Nitro Rattle Cans: ReRanch Vs. Gracey's

[Record83]

Hey everyone. I am new to this whole thing (both the forum and guitar finishing) so please bare with me...

I am trying out some different Nitrocellulose aerosol sprays. I want to compare how the different brands apply, what issues I might come across and to A/B the final results.

I have decided to finish two pieces of scrap wood in "Desert Sand" using Guitar ReRanch and the new Gracey's Vintage sprays.

I have two planks of alder. I sanded them up to 150 grit. I am only focusing on one side the edges...so no grain filling or great attention to detail and wood prep. This is only a test...

Here are both of the Alder planks...

[Record83]

Please excuse my super ghetto outdoor spray-rig. I knew I had a use for that broken mic stand...

[Record83]

I have been chomping at the bit to spray some nitro. A couple weeks ago it got into the 80s here in Chicagoland and I sprayed another plank of Alder with Behlen Vinyl Sealer and Stringed Instrument Lacquer aerosols. It came out great!

I spoke with Ben who runs Madison Music and has the Gracey's Vintage Spray line. He is very helpful and courteous. Spent a lot of time on the phone with him getting tips and talking shop.

I also placed an order with ReRanch. I didn't speak with anyone there, but my order was shipped promptly and they already have a great reputation.

Warming up the lacquer...

[Record83]

Unfortunately I had two things that didn't go as planned....

When I started sanding my wood this morning it was sunny and hot. By the time I got the spray stuff ready it was totally overcast and the temperature dropped!

Another problem was that I only sanded to 150 grit. Everything else I have pracitced on was up to 220 or 320 with great results. I guess I have other more important things to do...or I am just impatient...

Here is what the boards looked like after two light mist coats of sanding sealer. The shorter plank on the left is Gracey's and the right is ReRanch...

[Record83]

I must admit that between the two I got much better coverage and power out of the ReRanch. The Gracey can actually got cold and started condensing on my second pass even after heating it up. The ReRanch seemed to flow better and get an even coverage. I used the same tip with both cans, which was the standard tip (not the adjustable fan tip).

Now keep in mind that I am still new and I have to spray outside IN THE WIND which really SUCKS....

I also got terrible grain raising with both. I am assuming this is because I only sanded to 150. My behlen project had no grain raising at all. This might be due to the temp change as well...

I shot both of them with a light mist coat, waited 2 mins and repeated, then waited 20 mins and did the same. Here is what they look like after two coats (4 light mists):

[flyingbanana]

Also, you'll want to spray some white primer first...

[Record83]

I was debating to use a primer, but actually Ben with Gracey's said that his stuff didn't need a primer: a good few coats with the sealer would be enough and to use desert sand if I did need a primer. I decided to go that route. However, considering that I need to maybe slow down this process and do things right, I may sand back to wood and sand to a finer grit and maybe consider a primer.

[flyingbanana]

The proper method would be to sand the alder to 320. Then lay down a few good coats of white primer. By laying down the primer before you spray the color, you'll have a better outcome, and the Desert Sand will look like it's supposed to look.

But to each his own...