Durobond laquer

[kiwigeo]

I just noticed Carbatec Sydney are stocking Durabond guitar laquer. I notice one of Gerard Gilets guitars appears in the ad so I assume he's using it. Anyone used this stuff and is it any good?

http://www.carbatec.com.au/durobond-gui ... uer_c20824

[jeffhigh]

I used it about 5 years ago on some solid body guitars
Works well and they still look good.

[woodrat]

Hi Martin, Darrell at Gilet's told me that they use it. I contacted the company and found that its at least twice as expensive as Mirotone 3220 which I use. I dont see a reason to change at this stage from the Mirotone.

[kiwigeo]

Thanks for the feedback

[Clancy]

It's what I use when I spray, & when I bought mine I picked some up for Graham McD.
I didn't find it more expensive than anything else, but then I didn't have to pay for any freight.

[Kim]

Given that you are in SA Marty it may pay to investigate Protec as they have their head office in Gillman SA. I have used their Catalac Gloss HS pre-cat lacquer (Product # 516-9108) and thinned by 50% as per Allen's tutorial I am very happy with the results. Nice and thin with great gloss level yet tough as nails.

They do a large range of products but their focus is very much on supplying industry. That means reps in cars rather than a worth while web presents. It also means that their product line is not something you can just walk into bunnies to buy off the shelf. But they do have a dealership network across AU and last time I ordered I had one of the local WA distributor send down a 1lt tin @ $23.00 via courier for an extra $7.00 so it was $30.00 all up and it only took a phone call rather than a drive and time wasted in traffic.

http://www.protec.com.au/distributors-b ... /i1001238/

For thinners I used a 'Premium' lacquer thinners (think its 3M Brand) that I got from Super Cheap Auto when they had one of their 20% off everything sale and I added about 10% XIM X-Tender to that as a retarder to assist levelling and prevent dry spray. It worked out to be easy to apply with my small gun as the XIM X-Tender allowed the wet edge to remain visible long enough to allow even me to get the correct over lap for a nice even result. Not sure where you would get XIM X-Tender in SA but I got my tin from the local Dulux Paint shop. Here's what to look for.



http://www.ximbonder.com/products_detail.asp?id=55

Cheers

Kim

[kiwigeo]

Not sure where you would get XIM X-Tender in SA but I got my tin from the local Dulux Paint shop. Here's what to look for.

Thanks for the info Kim.

[Trevor Gore]

I use the stuff for anything that needs a nitro finish. It's just about as idiot proof as nitro gets. Dilute it about 50% with their thinners and don't spray at RH >60% or you'll get blooming. You can wet sand it after ~24 hours. It takes a while to harden up for buffing (I give it a week) but I've never seen it craze. It seems to be fully hard after about 4 weeks.

Trevor Gore

[J.F. Custom]

I've used it as well Martin.

Easy to work with and looks good. I tried it as it was recommended to me many years ago for it's "superior" clarity. The manufacturer claims to have created (through additives and processing) the right blend of flexibility and durability in a lacquer, as required for guitars.

The caveat is the freight - this just about kills it as a viable option outside of NSW. At least, it did years ago - perhaps there are cheaper dangerous goods carriers now. Nevertheless, once you add the DG delivery to the price, you do wonder whether the product is truly worth it over say Mirotone, which yields very good results and is far more accessible - therefore economical.

Jeremy.

[Allen]

I contacted them about 3 years ago and the shipping was about twice the price of the product. Guess which I'm using still.

Also, I've been around long enough to have heard every line under the sun about how much better ones product is than the competition. It gets old pretty quick. My advice is to stick to what you are use to and make the most of it. Switching because some one says it's better without having a problem with what you are using is just not enough of a reason to commit to learning something new and taking the chance of things going pear shaped.

[kiwigeo]

Switching because some one says it's better without having a problem with what you are using is just not enough of a reason to commit to learning something new and taking the chance of things going pear shaped.

Good advice Allen. Im about to have my first go at laquer after french polishing all previous builds.