I don't want to spray in my garage so I use epoxy to finish. I have used finish cure epoxy and cue cote. The finish cure dries in about 2-3 hours and the cue cote takes about 4-5 hours, but I think the cue cote dries a little clearer maybe.
Just another option.
I've never used epoxy as a top cote just as a sealer, but My guess is You won't be completely satisfied with an epoxy finish. Epoxy alone is too soft IMO unless maybe UV cured, and It is a pain to buff out.
CA is another option that can be applied By hand, but as with anything has It's share of issues too. The good points are You can buff the stuff out to a clear finish that looks very close to automotive clear with common compounds that are easily obtained locally, It tends to stay clearer then epoxy alone, and It is a harder finish then epoxy, but There are many bad points, like It burns the crap out of your eyes & lungs, takes many thin coats to build up enough to sand and buff out without wiping through to the wood, Trash gets in It very easily, chemical reactions can take place, and create white patches if You lay too many thick cotes down in one setting, before sanding. It can also be very brittle, so proper prep work is vital. If You do good prep work the stuff can handle minor dings, and may just ding like auto finish, but heavy hits to the cue will most definitely pop loose and blister, so If You have a customer that treats his/her cue badly, then You will be constantly fixing chip outs on their cues. As nice as a finish as It can produce, It's just too much of a PITA to use on a regular basis IMO.
The auto finish people are referring You to in this thread is one of the best ways I know to finish, but as mentioned very bad stuff, so even find a body shop where It can be done at night or someone with a spray booth, or make yourself a good plan for building a self contained booth. I myself haven't finished Mine, but I have been buying stuff here and there to capture the particles and filtrate, to spray with, as well as building a spinner to spin the cues as I spray. at some point I will build a small self contained booth dedicated to spraying cues that will house all this stuff. Some may consider this overkill, but like others have said the finishes are deadly, and at a minimum can make everyone around sick. Not only do you risk family & neighbors health, but Can't work on cues if you can't get out of the bed. I've been there when It comes to breathing in dust and other chemicals, so I'm not gonna play around with this stuff, I also want this room self contained to keep the dust contaminates out, and down to a bare minimum. The more problems You have with stuff getting into the finish, the more It knocks You a step back each time, which in turn cost you more time, and material, which turns into dollars lost. I'm setting up to spray dupont clear, But it could be used to spray other types of finish like water base, if i ever try a product That I like. Or I could set a UV up in there if i ever wanted.
Some people use UV, but from My understanding, only certain types of product work well for that, and is very expensive to set up.
Some people Use hand rubbed oil finishes, and i think these looks great on some cues, where it suits the design of a particular style of cue, but then I don't feel it works with every design, and It really doesn't create much of a protective shell to time capsule the cue (so to speak).
Some people use water based finishes, I love the idea of this, but I have not had any luck using them Myself, I have heard there are some great water based products out there these days, but I have not had the chance to try them out, so can't form an honest opinion either way on those.
Again, I have not used all the products out there, so nothing I am saying is intended to knock any finish someone may or may not be using, Just my opinions based on my knowledge, hear say, or on what limited products I have tried. There are a lot of products out there, and would be near impossible to try them all out.
The thing is you want a durable finish, you want It super clear & to stay that way, you want it to buff out easily, be easy to repair, and you want it to stick well to the cue. Sub par finishes will only keep you refinishing cues on a regular basis, instead of building and designing more cues. If You acquire a steady customer base for repair work too, then that only leaves you less time. If you have all these things going on at once, and have a regular job or any kind of personal life too, then forget about, cause there just ain't enough time in a day for all of It.
Either way You slice It, like others having mentioned, how the cues will be finished is a huge consideration.:wink:
