Adventures with clear coat

weegee3

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My adventures with clear coat and a question or two. (All for for your amusement)
Have built about 70 cues and have tried cyno, cue coat, water based finish etc, etc. but not clear coat and aside from the warnings it still intrigued me.
So.... after inquiring on AZ, talking to my local body shop and watching a gazillion Utube videos, I took a small plunge.
I had a small compressor on hand, which I learned was adequate, so I went out and spent couple of hundred on other stuff. A gun, respirator, chemicals, and so on until I was ready to dig into it.
Back to Utube, to the body shop, and any one else I suspected had a clue about the subject. until this morning, when I wuz as ready as I ever would be to gett 'er on.
Had a cue with an ebony forearm and points that I had screwed up in another way and it was to be my first victim.
Dressed up with mask. hat, gloves, safety glasses, long sleeve shirt, shooed the cats away from the shop. Only thing missing was a set of scuba fins to make me look like a demented space man.
Loaded up the gun, took the cue out the back door, laid the wrap area on a 1" x6' board on saw horses and rolled it slowly as I applied the clear coat. Waited 15 minutes, laid another coat and so on 'till their were four coats on it. It's now sitting waiting to dry. It may be thoroughly dry before I get the gun cleaned and everything put away, but that's another story.
Now the questions.
How long should it dry before I fine sand and polish it?
No the finish isn't perfect. A few drops of overrun. Can they be sanded out or do I start over?
Is less clear coat and more coats the way to avoid the drip problem? I think so. Duhh....
How many coats on average have you found to be appropriate? Does it depend on the wood?
Bottom line, at this point is, I love the finish and want to continue as I get more efficiency and experience.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated.
Herb aka Weegee
 
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Brickcues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Depends on the finish used. More than likely about 24 hours to harden for sanding. I use a finish with snap dry and it is ready to wet sand in 2 hours but I always wait at least 24.

I usually do 2 or 3 medium coats and look at the cue to make sure it is covering everything. Might stop the cue and spray the weak points with little blast from gun. I then put on final coat and let spin for several minutes at about 60 rpm. This helps the finish that would run to just flow out and helps with the runs.

I usually wait a couple of days and then block wet sand with 1000 to get smooth. I then respray with 2 med-heavy coats and it looks like glass. I wait another 2 or 3 days and wet sand and polish. Most of the time I will wait another week for the finish to completely dry. In the summer the finish will out gas a little quicker.

Never know about runs as the thicker the lump the out gasses have no where to go and the run will be cloudy most of the time with tiny air bubbles. When you sand they break open and fill up with the water and sanded off finish and will show up. Hard to clean out except to sand almost completely off.

Hope this helps.
 

tank69

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I admire your attempt and it sounds like you did fairly well for a first timer. I wish I could answer your questions, but I'm in the same boat as you. Luckily for me, one of my best friends owns a body shop and I'm having him clear a few cues for me. I'm in the beginning stages of cue building. Torturing one piece cues and beating them into sneaky petes! Something you may want to consider, it sounds like you have talked to a body shop, but you may want to ask if they will clear them for you.

My buddy clears nearly everyday and I'm going to time it so that I take the cues to him on a day I know he's clearing. For one, he's a pro, he's been doing this for 30+ years and secondly, he always has clear leftover and it's going to cost me a few dinners instead of a flat fee. Instead of wasting or throwing away the excess clear, he's going to finish my cues. I'm lucking out I know and I hope to finish cues someday on my own because he will teach me.
 

weegee3

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Depends on the finish used. More than likely about 24 hours to harden for sanding. I use a finish with snap dry and it is ready to wet sand in 2 hours but I always wait at least 24.

I usually do 2 or 3 medium coats and look at the cue to make sure it is covering everything. Might stop the cue and spray the weak points with little blast from gun. I then put on final coat and let spin for several minutes at about 60 rpm. This helps the finish that would run to just flow out and helps with the runs.

I usually wait a couple of days and then block wet sand with 1000 to get smooth. I then respray with 2 med-heavy coats and it looks like glass. I wait another 2 or 3 days and wet sand and polish. Most of the time I will wait another week for the finish to completely dry. In the summer the finish will out gas a little quicker.

Never know about runs as the thicker the lump the out gasses have no where to go and the run will be cloudy most of the time with tiny air bubbles. When you sand they break open and fill up with the water and sanded off finish and will show up. Hard to clean out except to sand almost completely off.

Hope this helps.
That tip about letting it spin slowly for several minutes is one of those: elementary my dear Watson moments. What was I thinking? I was just laying the cue across a piece of wood to set up
Of course I should let it spin as with any finish. Bingo! and thanks for the input.
 
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LosOsosCues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You dont have to spin a cue at all to finish it. Sure you can but its not vital. There are many ways to spray dont think because your not a pro that you can't do it right. Just takes practice
 

cutter

Steve Klein Custom Cues
Silver Member
Adventures

I think it was Murray Tucker who originally made the point. You don't spin
a car when you shoot it. It can help, but not necessary. Practice on a piece of cardboard and you can really see the spray pattern and how thick you are putting it on. Be careful of thick coats, you'll trap solvents, which will lead to shinkage months down the road.
 

KJ Cues

Pro Cue Builder & Repair
Silver Member
Murray is a clever fellow but I don't think that he thought that statement all the way to it's conclusion.
They don't spin a car to clear it because you don't clear-coat the underside.
If they did, you can bet they'd be spinning it.

Yes, you can clear a cue without spinning it but why would you want to settle for a sub-standard finish.
The only way you're going to get uniform millage and coverage is by spinning.
This is only my opinion but I'm sticking to it.

