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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: rkmnt2 on April 19, 2009, 03:14:00 PM
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I'd like to give it a try but I'm not making guitars here....I want to make sure it's durable enough for bumpin around in the woods before I buy some. Anybody ever do any comparison to TBird?
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Howard Hill Archery uses Fullerplast on their bows.
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I use Fullerplast. It's very durable. I've heard tell that T-Bird is a little harder, but I don't have two weeks to spray a bow. T-Bird is really slow drying between coats. I'm talking over a day. I can sand Fullerplast in less than an hour. I'm not set up with a fancy spray booth either. Fullerplast will dry before too much junk gets stuck in the finish.
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where can you buy it?Is it brushed on or do you need spray equipment?
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I thought that Tbird set up quicker than that. I guess I've been getting my information mixed up.
Marty, do you put anything over it or is it your complete coating?
Thanks...Don
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I spray it out of an air brush with the largest nozzle. I have brushed it on for pore filling coats, but have just sprayed it for final coats. I think the only supplier is Van Dee out of Miami. Be sure to by the thinner that they sell. I had some really bad luck trying to use a cheaper laquer thinner.
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I use Fuller exclusively. It must be mixed perfectly or it will dry too hard and yield tiny checks or too soft and get gooey and milky in humidity. It is very misunderstood.
In my use, i found thunderbird to be inferior and does not hold up well vs. Fuller. It also yields tiny white spots if the spraying conditios are not perfect (70 deg. and 70% humidity).
I use a HVLP touch up spray gun by Devillbis with .08 mm nozzle. The mix shouldbe 16 parts fuller to 1 part catalyst and 1- 1 1/2 parts laq. thinner ..medium dry.
use a cocktail shot measure one side is 1 oz. the other is 1/2 oz. You vcan mix up 16oz. or 8 oz of Fuller in picjkel jars depending on the amount you will be spraying. also be warned..2 week shelf life, keep it out of direct light when mixed, and when not in use, refrigerate to slow the chemical breakdown once mixed.
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Droptine, are you saying that you can store the mixed product for 2 weeks?
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yes! i store mine in the fridge next to the spaghetti sauce
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I have sprayed 4 bows the last month with T-Bird. On advice from a bowyer who has sprayed thousands with T-Bird I am able to re-coat in 1 hour. The previous coat is dry at this time and not tacky. I use a closet for a spray booth and have a little radiant heater in the closet with doors closed. It is probably upper '80's in there and we have low humidity here in MT. That maybe why Apex and myself have such differing dry times. Two coats are wiped on with finger to fill grain...allow to harden...about 3 hours with a little heat...sand with 220 etc. and wipe with De-natured alcohol. Then get ready to spray...3 coats...or as many as you like.