Is lacquer the same as nitrocellulose?
Nitrocellulose was adopted quickly by the car industry and remained the finish of choice through to the late-1950s. Furniture and musical instrument manufacturers also switched to nitrocellulose lacquer, and mostly it was referred to simply as ‘lacquer’.
Is nitrocellulose lacquer durable?
For safety reasons, also, nitrocellulose lacquer products should not be used with acrylic lacquer products. Nitrocellulose finish will, over time, lose its durability and crack. While it is durable and well known among guitar makers, it is not necessarily the best in terms of scratch resistance either.
Does nitrocellulose need a clear coat?
Nitrocellulose finishes should have a total 6-12 coats — sealer, color, and clear coats combined.
What is the difference between acrylic and nitrocellulose lacquer?
The biggest difference between nitro and acrylic paint is that acrylic is water-based and nitrocellulose is oil-based. You can apply more layers of nitro paint than acrylic, and it dries faster and looks more vintage as well. However, most manufacturers now use polyurethane and polyester instead.
Does nitrocellulose lacquer crack?
Nitrocellulose also yellows with time, especially when exposed to excessive sunlight. Apart from the above, small cracks can appear in a nitro finish after several years too. This occurs when a guitar is regularly exposed to differing temperatures, as changes in climate causes wood to expand and contract.
Is nitrocellulose lacquer waterproof?
Lacquer Characteristics
Lacquer has been long used to produce a water resistant and durable wood finish. Lacquers are produced by dissolving nitrocellulose and some other materials in a solvent, and subsequently pigment is added. It is fast drying, and can be applied by a brush or spray.
Does nitrocellulose lacquer yellow?
Nitrocellulose lacquers are notorious for yellowing, if at all possible you may want to consider using a cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) acrylic blend. These types of lacquers have been used in the automotive paint industry for many, many years with minimal color change.
What brands of guitars are finished with nitrocellulose lacquer?
Which Guitars Have Nitro Finishes? These days, this type of guitar finish is used almost exclusively by Gibson and Fender’s Custom Shop divisions. As these departments mostly produce premium time-honoured instruments, they therefore use nitro finishes to recapture the essence of their older vintage models.
Is nitrocellulose toxic?
► Inhaling Nitrocellulose can irritate the nose and throat. ► Exposure can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, difficulty breathing and loss of consciousness.
What is nitrocellulose lacquer used for?
Nitrocellulose lacquers have been around for almost a century; originally used for acoustic instruments, saxophones and even cars. This finish later became a popular choice for Fender and Gibson in the ’50s and ’60s, who used it almost exclusively for their electric guitars.
Is it better to spray or brush lacquer?
Applying Lacquer
However, it is not a good idea to try and brush on a spray-on lacquer application, as the spray versions are much quicker drying. Brush-on lacquer will dry quickly but is formulated to give you at least a little bit of time to apply and even out the finish.
What lacquer does Gibson use?
nitro-cellulose lacquer
Gibson instruments are finished with several coats of a high-quality nitro-cellulose lacquer. This finish is hand-buffed to a high-gloss, mirror-like surface. Unlike other less expensive finishes, nitro-cellulose does not detract from the tone of the instrument and ages beautifully.
What is the best finish for an acoustic guitar?
Nitrocellulose lacquer
This is traditionally the most common finish used on steel string acoustic guitars. It is very durable and resists scratching.
Is nitrocellulose carcinogenic?
For inhalation exposure, the occupational epidemiology study (Marsh, 1983) is only suggestive of a possible association between nitrocellulose production and rectal cancer in humans. There is no additional information regarding the carcinogenicity of nitrocellulose by the inhalation route of exposure.
Is nitrocellulose toxic when dry?
Nitrocellulose lacquer becomes relatively non-toxic after approximately a month since at this point, the lacquer has evaporated most of the solvents used in its production. I can tell you that I have owned and played various instruments with nitrocellulose finish and it was not a problem once dried.
Should I sand between coats of lacquer?
Why You Need to Sand Between Coats of Clear Finish – YouTube
How do I get a smooth finish with spray lacquer?
The secret to getting an awesome finish with spray lacquer – YouTube
Do all Gibsons have nitro finish?
Yet despite the advantages of Poly, Gibson continue to only use Nitro as the finish on all their USA made electric guitars including the iconic Les Pauls, SGs and 335 / 339s.
Do Martin guitars use nitrocellulose finish?
All modern Martin’s have a nitrocellulose finish, shellac hasn’t been used since the early 1920’s. Not sure how Martin does it, but a flattening agent can be added to gloss lacquer to make it satin. martin uses a product called chem sheen , it is a satin finished lacquer.
Do Taylor guitars use nitrocellulose finish?
In the mid-’90s, Taylor moved away from using traditional nitrocellulose lacquer finish and developed a polyester finish formula that offers many benefits: It’s more durable and less susceptible to “cold-checking,” the spiderweb-like microfissures that result from exposure to dramatic temperature swings; a thinner …
Is nitrocellulose harmful to humans?
Is nitrocellulose lacquer explosive?
While not nearly as volatile or explosive as dynamite, nitrocellulose lacquer is extremely flammable and produces fumes when it’s being used that can easily ignite.
What causes lacquer to crackle?
Crackle lacquer is lacquer with so much solid material, usually silica, added that there isn’t enough binder (lacquer) remaining to glue all the solid particles together. The result is that the lacquer cracks when it dries and shrinks.
Should I sand between coats of spray lacquer?
The secret to getting an awesome finish with spray lacquer in under …
How long should I wait between coats of lacquer?
It dries to the touch in 30 minutes, ensuring a smooth, dust-free finish. Recoat in only two hours, with no sanding needed between coats.