Nitro colour quality?

[Tony Done]

Do any of you think there is any qualitative difference in colour between nitro and the catalysed finishes?

It would be a part of the great nitro debate, but the reason I ask is because my mate used to stock Blade guitars, which had a thin nitro finish, and their good colours, especially the Candy Apple Red, really stood out on the racks compared to the poly-finished guitars next to them. Is this a general thing, or is it just that Blade were doing a particularly good job, regardless of finish type?

 

[wadeeinkauf]

Tony,
Here is a link to my test of one of Fender's 2k top coats.
http://www.tdpri.com/threads/my-test-of-simtec-2k-urethane-fender’s-top-coat.704659/
I have worked with clear nitro and with nitro tinted with trans tint dyes.
Look at the liquid nitro in the can. It has a natural brownish amber look to it in the can. This is the natural color of nitro. If you put on many coats on a light colored wood it will get pretty dark with this shade.
The Simtec Fender top coat I tested is crystal clear no matter how many coats you put on ......and you can use House of Kolor Kandy colors as a mid/color coat...or mix in the House of Kolor Kandy Koncentrators (pure pigments) into the simtec top coat and use that as a color/mid coat.

Here is my thinking on 2K verses nitro. Two very different animals. If you are reproducing a vintage guitar and want to stay as close to the original as possible use nitro. If you really do not care but just want a great looking finish (for me) simtec 2K urethane can not be beat. A very scratch resistance finish...almost bullet proof to all chemicals..It is very thin and does not have a "plastic" look.

If you wanted that nitro look....that slightly brownish amber color you could experiment with pigment mixed with the simtec to get it...

With the 2k Urethane and 2K polyester sanding sealer/filler you can finish your paint job in 3 days easy. Nitro 3 weeks...

Wade

 

[Tony Done]

Tony,
Here is a link to my test of one of Fender's 2k top coats.
http://www.tdpri.com/threads/my-test-of-simtec-2k-urethane-fender’s-top-coat.704659/


Wade

Thanks Wade for that link. I hadn't planned on attempting a fancy finish, but I think your opening sentence in the other thread answered my question. -

"My goal was to find a finish that looked as good as nitrocellulose lacquer". Which implies that you think nitro finishes generally (?) look better than poly. Your success with Simtec, and its apparent use by Fender is interesting though. It appears that not all polys are created equal. FWIW, those Blades really impressed me, the colours looked almost three dimensional, like a really good automotive paint job, though not as neat.

 

[wadeeinkauf]

Tony,
Working with a new product takes a bit of trial and error. With Lacquer you put on many, many coats so you can build your color by adjusting the dyes over many coats. With 2K products you really only have a very few coats to work with or it will get too thick. Simtec is a thinner urithaine ....it is not polyurithaine...not sure how this makes a difference. It is compatible with House of Kolor Kandy Kolors....so you can choose your color in a HOK Kandy base coat and then spray that with the Simtec top coat....or you can tint the Simtec top coat just like lacquer only you will only have 2 to 4 coats to work out the color you want.

If a guy from Mars arrived and was looking at using Nitro or Simtec he would wonder why anyone would use lacquer. It takes 3 week or longer to dry...almost any chemical that is spilled on it will ruin it. It scratches very easily.. When you are installing hardware after the 3 week dry time it is very easy to chip like ice if you are not careful in sanding out the holes for the pots if the hole is tight. Over time it checks, turns yellow.

Wade

 

[philosofriend]

Nitro has a different kind of gloss. I don't think the color is any different but the gloss makes the finish look deeper. Every thing that Wade says is annoying about nitro is true, but it still it is easy to use it to get a unique liquid glowing effect. This is especially true of the colors with transparent dyes: the candies and true transparent sunbursts.

 

[Rano Bass]

If properly applied, both finishes look great IMO.