using blush eraser to get rid of orange peel on nitro?

[appar111]

Anyone done this? I thought I read somewhere (here or reranch) that someone used it fairly successfully to get rid of orange peel on nitro.

I'll be clearcoating a body w/ Minwax nitro. The body itself looks like an old wooden trunk and I just would like to reduce orange peel without having to wetsand. Doesn't need to be completely smooth like wetsanding would give me, but I'd like to avoid orange peel if possible.

[topzilly]

I think using a blush eraser may actually make the problem worse. I never use the stuff, but when I have seen it used, it was usually just to reflow the top most coat (in order to release moisture). I think trying to reflow several coats to reduce orange peel with leave you with a real uneven mess.

[appar111]

So you haven't done this? I'm not trying to reflow several coats, I would just spray it on the top most coat, as that's what it's designed for. Subsequent nitro coats melt into each other anyway, so it's only that top coat that I need to contend with.

I thought I had read that one of the added benefits of blush eraser is that in addition to releasing trapped moisture, it helps to level the top coat.

[otterhound]

Just buff the orange peel out .

[topzilly]

Nope, haven't done it myself. But I think if you are trying to knock down orange peel sanding is the better method. If you spray blush eraser or lacquer thinner mixed with retarder or anything to reflow a coat, then you have to wait for it to dry and then see if it was successful or not. If you sand then you can see your progress and you can stop when you get rid of the orange peel. You are removing lacquer, sure, but I think you would get better control over the surface. I can't really say if your method will work or not, I guess my point was that the potential for things to get worse are greater than if you block sanded the orange peel out.

[appar111]

I guess I'm also trying to avoid putting too much finish on to begin with. If I do thin enough coats, perhaps I won't even get orange peel?

[Colt W. Knight]

appar111, its fairly common for guys to spray a thin coat of lacquer retarder after their last coat of clear make the lacquer flow and even out making it smoother and easier to buff out.

I think blush eraser and lacquer retarder are very, very similiar if not the same.

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by topzilly

Nope, haven't done it myself. But I think if you are trying to knock down orange peel sanding is the better method. If you spray blush eraser or lacquer thinner mixed with retarder or anything to reflow a coat, then you have to wait for it to dry and then see if it was successful or not. If you sand then you can see your progress and you can stop when you get rid of the orange peel. You are removing lacquer, sure, but I think you would get better control over the surface. I can't really say if your method will work or not, I guess my point was that the potential for things to get worse are greater than if you block sanded the orange peel out.

It doesn't take it very long at all to dry to the touch. It does take a while to dry enough to buff.

[musicalmartin]

In the UK its called leveller and is basically pure high quality thinners .I just shoot thinners from a gun but am not doing large areas like guitars .I used it from spray cans OK on an auto and a motorcycle tank .very useful stuff .i use it just when the top coat is drying off but still very soft to get a high quality smooth gloss finish .Not sure it works once the nitro has dried out for a while .For bad orange peel there is only blood sweat and tears ...and a lot of careful sanding .

[twangplank]

I'm a cabinet finisher and when I have a small area of blush or a rough spot after the final coat I get a clean cotton cloth with a little laquer thinner and retarder and LIGHTLY wipe over it. Sometimes it does just the trick. But if not careful it can leave tracks in the lacquer from the cloth. Personally I think you will have to sand and buff to truely remove orange peal

[otterhound]

What is this obsession with sanding ?
Personally , it doesn't matter one way or the other how you do this .
Hey appar111 , why not try the way that I am describing on a test piece in order to prove it wrong and then post here about how foolish I am ?
Struggle needlessly , if you must .

[Muddy T-Bone]

I've been spraying either lacquer thinner or blush retarder over the final lacquer coat for 20++ years now. It's a great trick to smooth out some orange peel. Lay it over the last coat of lacquer while its still wet.

This just smooths out the finish so less sanding is involved. It does not eliminate final finish sanding.

[otterhound]

It does not eliminate final finish sanding.[/QUOTE]
Suffice it to say that both Martin and Taylor do not sand their lacquer . Must explain their poor finish quality . There is another way . This does not mean that I am saying that your way is wrong . On the contrary , they both work . It's just that the one way requires considerably more time and effort .
I was taught/shown the no sand method by a man named Dale Bartholomew . He is retired from Martin after putting in over 30 years . The no sand process is the way he does it and his work is second to none . Numerous professional builders use him . .007"-.009" finish thickness .
Please consider this .
I am an advocate for efficiency .

[Shepherd]

So whats this no sand process? Does it apply only to the final coat?

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by Shepherd

So whats this no sand process? Does it apply only to the final coat?

The answer is no . I showed this earlier under "why sand lacquer?" . You simply skip the sanding and buff the lacquer . This does not apply if you have runs . Runs need to be sanded .

[appar111]

Originally Posted by otterhound

What is this obsession with sanding ?
Personally , it doesn't matter one way or the other how you do this .
Hey appar111 , why not try the way that I am describing on a test piece in order to prove it wrong and then post here about how foolish I am ?
Struggle needlessly , if you must .

seems that a quick spray of bush eraser would be struggling alot less needlessly than sanding?

I'm just trying to avoid sanding as much if possible.

[appar111]

Originally Posted by Muddy T-Bone

I've been spraying either lacquer thinner or blush retarder over the final lacquer coat for 20++ years now. It's a great trick to smooth out some orange peel. Lay it over the last coat of lacquer while its still wet.

This just smooths out the finish so less sanding is involved. It does not eliminate final finish sanding.

that's what I'm after, that's all

[elmicko]

Originally Posted by Muddy T-Bone

I've been spraying either lacquer thinner or blush retarder over the final lacquer coat for 20++ years now. It's a great trick to smooth out some orange peel. Lay it over the last coat of lacquer while its still wet.

This just smooths out the finish so less sanding is involved. It does not eliminate final finish sanding.

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm dealing with some orange peel on a headstock I'm working on. Is there a rattle can version of lacquer thinner or blush retarder readily available at Lowes, etc?

[Bud Veazey]

Originally Posted by elmicko

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm dealing with some orange peel on a headstock I'm working on. Is there a rattle can version of lacquer thinner or blush retarder readily available at Lowes, etc?

Here it is: https://www.stewmac.com/Shopping?act...over&x=34&y=21

You won't find it at Lowes or Home Depot, but you might find it at a old style hardware store that specializes in woodworking.