Conversion Varnish and Catalyzed Lacquer?

[schrammguitars]

What is the difference between a Conversion Varnish and Catalyzed Lacquer?

[charangohabsburg]

I never heard of conversion varnish. What kind of thing is this at all? What is it advertised to be used for? Which product (for an example) is a conversion varnish?

[kiwigeo]

A useful discussion here but when Allen chimes in we'll get a simple and informative run down from an expert.

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/C ... cquer.html

[charangohabsburg]

Thanks for the link Martin. It's a good start for me to get involved.

Pros: Far more durable. Especially in a kitchen or bath environment.

[Wayde Christie]

Hi all,

I've been looking into this myself.

John Bogdanovich uses this Sherwin-Williams conversion varnish: http://oem.sherwin-williams.com/product ... on-varnish

I'm interested in it because he claims his finish dries in 2 hours.

After some Googling, I've come to the conclusion that this product is not available in Australia.

I'm found one alternative though.

http://www.lagler.com.au/architects/sol ... atings.htm

This product is available for purchase here: http://hardwaremaster-px.rtrk.com.au/pr ... c-90-gloss

I'm thinking of giving it a go if I can get hold of some.

Anyone else tried it?

[Allen]

I've never heard of or used a conversion varnish as it's not used in my trade. But followed Wayde's link. It looks interesting.

I did see some items finished with a wipe on poly by Minwax over the weekend. They had a lovely thin finish that appeared to be hard as nails. The fellow that showed them to me is a retired spray painter. He was pretty impressed with the finish and how easy it was to apply. He wiped on one coat. Let sit overnight. Gave it a light scuff and sprayed on the second coat. (Thinned out with turps until he felt it was the correct viscosity.)