KJ
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Depends on the finish used. More than likely about 24 hours to harden for sanding. I use a finish with snap dry and it is ready to wet sand in 2 hours but I always wait at least 24.

I usually do 2 or 3 medium coats and look at the cue to make sure it is covering everything. Might stop the cue and spray the weak points with little blast from gun. I then put on final coat and let spin for several minutes at about 60 rpm. This helps the finish that would run to just flow out and helps with the runs.

I usually wait a couple of days and then block wet sand with 1000 to get smooth. I then respray with 2 med-heavy coats and it looks like glass. I wait another 2 or 3 days and wet sand and polish. Most of the time I will wait another week for the finish to completely dry. In the summer the finish will out gas a little quicker.

Never know about runs as the thicker the lump the out gasses have no where to go and the run will be cloudy most of the time with tiny air bubbles. When you sand they break open and fill up with the water and sanded off finish and will show up. Hard to clean out except to sand almost completely off.

Hope this helps.
You're giving away too much Alex. :D
24 hours to scratch sand to let it gas out then wet sand polish 2-3 days later ? Building an 80-degree heat box might make things a little faster. And maybe harder.

That Chroma is sure pretty sticky when it sticks to 1000 grit scratches.

Clear coating has been discussed here a ton in the past and it always seems everyone has a different process.

back to work...
 

LGSM3

Jake<built cues for fun
Silver Member
in my experience, theres 2 evils here and i've had to find the happy medium, none of which start the wet sanding process with 1000 grit....lol. I'll pay someone to teach me that. Of course i have to be able to sight the cue and not see the ocean.

If i have to spin to get it to flow out, then it has to flow out somewhere. That somewhere is sideways almost always causing some "maybe slight" inconsistency radially. I cant deal with the inconsistency so i usually block out with a more course grit.

If i dont spin, i can get a good flat finish, but the inconsistency shows up linear with ridges at the spray overlap and again i have to block out with a more course grit.

The bottom line is that your not gonna become an expert from reading about it or even watching someone who is an expert. You have to figure out what works for you and roll with it.
 

weegee3

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for all the comments. I am drawing a good picture here.
Starting tomorrow morning there won't be a broom or mop handle in the neighborhood that will be safe. Everything vaguely resembling a long wooden pole is going to get clear coated, whether it wants it or not. Carnegie Hall?
Practice, practice, practice.
Thanks again
Herb
 

scdiveteam

Rick Geschrey
Silver Member
Hi,

3 coats and I don't spin either and start with 1000 grit wet after 4 days.

I switched to a speed clear. I used to use Concept clear which was great but it took a long time to cure out and harden all the way.

If you apply the coats correctly it should not sag or drip and you do not need to spin after spray during the flashing period.

Rick
 

ratcues

No yodeling, please.
Silver Member
I've shot thousands of cues cues. I have never spun one. I never knew people spun cues until I joined this forum. As always, try every method you can. Try each a few times. Look. Learn. Adjust. Try again. Learn what works best for you.
 

eddie0776

Bishop Cues
Silver Member
I did paint and body work for a while and still do custom jobs on the side, but you can sand and finish clear 24hrs later unless you are using the wrong activator. I generally do 3 med coats and with the right activator you avoid the cloudy air bubbles. If you think it needs one more coat then welcome to cloudy! If you wait about 10 min between coats then you should be good and as far as runs, that comes with practice. The hardest thing to paint or clear without running is rounded surfaces due to the fact that the paint gun sprays a flat pattern. I have no problems or complaints about using clear for finish. So dont get discouraged.
 

deadbeat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Another tip I didn't see mentioned here is shoot the clear coat at high psi. You need this to break it up correctly and it will get rid of most bubbles. Also, spray a wide pattern, make it look like a large V. I know this will waste more clear, but it will make it work the way it should. Just my 2 cents.
 

the kidd

VOTE ONE TIME
Silver Member
Too heavy

I would spray much lighter coats. Slow spinning helps. Let dry overnight and look for dull areas. Then wet sand and lightly recoat.
 

eddie0776

Bishop Cues
Silver Member
Another tip I didn't see mentioned here is shoot the clear coat at high psi. You need this to break it up correctly and it will get rid of most bubbles. Also, spray a wide pattern, make it look like a large V. I know this will waste more clear, but it will make it work the way it should. Just my 2 cents.

I agree with the high psi. If you are using a gravity feed gun 25psi if you are using a suction gun 45psi. Wide pattern also helps eleminate the runs. If you are using a HVLP gun then good luck, I hate them.
 

deadbeat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For me to have any luck with HVLP and clear, I usually have to change the tip to a slightly larger one.
 

cutter

Steve Klein Custom Cues
Silver Member
Thanks for all the comments. I am drawing a good picture here.
Starting tomorrow morning there won't be a broom or mop handle in the neighborhood that will be safe. Everything vaguely resembling a long wooden pole is going to get clear coated, whether it wants it or not. Carnegie Hall?
Practice, practice, practice.
Thanks again
Herb

That's what it takes, everyone has a different technique, and different clears, compressors, and guns. I'd keep a log as you try things.
psi, distance from cue, amount of reducer if you use any, temp.
Nothing worse than shooting a good test and next day have no idea how you did it. I personally didn't like the snap cures. They seemed to trap more solvents than normal cure. Just my opinion, lots of nice work being done with them. Good luck and keep shooting.
 

whammo57

Kim Walker
Silver Member
I too I have tried many different clear coats.

I have tried three different epoxie clear coats. I have tried five different water based urethane clear coats.

Right now I am spraying acrylic lacquer. This seems to give the best shine of anything I have used. The only drawback is that you must wait a week to sand and rub it out for it to get hard. I think that's spraying any clear coat give you the easiest way to control thickness.

Kim

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