The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Furniture Finishing
Sealers are usually sold ready for spraying but on some occasions it may be advisable to reduce with lacquer reducer. In event of spraying during damp or humid days be sure to add blush retarder if any trace of blushing appears.
Always spray slow enough to get a wet coat on your work thereby insuring a smooth finish with little sanding necessary before recoating. Any flooding should be immediately brushed up and re-sprayed to eliminate brush marks that might show. Do not use over 50 lbs. air pressure for best results and be sure that the oil and water filter works effectively.
Spraying Nitro-cellulose Lacquers.—Unlike brushing, the spraying method does not leave the long streaky brush marks, and it makes little difference whether you spray with or across the grain. A piece sprayed across the grain for the first coat and with the grain for the second coat will usually show a better covered surface, as there is less chance of missing a spot by failure to lap the spray coat sufficiently. By crossing each coat a failure to lap on one coat will generally be covered sufficiently by the second coat across the first.
The pressure for nitro-cellulose lacquers should be just above or below forty-five pounds. At this pressure the nozzle should be adjusted so that a fine spray at twelve to fourteen inches away will give a six-inch coverage without pitting or dusting. If a fine dust flows over the work beyond the indicated covering coat, it is an indication of too much air for the size of spray or weight of materials. No rule can be given for the exact air pressure or adjustment of nozzle, but good work must be done at an approximate distance of one foot from the surface to be coated.
If a white appearance is seen in the coat, you must look for water in the air line. The work will never be satisfactory if oil or water get into the lacquer, as both are antagonistic to lacquer and ruin the coat. A simple separator for oil or water is described in Chapter III.
Always start at the edge nearest the operator, when spraying tops of cabinets or tables, and work away so as to prevent the overspraying of work finished. Do not zigzag, but follow a straight line across the work past the edge each time, holding the gun at right angles to the surface. Move along just fast enough to get a gloss coverage.
