UV Cured Lacquer

[Jeff Perkins]

Hey Guys,

I'm interested in getting into the UV cured lacquer. I've been able to find the curing light, but have no idea where to get the lacquer, or even what it's called??? Ant help would be appreciated. Frank, I know you use this method. Where do you get your supplies, and what brand of Lacquer do you use?

 

[Todd Mylet]

There are several finishes you need to do UV finishing.  They all used to be supplied by Lawrence McFaddens's but they are out of business.  I have some supplies left from McFaddens, some from a company that bought some of McFadden's formulas, and some from a new supply that supplies Taylor Guitars with their material.  I would suggest trying to obtain all the supplies from the latter.  The company is called Simtec and their phone number is 951-279-7010.  They are in California, I think.  Since I haven't actually purchased all the different finishes needed from Simtec, I'm not certain they sell them all.  But I bet they do.

 

You need four finishes.  First, you need the UV cured polyester top coat.  This is definitely available from Simtec.  They call it Prestec UV cure, #37x2 UV Cure.  Second, you need the UV cured gel pore filler, probably in clear and brown.  This I have only purchased from McFaddens.  Their part numbers were F-7998 for clear and F-7983 for brown.  I'll bet Simtec has something similar.  Finally, you need a sealer/isolator to use on oily woods like rosewood.  This is a two part polyurethane sealer that prevent the oils in the wood from reacting with the pore filler and top coats.  McFadden's part number for these was R 1704 for the urethane and CV-2117 for the required hardener.  I have also purchased these from Seagraves coatings, the company that bought some of McFadden's formulas.  But I would try to get something similar from Simtec first, as Seagraves has high minimum order requirements and poor customer service.

 

Sometimes finding supplies seems much harder than it needs to be.