Have you tried Max clr 1618 as a base coat? it never yellows and is crystal clear.......... I have been using it for years..... never a problem............. I usually use 3 coats and never sand between coats............
Kim
Prepping for auto clear coat?
- Thread starter JC
- Start date
Kim
JC
Coos Cues
1618 hardener is amazing. I have some I keep in a mustard squirter on my counter and after sitting there damned near a year it's still clear as water. West system 207 which is supposed to be their clear solution looks like piss color by then. Same with Cue Coat. Gives you confidence it won't yellow on your cue.
if you shop gets down below 60 deg.... the 1618 epoxy will crystalize in the bottle............ you can tell as it gets cloudy......... the manufacturer says to put in in warm water................. I just put it in the microwave 10 seconds at a time until it is warm and clear again............ good as new
Kim
JC
Coos Cues
1618 is pretty thin and can go on that way. I've seen Kim's videos. He sands after all three coats and it looks like he sands off most of what he applied. I'm sure he has a reason for doing it that way.
JC
Coos Cues
You're killing me smalls!!
my finish cut size is .840 at the joint.......... 3 coats of 1618 gets me to about .860............. I sand it back to .845 ....... I never sand through and there is enough to be sure of a smooth surface without imperfections.......... then I put on 3 coats of Solarez UV ...... that gets me to about .860 again........... then I wet sand it to .851 or .852 and buff it out to .850................... been doing it this way for about 6 years...... and a couple hundred cues................................ the finish looks a mile deep and is tough as nails................ and it never yellows
https://www.facebook.com/groups/410041895741121/permalink/2296067917138500 .............. check out the durability test
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JC
Coos Cues
So I suppose the three coats gives you coverage on those tiny divets in certain woods so even though you're sanding back .015" of it there are likely some small spots where it's not that proud.
Makes sense.
The use of an adhesion coat is my recommendation. You can just keep putting layers of auto poly but you have to deal with fish eyes that are bound to appear. On oily woods I use acetone to draw out the oil and pigment residue for a at least a few days. Before spray I seal all my cue with a wood sealer, let cure overnight then light sand before wiping down the cue with lacquer thinner and tac cloth.
Because of surface tension at the joint interface, I make my joint collars plus .010 oversize in length. Before I wet sand to final dia and buff, i face both the butt and shaft to obtain a broadcast of the taper through the joint area. Took me 15 years to figure that out. If you want a perfect joint, I can't see any other way because the rounding effect caused by surface tension build up at the joint. Never tried the darlin collar thing though
A common mistake to avoid is wet sanding and buffing before the paint completely cures. I wait at least 3 weeks for this cure time. I prefer 1 month. I know cuemakers who wet sand and buff in a day or two because they want to get paid and ship the cue. If you want to deep cear and avoid shrinkage to your finish be patient. I tell my customers that if they can't wait the extra time and want their cue fast then I don't want to work with them. A fast wet sand and buff can look good after a few days cure. Take a look at a cue like that 6 month down the road compared to a long cure time. There is no comparison, IMHO.
I keep my shop humidity at about 35 to 40% year round and I make sure my shop temp and cue temp is 75 to 80 degrees before spraying.
You must follow the directions about your clear coat and do not spray coats without observing the flash time parameters. I have an egg timer for that and always add 5 mins more. If you spray too soon between coats you will not let the off gases time to precipitate out and this can be a disaster cause clouding of the clear. Also don't exceed the mill thickness for each coat because this can effect the off gassing process too.
The use of particulate and coalescing filters and a dryer system is also a must the way I see it.
I have a both i seal after spraying which is heated and thermostaticly controlled with a small secondary vent fan and I do 2 hours at 115 degrees after the deed is done.
The devil in in the detail for getting a repeatable outcome. There are a ton of factors to juggle.
Good Luck,
Rick
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