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I have a request to build a guitar with a finish having less sheen than high gloss;
the customer has asked for something close to a Lowden type of finish.

I have never done that. Can someone provide me with some guidance here?

I am used to using EM 7000 acrylic lacquer and would prefer to use that but not
buff it to high gloss, if possible.

Thanks

If you want a satin finish you should use one. I recommend General Finishes Enduro-Var.
If you use a gloss finish there will be places that will gloss up with use.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

I'm fairly confident that lowden uses a water based lacquer (the ones I've seen with dark woods have the blue hue) and then they are levelled and 'satined' by scuffing meticulously with grain using steel wool to knock down the shine. When you hold them to the light you can see the fine scratches...

If you are used to EM7000, why not use EM7000 satin?

Poor way to achieve a satin type finish? I've tried the wirewool method a few times and the fine scratches are always evident.
Perhaps it's better to use a matting agent.

Perhaps, but a Lowden finish looks pretty snappy...

. . . even though the scratches are evident? I know that you have to view the instrument/finish at a certain angle to see them but there must be a better way to produce a matte finish. A few coats of Danish Oil is far superior IMO although it obviously won't have the protective qualities of other finishes. At least you don't have to resort to scratches to diffuse the light. Surely matting agents are the way to go.

Scuffing a gloss finish to achieve a satin one is a bad, bad idea, as it is only temporary. In little time, the player will gloss-up the areas that he/she touches/holds, and then you have a partly glossy, partly satin guitar. Fugly, to say the least..

You want satin, start with satin....

That happens to poly spray satins as well. Lowdens fetch a pretty fair price, paid for by scrutinizing buyers, sold by discriminating sellers, so it can't be all bad...

Most all satin finishes done on a production basis are accomplished by adding"flatenners" to the coating. It is usually a paste that it's mixed into the coating. Once dried these agents act to refract light rather than reflect it causing a satin sheen while still yielding a smooth surface. You can adjust the sheen by how much you add. I really doubt that anyone building more than a handful of anything for sale and profit is creating a satin finish by scuffing down a gloss. As Todd pointed out that would take as long if not longer to accomplish than a buffed out one, especially if you want it to look even.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

A wipe on varnish finish can give you a lower sheen. Here's an article with some very good information about making your own wipe on finish. http://www.hardwoodlumberandmore.com/Articles/ArticleViewPage/tabid/75/ArticleId/5/Wipe-on-Varnish.aspx If you want a lower sheen you can steel wool the next to last coat and then apply your last coat and remove almost all of it. It takes some practice but you get a nice sheen without the scratches. I like the Liberon steel wool because it is more uniform and finer than most others and it doesn't have any oil in it. http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=Abrasives&NameProdHeader=Steel+Wool You can finish it off with a wax polish if you like.

This is an Arm-R-Seal wipe on oil and urethane finish follwed by a wax polish. It might be the look you are going for. I used a wipe on varnish for the top for more protection.

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

Thanks everyone.