EM2000 Waterborne Alkyd Varnish

[Jerry Thompson]

Has anyone used this product? I am looking for a reasonabley durable finish for upcoming blanket chests in walnut and cherry.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, I used it under it's previous name. It's an emulsified product that has the look of a varnish, including the amber warmth, but the convenience of a water borne. It sprays with the same gun settings as EM6000, but do note it's dry time is longer between coats. Has a bit more odor, too. I liked it, but not enough to buy a second gallon over my typical BLO, de-waxed shellac and EM6000 finishing regimen. Note, I'm not saying anything negative about it at all...I just didn't feel the need for it over what I was already using.

[Matt Meiser]

I feel about the same a Jim about it but it does match some furniture I previously did with an oil product so it was a good fit there. It's harder to clean up than EM6000 too. Not hard, just harder.

[Rich Enders]

I have used Target's 2000, 6000, and 8000. I am not experienced enough to recognize the differences, and they all seemed fair. However, just to compare, I sprayed some walnut cabinets with real solvent based lacquer and I now understand what the hype is all about.

The thing that surprised me the most is the scratch resistance of lacquer. It seems to come from a combination of surface hardness and a silky like surface. Nice stuff.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

I have used Target's 2000, 6000, and 8000. I am not experienced enough to recognize the differences, and they all seemed fair. However, just to compare, I sprayed some walnut cabinets with real solvent based lacquer and I now understand what the hype is all about.

The thing that surprised me the most is the scratch resistance of lacquer. It seems to come from a combination of surface hardness and a silky like surface. Nice stuff.

I, like you Rich, am no expert; but given my experience with old solvent based lacquer and real shellac, I'll take those over the waterbornes as long as I can do it. Much better looking finishes in my humble (and limited) opinion.

[Quinn McCarthy]

I used it on my last few projects. I really like the results I got. I used it because I needed the amber tone. I can't tell the difference from the solvent based jobs I did. There was a little rooughness to a few areas that I had to rub out but I am not blaming that on the finish. I have done a lot on work with the Fuhr amber tone finish and I thick I like it just a little better.

I have a small cabinet to do and we will see how that goes before I change back to FUhr.

Hope that helps.

Quinn

[Rob Cunningham]

I used it on my last few projects. I really like the results I got. I used it because I needed the amber tone. I can't tell the difference from the solvent based jobs I did. There was a little rooughness to a few areas that I had to rub out but I am not blaming that on the finish. I have done a lot on work with the Fuhr amber tone finish and I thick I like it just a little better.

I have a small cabinet to do and we will see how that goes before I change back to FUhr.

Hope that helps.

Quinn

Quinn,
Which Fuhr product are you using?
I really liked the 255 but it was a pain to get any product from them when they dropped a lot of their distributors. I haven't tried getting anything from them since they changed owners, maybe it's easier now.