Official Luthiers Forum!

Larry D,

Thanks for joining the forum to give us feedback on this product.

In the past, a lot of folks have had problems with water based lacquer finishes due to the bluish tint the acrylic adds to the finish which is more apparent when used over darker woods. I've read the PolyWhey is a blend of both Acylic and Urethane. Without giving out any proprietary info, is it possible we could find out how much acrylic is used so we would have an idea how much of a problem we might have with the blue cast issue? Is there a difference in the ratio of acrylic to urethane between the furniture product and the wipe-on product?

Thanks.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Has anybody got som pics of a dark wood guitar finsihed in gloss???

Mike

Here's something: after buffing out I found I could get the gloss up even further by hand polishing it with Novus 2 plastic polish. In a test I did today I hit the finish hard enough with my fingernails to leave some just visible scratches. I polished again with the Novus and they seemed to disappear.

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

I'm attaching three pictures (I hope, and thanks WudWerkr about how to use "paint" to reduce size for posting) and suspect they are not in the proper order, but I'm trying to finish my first two guitars with the satin PolyWhey. I've brushed the finish on with a foam brush on the back and sides (French polishing the tops, another interesting experiment). I did seal with a few coats of shellac, but did not fill the pores. The mahogany pores seemed to fill fine, although the mahogany is "royal" so not sure it is a true test of how well mahogany pores will fill. The second guitar is zebrawood which has bigger pores, they have not fill as well, but can't say I dislike the finish. Have 6-8 coats on each (sorry, lost count), and they have a week to go before I can polish/buff. Just wanted to let some of you know about the pore filling. Maybe brushing isn't the way to go if you want totally filled pores in 6-8 coats, but I'm okay with both of them right now (maybe my lower newbie standards). I do like the PolyWhey so far, basically no odor, and dries quickly IMO. Hope the pictures are attached, or I will feel like an idiot.

Marty

Just a heads up - it's too cold to ship the Polywhey at this time - they may ship Monday if the weather warms. I'm ready for finish, that will be a long wait till it gets here.

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Thank You and Best To All

I wet sanded up to P1500 then used the Novus #2 to hand buff. I got a decent shine that way even though I only waited a week. I need to do some more finishing so I'll be looking forward to see how it comes out with a 3 week wait.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Any thoughts about using CrystaLac filler under the Poly Whey?

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Steve, in my view, if you can easily buff up to a shine by hand, that's an indication the finish is not all that hard. If you have some scrap, keep on testing the hardness just using your thumbnail and you'll see a difference over the next couple of weeks. On the hand, I guess as long as you are careful in handling, there's no harm done. I hate waiting myself but I probably would because I hate making a mark in my finish during final assembly even more.

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Just curious - polish/buff satin finish?

_________________
Thank You and Best To All

Pat, I do the polish with a rag by hand but use a buff on an ROS to shine it up so I wasn't exactly clear. We'll have to see how it goes. A buffer is on my list when I figure out where to put it - I don't have a whole lot of space.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Sorry, Larry, I was asleep at the wheel. I did use the satin PolyWhey on most of the guitars, but French polished the tops. Anyway following the instructions on the milburnguitars site, I polished the tops with Meguiar's #7 with cotton rag, and while at it I did the rest of the guitar as well. Just figured I'd have an extra level of protection. Hope that answers your question.

Marty

I did a couple of test panels on the Wipe-on PolyWhey Gloss. It was easy to apply and build. Looked very nice and glossy.

After sitting for 2 weeks I found that very lightly pressing it with my fingernail or thumbnail would leave an indention in the finish (not the wood).

Since both Pat and Steve, per above postings, have test panels/guitars that are a couple of months old I contacted them to see what their experience is now regarding the the hardness of this finish. They both reported that after two months they can easily indent the finish today with a fingernail. While it may be harder than some other waterborne finishes, it is not near as hard as lacquer and it will mark fairly easily.

This does not rule it out as a guitar finish if the user accepts the softer finish criteria for end use. (i.e. dinging and scratching from easy use is not an important issue.)

I hope this feedback helps. What are others seeing?

Ed

I'm seeing the same thing. The new KTM is going to wipe the floor with it.

Agreed 1000%. The only problem is you can't get any more right now. I have a git that I'm going over the Poly Whey with the KTM 10 because it lays down better, drys faster, drys harder and performs in every way better than Poly Whey. I just don't have enough to finish the 2 guits I'm building.

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Thank You and Best To All

I think this is still a good option. After all, a lot of people are happy with Tru Oil and it's about as soft as it gets.

FYI, I just did the same test on a guitar I finished with EM6000 about 3 or 4 years ago. It was even softer.

I've never tried KTM, maybe I'll have to give it a shot. You say a new version is coming out?

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Poly Whey is a really good water borne finish. The new KTM (will probably be called KTM-10 and is still in testing) is a GREAT water borne finish.

It dries really fast, lays down really well, and gets really hard. I can BARELY get a mark with my finger nail with enough force to bend my nail over. That's after about 10 days.

Time is the only true test but if you go to their web site you'll find amazing testimonials to its qualities.

Like I said the only down side - and it's a big one - is you can't get any

_________________
Thank You and Best To All

Like I said the only down side - and it's a big one - is you can't get any




Well, I'll keep an eye out for it.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Likewise. If the feedback provided by the field testers is anything to go by, KTM-10 is the waterborne many of us have been waiting for. Here's a link should anyone be curious: http://www.ktmfinishes.com/ktm-10-t2009

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Cheers
Pete

I'm still in the middle of my first Poly Whey finish. Would have been further along but I sanded through on the sides.

It may be softer that lacquer, but I wouldn't call it soft.

I'm going to follow through & see how it turns out.

The Poly Whey smells like other water based poly's I've used, sort of like amonia. Does the KTM smell similar? Would you spray it in your basement without concern for stink?

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

The KTM smells like water based poly, maybe a bit milder.

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Thank You and Best To All

No strong smell on KTM-10 and clear as a bell. Haven't seen a bluish tint either. Buffs to a very high gloss. Unlike KTM -SV, dries on oily wood (at least on the Cocobolo I tested with).

Key is to finish sand soon after spraying......within 2 days, as it gets harder with time. Carborundum Premier Red Dri Lube paper works great on it for dry sanding.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Here's a pic of some KTM-10 BEFORE sanding. I'll have to remember Darryl's advice because this has been sitting about 10 days. I'll post an after pic when it's buffed. Oh yeah this was applied with a foam brush - 10 or 12 coats.

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Thank You and Best To All

Any updates/new info on the Poly Whey finish? I am experimenting with gloss furniture version as we speak.

James

I gave up on it once I got the new KTM sample...

Is the new KTM available?? I only have a quart of the Poly Whey, so I am not into it very deep

James