Deft Clear Wood finish opinions

[lou sansone]

good morning all you happy wws

do any of you have experience, either good or bad, with the Deft Clear wood finish? It is a brushing lacquer, that also comes in a spray can. I was interested in trying it, but have no experience with nitro-cellulose lacquer.
http://www.deftfinishes.com/wood/clear.htm
thanks
lou

[Bart Sharp]

good morning all you happy wws

do any of you have experience, either good or bad, with the Deft Clear wood finish? It is a brushing lacquer, that also comes in a spray can. I was interested in trying it, but have no experience with nitro-cellulose lacquer.
http://www.deftfinishes.com/wood/clear.htm
thanks
lou

Lou,

I used the spray stuff on the last basswood plaque I made. I wanted water-based poly, but all my local Ace had in a spray was the Deft.

From that limited experience, I love the stuff. It dries incredibly fast and goes on very very clear, no amber tint at all. I would guess that the brushable version is a little different than the stuff in the spray can, for no other reason than I can't imagine trying to brush anything that dries as fast as the spray did. Never mind keeping a wet edge, I don't know how you would keep a wet brush!

Bart

[lou sansone]

hi bart


I was actually thinking about using the spray stuff. How smooth does the spray finish look? did you use gloss, semi gloss or satin ?
lou

[Jerry Clark]

I love Deft and usually spray it on for items I make. I recently refinished my daughters kitchen cabinets and all three bathroom cabinets. I hand brushed all of them except the doors which I removed and sprayed. It brushes easy and drys fast. I sanded between coats with 320 and recoated in an hour. It does leave a odor for a while in closed spaces, but goes away in a day! I have been using it for 10 years. It is a hard durable finish, I usually use simi-gloss.

[Steven Wilson]

The brushable has additives that give it a longer drying time. It flows and works nicely as long as you use the appropriate brush and work quickly. As for the spray it works great. I would use gloss for all of the build coats and then use semi-gloss for the final coat if desired. I generally pad the brushable deft on to turnings - very nice for that application.

[Warren White]

Bart,
I have used Deft spray laquer on a couple of mirrors I did out of figured maple. I used it at the suggestion of the company I bought the maple from; they build small chests out of the material and that is what they use.

I really liked the results, and it was very easy to apply with the spray can. Kind of low tech, but I was very happy. I just went to a small hardware store here locally that is going out of town and bought 6 cans for half price.

Here is a link to my original post which didn't mention the laquer I used; the Deft really brought out the figure in the wood.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7988

Warren

[Bart Sharp]

hi bart


I was actually thinking about using the spray stuff. How smooth does the spray finish look? did you use gloss, semi gloss or satin ?
lou

It looks very smooth. I used three coats, which was enough to give a nice even sheen without too much of a built-up look. I sanded very lightly between the first and second coats just to knock down any nibs, and the third coat was nice and smooth. I'd have to look, but I am pretty sure mine was satin.

I agree with what people say about using gloss for the first few coats and then satin for the topcoat to avoid obscuring the grain, but there really wasn't any grain of interest in my basswood, so I wasn't much worried about that.

[Jim Becker]

I've used the spray cans (for convenience) on a number of things with great results...as long as I could work outside. I do not use NC lacquer or other strong VOC finishes inside my shop...and only spray water bourne products, such as Target Coatings USL (Ultimate Spray Lacquer), an acrylic product that burns in exactly like NC lacquer.

[Bart Sharp]

I've used the spray cans (for convenience) on a number of things with great results...as long as I could work outside. I do not use NC lacquer or other strong VOC finishes inside my shop...and only spray water bourne products, such as Target Coatings USL (Ultimate Spray Lacquer), an acrylic product that burns in exactly like NC lacquer.

For those of us without spray equipment (or shops to put them in), is USL available in rattle-can form?

[Jim Becker]

For those of us without spray equipment (or shops to put them in), is USL available in rattle-can form?

Not to my knowledge. But what's nice about it is you only need a compressor-driven HVLP conversion gun and it's as safe to use indoors as latex paint...

[lou sansone]

excellent

thanks all of you for you help and direction..
lou

[Bart Sharp]

Not to my knowledge. But what's nice about it is you only need a compressor-driven HVLP conversion gun and it's as safe to use indoors as latex paint...

Well heck, if that's all you need...

[Jim Becker]

Well heck, if that's all you need...

Yea...it always seems that way, doesn't it?!

Target does have information about brushing some of their products on their web site. You might look into it and contact them for more information. They have always been very helpful to me.

If you do want to spray, there is always the Deft in cans...'need good ventilation (I use it outdoors), but the results are excellent. I sometimes use this product for small things when I don't want to break out the gear, nor clean it afterward for quick finish jobs.