Sealer Problems

[CamposCues]

I know this has been asked before but I just wanted to see if anyone has found any new products good for sealing the wood before spraying the clearcoat? I have tried a few different products but am not real happy with any of them. As a rookie I have found putting on a flawless finish to be the most challenging aspect of cue building so far. One will come out flawless with little effort and the next will be just the opposite. I'm not very consistent and I think a lot of it is that I'm not getting the wood sealed properly before spraying on the clear coat. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[BLACKHEARTCUES]

sealer problems

I know this has been asked before but I just wanted to see if anyone has found any new products good for sealing the wood before spraying the clearcoat? I have tried a few different products but am not real happy with any of them. As a rookie I have found putting on a flawless finish to be the most challenging aspect of cue building so far. One will come out flawless with little effort and the next will be just the opposite. I'm not very consistent and I think a lot of it is that I'm not getting the wood sealed properly before spraying on the clear coat. Any help would be appreciated.

What brand of paint & type of sprayer are you using?...JER

 

[merylane]

I know this has been asked before but I just wanted to see if anyone has found any new products good for sealing the wood before spraying the clearcoat? I have tried a few different products but am not real happy with any of them. As a rookie I have found putting on a flawless finish to be the most challenging aspect of cue building so far. One will come out flawless with little effort and the next will be just the opposite. I'm not very consistent and I think a lot of it is that I'm not getting the wood sealed properly before spraying on the clear coat. Any help would be appreciated.

what problems are you having?

 

[CamposCues]

Finish Type and Problems

I live in Omaha, NE and it is really humid here, not the best conditions for cue building I have tried two or three different types of clear but have had the best luck with BASF Limco. It isn't real expensive, so it is probably not real high end stuff. I am using an Astro detail gun (SATA knock off) with a 1mm tip, I thik. It seems to spray pretty good.

The main problems I've been having is trying to fill in all all the pores in some types of wood. A lot of the wood, say paduak for instance, just keeps sucking the clear into the pores and if I try to lay it on a little thick then you get the tiny little bubbles once it dries. By the time I get the pores filled in it seems like I have an inch of finish on the cue that I have to sand down. I just figured I must not be sealing the cue well enough or something. Keep in mind I have learned (or not learned) how to do the finishing by trial and error or from tips you guys have given here and in other forums.

I sure do appreciate any tips. Nothing is more frustrating than having a nice cue built and botching the finish two or three times before I get it right.

 

[rhncue]

I live in Omaha, NE and it is really humid here, not the best conditions for cue building I have tried two or three different types of clear but have had the best luck with BASF Limco. It isn't real expensive, so it is probably not real high end stuff. I am using an Astro detail gun (SATA knock off) with a 1mm tip, I thik. It seems to spray pretty good.

The main problems I've been having is trying to fill in all all the pores in some types of wood. A lot of the wood, say paduak for instance, just keeps sucking the clear into the pores and if I try to lay it on a little thick then you get the tiny little bubbles once it dries. By the time I get the pores filled in it seems like I have an inch of finish on the cue that I have to sand down. I just figured I must not be sealing the cue well enough or something. Keep in mind I have learned (or not learned) how to do the finishing by trial and error or from tips you guys have given here and in other forums.

I sure do appreciate any tips. Nothing is more frustrating than having a nice cue built and botching the finish two or three times before I get it right.

Applying a finish to a cue, in my opinion, is by far the hardest part of building a good looking cue. Ever wonder why the big factory cue makers have up to a 1,000,000.00 in their finishing systems? Also, if you think Padauk is hard to finish wait until you tackle some Black Palm or Wenge. Your in for a real treat there.
Your main problem is, you are trying to use a sealer as a filler and they are completely different. A sealer is a very thin material that the wood quickly absorbs and hardens so as to prevent further absorption of the finish.
A filler is used to fill small checks and of coarse heavy wood grain that you get in many woods. There are a number of items on the market for filling grain. You can use a slurry of colored plaster of paris that really looks good on some woods such as black plaster of paris in the grain of Padauk.
There are also vinyl fillers and super glue and epoxy. Super glue you just keep applying and sanding off until you have a perfectly filled surface which you then spray over or you can put on a couple of layers of thick epoxy on a slowly revolving cue, letting it dry and then sanding back down to the wood. The only bad part about using epoxy is if it's left on to thick after sanding it will chip very easily and if you sand completely thru in a spot it will stand out after the final finish has been put on.
The finish system that I am now using is a three part operation. First I use a thin epoxy that I spray on the cue. It dries almost immediatly but I wait a couple of hours. Second , I spray between 4 and 25 coats of an U/V finish that I sand between coats. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes for each coat so sometimes it's pretty quick and other times is drug out. Third, I wait at least a day and then put on three coats of a specialty clear auto finish and then buff it all out. The auto finish is very easy to rub out taking less than ten minutes for the cue and the cue comes out extremely shiny with no buffing marks from turning in the lathe and it is a very durable finish
When I bought the U/V finish equipment I thought it would be a real time saver but I was mistaken. I don't like the final gloss, after rubbing out, with the U/V finish. I just use it as a filler or for small items that don't need rubbed out ( joint protectors, after market shafts, butt cap repairs and so on ).
Dick

 

[merylane]

I live in Omaha, NE and it is really humid here, not the best conditions for cue building I have tried two or three different types of clear but have had the best luck with BASF Limco. It isn't real expensive, so it is probably not real high end stuff. I am using an Astro detail gun (SATA knock off) with a 1mm tip, I thik. It seems to spray pretty good.

The main problems I've been having is trying to fill in all all the pores in some types of wood. A lot of the wood, say paduak for instance, just keeps sucking the clear into the pores and if I try to lay it on a little thick then you get the tiny little bubbles once it dries. By the time I get the pores filled in it seems like I have an inch of finish on the cue that I have to sand down. I just figured I must not be sealing the cue well enough or something. Keep in mind I have learned (or not learned) how to do the finishing by trial and error or from tips you guys have given here and in other forums.

I sure do appreciate any tips. Nothing is more frustrating than having a nice cue built and botching the finish two or three times before I get it right.

did you try the wipe on wipe off epoxy meth.?

after the cue is final sanded.

using a rubber glove smear epoxy all over the cue working it in all the pores...
then wipe it off totallywith a paper towl... then steel wool, twice is usually all it takes. be careful if using 5 min. west is good, devcon 2ton is best on holly it leaves it nice and white.

 

[CamposCues]

Sealing Cue

did you try the wipe on wipe off epoxy meth.?

after the cue is final sanded.

using a rubber glove smear epoxy all over the cue working it in all the pores...
then wipe it off totallywith a paper towl... then steel wool, twice is usually all it takes. be careful if using 5 min. west is good, devcon 2ton is best on holly it leaves it nice and white.

No, I have not tried that but I'll give it a shot the next time I have a cue ready to finish...which could be never now that I have my 2nd kid on the way

In reality, I'm probably just being a big sissy, but it's frustrating. The cue I just recently finished and will soon be refinishing came out great. The finish went on great except on this one pore in a paduak point. It kept blowing a bubble. I'd pop it while it was wet and fill it in a little and it would just blow another bubble. It kept that up several times. I finally just left it alone. The whole cue looks good except that one little spot. There is a hole in the finish a little smaller than a BB. I just thought I must not have gotten the wood sealed properly. Is it possible to fill that one bubble hole in after the fact or is it better to sand it down and re-spray it? Keep in mind I'm a rookie and am probably doing some of this stuff bass ackwards. I'm pretty sure I'll have it all down pat in the next 30 years, ha.