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I was wondering if any of you have used this and if so what did you think?
http://oem.sherwin-williams.com/us/eng/ ... _topcoats/

Have not tried that one, but my experiences with other low VOC finishes has not been that good. The man who owns the cabinet shop I run wanted to be more eco-friendly so we tried a few of these finishes. We went back to traditional products as we could never get the results from the green stuff. That was 2 years ago and formulations may have improved, but I have seen nothing new from my supplier.

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Brian

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

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Hey Brian, what was the problem with the stuff you guys used? What were the cure times like? Some of the guys over on the telecaster forum love this SW LOVOC stuff but it's on teles and not archtops. I'm particularily fascinated by the claim of being able to buff it out in four days.

Sherwin Williams bought ML campbell some time ago, ML Campbell is the more industrial product line. If you are considering a sherwin williams product, you may want to look into the ML Campbell stuff. I have used their catalized products for cabinets, great stuff, I have been considering their waterbased products to try for my next gallon at home.

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http://shastaguitar.com/
http://www.kalimbakit.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/comfyfootgr ... ature=mhee
http://www.facebook.com/robert.renick.7

ML Campbel is my supplier. Clarity of finish was a problem with the ones we sampled. They all tended to look "artificial". They do not offer a finish like the one described in that link as they are geared toward production shops and expect us to make our own reduction package according to conditions. That coating is geared more toward the consumer market, rather than professional use despite what the add copy may say.My experience with coatings like the one you mention has been they do not have great flow as packaged even though they are labeled ready to spray. You will most likely need to add some reducer/retarder to get good flow, then of course at that point you are no longer low VOC and actually in violation of federal law. If you do spray right from the can as labeled, plan to sand back really hard to get a good smooth finish.

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Brian

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

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I think that's been the case for years. Anyone remember Hydrocote? Even the highly regarded KTM-9, wasn't up for the challenge. While it looked initially looked good, I saw the finish start to have problems, at least from the quart I was working from. It sprayed okay though, so it worked okay from that standpoint. But, I have a lot more nitro spray experience.

The green police have some kinks to work out. I wish they'd figure this stuff out before they legislate...

The product that I have been using for other projects is the Crytalac water based lacquer. I do need the reducer to get acceptable flow, I also use a double boiler and warm the product up a bit in the spray cup, a bit of a pain, but it does help flow.

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http://shastaguitar.com/
http://www.kalimbakit.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/comfyfootgr ... ature=mhee
http://www.facebook.com/robert.renick.7

I used that for my first few instruments. It was great to work with. I stopped using it when I had to refinish one because it did not hold up to a players skin/oils. It bubbled up on the lower bout where he rested his arm and on the neck under his thumb.

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

Hi Steve. I had two guitars done in ktm-9 that responded similarly. One personal, another for someone else. His sweat/oils destroyed the finish on the neck. Complete strip & refinish was needed. The body will need it too. On Mine, the finish degraded less dramatically. I hit the back of the neck with 1000 or 2000 grit just to knock off the rough patches. Seems worse on the pores If I remember.... Both necks mahogany, bodies different. Finish seemed a little too soft.