Official Luthiers Forum!

Am going to finish next guitar with Mohawk Classic Instrument Laquor and wondered if anyone has any experience with it and what finish schedule they used. I am planning on pore filling with z poxy and then go with Mohawk e-z vinyl sealer for one or possibly two coats and then to the laquor for about 5 coats. Anyone see any problems with that?
Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

I use Mohawk CIL. I really like it.

Your schedule sounds good but you're not putting near enough lacquer on. It will shrink back a fair amount (like 50-60%) and 5 coats won't leave you enough for level sanding.

Here's what I do.

2 coats seal with shellac
pore fill (I use CA), sand back to wood carefully.
2 coats seal with shellac,
4 coats lacquer, cure overnight
light level sand with P600 grit wet just to knock down the high spots.
4 coats lacquer, cure 2-3 days
Drop fill any voids along purfling, binding, rosette, cure 2-3 days
Level sand with P600 grit wet being a bit more aggressive getting the surface level about 90% level.
4 light coats lacquer, cure 3-4 weeks
level sand P800, P1000, P1500, P2000, buff menzerna med, fine hand polish with Meguiar's mirror glaze swirl remover.
Stand back and fix my hair in the mirror shine.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Your schedule is about what I use for my ukes but I can't get away with 5 coats. It usually takes me about 10

_________________
http://goatrockukulele.com

you will have a better result with the vinyl sealer. I use this product and do like it.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Hey J,

That's an excellent schedule....z-poxy...vinyl sealer...lacquer. Do a thorough job on the pore fill and when you think you have it...apply a 50/50 washcoat of z-poxy/denatured alcohol. Do that and you'll need only one coat of vinyl sealer. There are guys who say vinyl sealer isn't even necessay with a z-poxy washcoat but the factory acted a little funny about that when we talked.

Make sure you use Mohawk's vinyl sealer with their lacquer...I had a conversation with Phillip (Phd chemist) at Mohawk who suggested that the chemical bond will be molecular if these directions are followed.

Mohawk classic instrument lacquer is the exact same product as Behlen...fyi. Made by the same factory.

Also, proper retarder, reducer, and lacquer ratios must be followed when shooting from a gun or a number of problems can follow. Spraying the lacquer with no retarder can result in a skinning of the film prior to releasing microbubbles. Too much retarder will seriously inhibit the hardening of the finish and delay final leveling and polishing. Here are the ratios that I use and give me the most latitude. A premixture of 5% retarder/95% reducer is mixed into the lacquer at a ratio of 1 parts per 4 parts. If there's any question about this make sure you understand. Also....the factory is MOST helpful and will hold your hand through the whole process if you call. Mind you, when buying aerosol cans the reducer and retarder ratios are established by the factory to be optimal for the pressure of the can, the orifice size....ect. In many respect using aerosol cans is simpler. I needed to use a gun and figure all this out but I used their aerosol cans to do my first guitar and it turned out very nicely for a first timer with nitro. Not sure where you're at as a builder.

I spray 8 coats of nitro. 4 coats the first day, knock down the nubs and 4 more coats the second day. No serious sanding between....just nubs. Splitting the layers into two sessions allows a LOT of gas to blow off overnight, which profoundly reduces the amount of time required before leveling and buffing. This advice, provided from Phillip at Mohawk, made a pretty big difference in my experience.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic