Toughest Clear Coats
- Thread starter RBLilly
- Start date
Delfleet 5.0 F3930 is number two.
It's harder then UV
Dry times are double but you can't get any harder. This clear is designed for semi trucks. Great shine and lots of work to polish.
Delfleet makes a clear that is one step harder and more expensive but the dry time is even slower. It's expensive, harder, and even slower dry time then the F3930. The difference is so little it's not worth the extra cost and time.
The paint store reps have a lot of knowledge and can answer this questions with numbers and percentages.
There are a few other things to think about when buying clear:
Total solids %
Film build (film build per wet coat compared to after dried)
It's harder then UV
Dry times are double but you can't get any harder. This clear is designed for semi trucks. Great shine and lots of work to polish.
Delfleet makes a clear that is one step harder and more expensive but the dry time is even slower. It's expensive, harder, and even slower dry time then the F3930. The difference is so little it's not worth the extra cost and time.
The paint store reps have a lot of knowledge and can answer this questions with numbers and percentages.
There are a few other things to think about when buying clear:
Total solids %
Film build (film build per wet coat compared to after dried)
It's hard to quote a price without seeing the cue. $100-$150. Wrap, joint, and shafts can affect the price.
Can you show pics? If the joint is cleared I'd want the shafts also.
Can you show pics? If the joint is cleared I'd want the shafts also.
Graciocues said:
One cue has a wrap, the other does not. I would prefer the wrap taken off and not put back on as I will let another cue maker rewrap it. If that is ok?
Both cues have phenolic black joints with radial pins. Yes the joints both have clear on them.
It would be 2 butts and 2 shafts.
I will try to get some pics taken and send them to your in box. I would also prefer to send one cue at a time as I wouldn't want to be without a playing cue! LOL
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The hardest finish is not always the best sticking. And hard can also mean brittle. So something that you could not dent with your fingernail might lift easier than a little softer finish that has more sticking power. Some of the hardest are also not the shiniest. So with finishes you will find there are many trade offs.
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cueman said:
Maybe I should reword it then! LOL I don't care about the shiniest coat, I want the most durable coat out there as I plan to play with my cues, and I don't want to have to worry about being super careful about messing up the finish. How is that? LOL
Eric Wynne
Banned
Emron which is used on Jets and by Southwest cues and others , also auto chrome made by PPG and is a little pricey ... Both are hard and durable ... Familiarity with the product used is a must as well as the prep before spraying ... If a finish lifts from a ding the cue wasn't prepared properly before spraying ... Willee can refinish your cue with an automotive clear ... You probably have a water based clear on your cue now , great stuff to use but not as durable and glossy as automotive clear ...
Very durable.
That's the reason F3930 is spayed on semi trucks and other machines that are hard and expensive to paint. Paint it once. It takes twice the time to dry and polishing is a pain. It's a lot more work.
WWW.PPGREFINISH.COM has lots of information.
All the paint companies make a similar high abuse clear. Talk to the sails rep. not the guy behind the counter.
I've never thought about sharing this info but most paint companies have a testing and training facility. I have one in Seattle about 4 hours away. It costs about $400 to join a few day class but you can learn so much about clears, flex additives, guns, prepping, and metal adhesion. I was lucky, the insurance company required painters to be certified and I got to go once a year for 15 years at the shops expense.
The guys that run these schools have more knowledge and have tested every possible scenario on every product they have.
That's the reason F3930 is spayed on semi trucks and other machines that are hard and expensive to paint. Paint it once. It takes twice the time to dry and polishing is a pain. It's a lot more work.
WWW.PPGREFINISH.COM has lots of information.
All the paint companies make a similar high abuse clear. Talk to the sails rep. not the guy behind the counter.
I've never thought about sharing this info but most paint companies have a testing and training facility. I have one in Seattle about 4 hours away. It costs about $400 to join a few day class but you can learn so much about clears, flex additives, guns, prepping, and metal adhesion. I was lucky, the insurance company required painters to be certified and I got to go once a year for 15 years at the shops expense.
The guys that run these schools have more knowledge and have tested every possible scenario on every product they have.
dave sutton
Banned
i agree with chris. hardest is not the best IMO. thats why we use gel type glue be it stays plyable(sp?)\
hard can = brittle which can = chips
id rather have a dent in the finish the a chip or gouge exposing wood
hard can = brittle which can = chips
id rather have a dent in the finish the a chip or gouge exposing wood
I agree with you guys on too hard can be brittle. Not all clears are created equal.
Here's a test for clear flex. Spray 5 medium coats on a piece of wax paper. Let dry for one month, peal the clear off and fold it putting a crease in it. Hope it doesn't crack.
Here's a test for clear flex. Spray 5 medium coats on a piece of wax paper. Let dry for one month, peal the clear off and fold it putting a crease in it. Hope it doesn't crack.
dave sutton
Banned
Graciocues said:
good test....
Just out of curiosity how does the Delfleet clear you are talking about do with this test? LOL
My dad and I are going to do some testing on a couple of POS cues I have laying around the house to see how this stuff would work on a cue!
http://www.houtsenterprises.net/dur_supplies.html
The sales rep seems to think it would work great on a cue, and my dad has been putting it on his AR-15's. The sales rep said to spray one coat of the gloss hit it with 600 grit, and then spray 3 more coats of gloss. Since it is on a pool cue he recommends letting it cure for a week before playing with it. (However full cure time is like 4 weeks!)
I think we are going to play with it and I will post pics and let you all know my findings.
are you playing with a hockey stick or a cue
You can't tell me that you haven't seen people knock sticks on the ground, or accidentally hit another table, chair, etc with the butt of their cue. S*#t happens so to speak. So yea, I want a durable clear coat to protect the cue as much as possible cause I don't change cues very often. Can't blame a guy for wanting to keep his equipment looking new!
MMMMM wonder if that is what people told the makers of Predator and OB-1 when they were looking for new inventive ways to build a shaft?
I was just curious how Duracoat might work with pool cues. If you don't like the idea then that is fine, but I happen to know a few cue makers that are into trying new things, and seeing if there is a better way to do things!
So thanks for the support!
Very few builders have mastered the finish. I looked at $10,000 cues at the VF show that had flaws in the clear. With the ever changing products and so little time it's hard to experiment and improve techniques.
Anything you learn please share.
Experiment with sealers, most builders fill the voids with some type of sealer.