wood, oily or dry, including Baltic Birch plywood had the same results. It had a tendency to stick to other surfaces.

When I first noticed the problem with Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic I conducted a test for over a period of three months. The conclusion I came to was that it had something to do with the bare wood. The composition of the wood itself? Natural Oils? I don't know. I am not a scientist only a third generation carpenter/woodworker (over forty years experience) and General Contractor here in the State of Florida. So therefore I can only report on my findings as a result of the tests I preformed. It should also be noted that my test included applying the Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic to other surfaces including sealed wood, painted wood, metal, plastic and it did not have the tendency to stick to other surfaces. I have used it on some outdoor projects as added protection to the elements and after aprox. eight months it has held up quite well and protected the surface it was applied to.

Russ

[WynnD]

If you are spraying lacquer you don't need to sand since it will "burn" into the previous coat. That is one of its advantages. If you do lightly hit the surface the final finish does tend to be smoother. Enamal and acrylics don't work the same.

[julief]

My issue with krylon and similar brands is the sprayer itself.  Some brands have a much more accurate and finer sprayer head.  It seam to me that the finer spray gives me more control and less clean up and sanding.  If it is a piece that will get a fair amount of sunlight  - I use a spar urethane because it has a uv protectant.

[tvman44]

I love Minwax aerosol products as it has a the absolute best spray head I have ever seen on a rattle can.  That is all I use now on my outdoor projects, Minwax Helmsman exterior Polyurethane.  I get it at Wallyworld.

[Charles Dearing]

I've always had good luck with spray on DEFT brand high gloss. Spray a coat. Lightly sand, repeat both processes til you get the look and feel ya like.