simple lacquer finish - should I use nitro ?

markblack · September 2023

I'm working on a new build, it's an alder body that I would like to finish in a simple lacquer finish.

I had a can of Northwest Guitar amber tinted lacquer to hand and I did a little test and I like the look of it.

My questions are:

I'm a bit intimated by nitro, the long curing times etc. Do you have to wait a long time for it to cure?

I would like to try and lacquer checking, relicing, how many coats of nitro would you have to use to try this?

Is there something simpler / better to use?

project WIP:

test scrap:

Cheers

Mark

WezV · September 2023

If your doing a couple of thin coats then you can do it as a quick finish. It will continue to sink in and wear, but I think you will be okay with that for a simple worn finish

If you want proper checking it's better to follow the steps of sealer, colour, clear.... and a good cure time for it to harden before you try to force temperature checking. How long depends on how thick you lay it on.

It's very nuanced after that. A thick clear coat will check differently to a thin one, but will also be affected by the layers and wood below and how you chose to make it happen

You can get good results simply and with a little luck, but it takes a while to be able to get a controllable "randomness" that consistently looks good.

markblack · September 2023

@WezV thanks for that I'll give it a go!

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simple lacquer finish - should I use nitro ?

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