Hi Don, Scott, Gary,

I'm sorry I "posted and ran", but the weekend got eaten up with overdue
landscape work, drywall repairs, and painting.  I snuck away for a
little while and came back to find a gold mine of info.  You guys are
great!

Now I'm all curious about just what _should_be in a can of lacquer.  My
cabinets aren't deserving of the really good stuff Scott described, but
I'll take a close look at the ingredients before I buy my supplies.
I definitely don't want to end up with some plasticky meass peeling off
the old finish.

So it sounds like I'll need to build up some areas of missing finish
(Scott's eydropper technique, sounds easier said than done), then go
over with some full coats.

Don, what do you use for rubbing out the final coat?  Fine steel wool?
I imagine using a gloss lacquer will give a harder finish, but I'll
probably try to knock it back to a semi-gloss.

Thanks, guys, this sounds do-able.  I'll make some trial runs the next
couple of days.

Best,

Norm

On 21 Apr., Don Schwartz wrote:
> 
> On 4/21/2012 3:02 PM, gary may wrote:
> >Hi Don---
> >   Sounds like fun, where do you start?
> > >  ----I haven't done it, by my Dad and Grandfather did, brush lacquer, and 
they had a brushing solution that took a pretty long time to dry---it worked pre
tty much like shellac.
> > >   The main problem was dust getting on, bugs landing on, little gam 'testi
ng' for dry, the usual varnish probs.
> > >   I know industrial spraypainters who use slow thinners---I'm sure there's
 a way to make the stuff as slow as you'd like it to be.  I *do* like lacquer, p
roperly done, but I've been anti-lacquer for so long on account of contemporary 
guys and their work. They use stuff that dries almost instantly, often before it
 arrives at the target. Modern commercial lacquered cabinets looks pretty bad ge
nerally, and just OK at best, IMHO.
> > >   Stuff my Grandfather did 70 and 80 years ago looks great today. He used 
 paste floor wax on top, btw.
> >                  keep in touch---gam in OlyWA
> >
> >
> >If you were Einstein's father, we wouldn't have the bomb." Peggy Hill
> >
> >
> >--- On Sat, 4/21/12, Don Schwartz  wrote:
> >
> >  Norm
> >>Sounds like lacquer alright. I haven't used the Deft product
> >>but it
> >>should do you fine. The main thing with lacquer (apart from
> >>excellent
> >>ventilation and no fires burning) is you have to be quick,
> >>then leave it
> >>alone to dry. Follow mfr's instructions, especially where it
> >>says 'light
> >>coats'. Practice somewhere it doesn't matter. Find out how
> >>much you need
> >>to thin it in order to keep it under control. Bonus with
> >>lacquer is if
> >>you mess up, it comes back off easily! FWIW
> >>Don
> >>
> >>
> I see the Deft products are available at LV, and would take that as
> a product endorsement, considering their generous returns policy.
> Given the choice, I would choose the gloss product, and rub down my
> final coat to the desired gleam. Then maybe wax.
> 
> I have used the Minwax product line. I've never bothered with the
> sanding sealer, as I hate sanding ;-). There might be times when you
> want it, but I haven't run into that. I prefer to multicoat the same
> product instead. As with shellac, you have to learn to move quickly
> and confidently with a brush more or less full of the stuff. I takes
> some practice. Use your best brush, no foamies! Stir, don't shake
> the can. I use generic lacquer thinner, never straight acetone, if I
> wish to thin it.
> 
> They say you don't have to sand between coats which is true. Except
> if you get dust nibs, hair, brush or critter tracks, etc . After
> that, wipe down with mineral spirits (twice, with clean rags both
> times!) and wait for that to dry before re-coating. Brushing lacquer
> does dry very quickly (at least here in Calgary it does) but I still
> wait overnight before re-coating,  being in no hurry to finish ;-)
> Stop re-coating when you think it's had enough.
> 
> Don
> 
> -- 
> I have tried too in my time, to be a philosopher; but I don't know
> how, cheerfulness was always breaking in. - Oliver Edwards
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