UV curing system

[RSB-Refugee]

The UV system does cure 3 components at a time, and if you choose to spray your cues, you do have to spray them and move them to the UV unit.

Do they go in the unit, horzontally, or do they hang? Now, here's the dumb question. How do you get them to the unit, without getting finger prints all over them?

I did not want to make this a sales pitch...

Don't worry about it. I can't blame a guy for trying.

Tracy

 

[Cue Crazy]

Has anyone used any lights to help harden epoxy sealers that did'nt cost over a thousand bucks? Considering time was'nt as much of an issue ofcoarse.
I know they don't compare, but I have felt some intense heat out of a few hardware store type bulbs before, altough never tried it to see If they helped at all. I'm not refering to uv curable epoxies, but standard 2-parts. Some I've tried, I don't care for the way they cure, sand, or the idea of overdoing it on the hardener, and wondering if some time under lights would help any, If I built a fixture to hold them close to the cue while It rotated. I'm just hoping to slightly harden the sealer, so would'nt expect miracles, and understand the chemical reaction that cures them are different. With winter coming upon me and colder weather working It's way down here, I know the issue will probably only get worse, so I'm grasping at straws with this Idea here .

Greg

 

[billiardbum]

I'm understanding you right.............if done properly and the finish is cured properly it can be buffed and will shine as good or better? than using auto coat?

Dave - Yes, and no... If properly cured, and using the right finish, it can be better than clearcoat. The cue we took to the Hopkins show last year, could not sit next to the cuemakers cues, because it was much brighter.

 

[billiardbum]

When I got my system about 4 years ago, I talked to whom, I assume, was the owner of American Ultra-violet and the light I purchased was the one that he recommended. The first finish i used was Helor Hi-Water finish and sealers from a guy out in California. This stuff was horrible. Paul Dayton turned me onto some stuff and gave me some hints that has made life much simpler. He sprays an auto finish over the U.V. as it makes it so much easier to rub out. That is also the way I've been doing it for the past three years or so. Very easy and looks good. Last week I was rubbing out cues and I rubbed out one by accident that I hadn't yet sprayed auto clear onto and it looked just as good and was just as easy to rub out. This finish costs 105.00 a gallon and they have a sealer that works great for less than 60.00 a gallon. Maybe it's not that I have the wrong light but that you have the wrong finish. At any rate, I'm happy with my system as I'm sure your happy with yours.

Dick

What we are trying to get rid of is spraying Auto Clear coat over the UV finish. Paul Dayton helped a ton in the development of the finish and our booth, Kudos to him. His finish did not meet our specs, but started us on the road the a finish that would buff to a high gloss without using auto clear over the existing UV finish. Most of the finishes also did not hold up to the chip test either, they would lift or not adhere to the surface under each coat. If any cuemaker is happy with the way the finish is working out, I say do not change it. I just was letting everyone know, that during the development process, some UV finishes will not cure with the cheapest light available. This in return IMO will not let the UV finish be buffed to its highest gloss.

 

[billiardbum]

Do they go in the unit, horzontally, or do they hang? Now, here's the dumb question. How do you get them to the unit, without getting finger prints all over them?


Don't worry about it. I can't blame a guy for trying.

Tracy

The butts or shafts are placed between rotating centers, with a Drive on each component. The light lays cross ways to cover all 3 components during the UV Process. The light is trapped into a cooling enclosure, until you are ready to scan the components. The light scans the cue and returns to the enclosure, so there is no light exposure.

Taking the cues from the spray booth, to the UV unit, can be achieved by using the Drive or the wrap groove.

 

[Cornerman]

Companies advertize that the light only has to be directed at the finish for 2 to 4 seconds but I leave it there for about 15 seconds.

I'm confused. Maybe this is a good opportunity for some cross-education. When I say I'm confused, I mean I'm confused because I probably have purchased two dozen or more UV systems in the past few years. In my industry, I have to know as much about these systems as reasonable. On retrospect, it's easily more than two dozen.

That being said, every ink, every adhesive, every whatever that I have to UV cure is chemically formulated specifically to be UV cured with UV polymers. I can't just get anything off the shelf and expect it to UV cure. If it's ink, it has to be UV-curable ink. If it's glue, it has to be UV-curable glue. I can blast it for several seconds with a UV light, and it may cure, but if it takes more than a couple of seconds to cure the surface, it usually means it's the heat, not the UV that is doing the curing. Also, in my industry, too much UV can destroy the product, so the formulation and the process has to be correct.

That being said, there is certainly the probability that only the surface is being cured, and that the liquid continues to set under the surface. So, I guess that's the biggest issue if you're going to sand and repeat.

So, there's my input. FWIW.

Fred

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

So what your..........

Dave - Yes, and no... If properly cured, and using the right finish, it can be better than clearcoat. The cue we took to the Hopkins show last year, could not sit next to the cuemakers cues, because it was much brighter.

telling me is.....It has a future so bright it has to wear shades?!?

 

[ratcues]

So what does the American Ultra-violet systems cost? ballpark?

I don't want anyone giving away their secrets but I interested in a new finishing method.