Any of you guys know what gasket laquer actually is? I bought a bottle of the stuff from a traditional dealer that was obviously bought by him in large quantities then repackaged. (it was in a quart plastic Listerine bottle) The label said something like custom blended for so and so by sherwin williams. If you look at 3 rivers site it too looks like they may buy it from somewhere else then label. Should probably be able to save few bucks on the stuff at the corner paint store if I knew what it was. I just had to throw out the last of the gasket laquer I had on hand as it got really thick and ugly in storage. Also anyone ever try just using regular poly urethane in a dip tube with a gasket? Ive got some minwax polyurethane on hand and am thinking of filling a tube with it and giving it a go with a gasket. Im sure it wont clean up as easy or dry nearly as fast but like I said Ive got it on hand and have a dz. shafts waiting to seal.

Gasket lacquer is just a very thick lacquer, originally designed for the pencil industry.  I'm sure you could buy it in bulk, but it would likely go bad before you could begin to use it all.

Your Minwax polyurethane makes a very good arrow finish, but I doubt it will work well with the gasket.  It is too thin and the gasket will wipe it all off.  Just thin the poly 3 or 4 to 1 with a good mineral spirits paint thinner and dip without the gasket.  The first coat will take about 6 hrs to dry, about 4 hrs after that.  Three coats gives a good durable finish.  Glue nocks and fletch with Duco.

So far as I know you can purchase it in bulk. I think there are only a couple manufacturers that make it and it comes in a 5gl can. Unless you happen to live within driving distance of a manufacturer the shipping would probably be prohibitive unless you're using a whole lot of it or repackaging for sale.
I could be wrong but I really doubt a Listerine bottle is a good container for this stuff. It's a flammable product and needs a certain type of packaging.

Guy

You can buy the stuff from Egyptian Lacquer Manfacturing company....I had put Troy Breeding onto this...a friend and local builder put me onto it up here.  I was buying in 5 gallon pails and having it shipped up when I built for a local store.  it works great for economy level arrows, I dont like using it on my much gooder arrows, found out the hard way how bad the stuff really is!  I will admit..its as EASY as it comes, but not something I'd care to keep my name on if I was to sell you arrows!!!

It's not as good as the sherwinwilliams...it WILL crack on  you!  The Egyptian lacquer.  Try Tenn for their location you can google them, I dont have any of their info handy.  But if you need it I can find it for ya.

If you REALLY want to know what it is...demand an MSDS from three rivers or anyone selling it, they are required by law to give it to you...  You should be able to with a little effort be able to cross reference it with either Egyptian or your local sherwin williams store to figure out what it's called.  Personally if you can figure out the SW brand I would go with it.  If you burn through arrows like toliet paper...then the Egyptian will work.  They were going to work with me and make it better...I just gave up with the stuff and moved on to bigger better things.

For what it's worth, an MSDS is not an ingredients list for a product nor is it meant to show how a product is made.

Guy

Don't mix any type of lacquer with an oil based finish like poly or varnish. Can't even apply a fresh coat of one over a dry coat of the other. The two are not compatable and will cause a very undesirable reaction... a crackle finish or severe bubbling at best or more likely, you'll have a gooy mess that never drys. Either way you'll need to strip the shafts and start over.

Ron

It's nitrocellulose, and is very flammable. Think "gunpowder". Dried pieces burn instantly! Be careful with flame when putting points on a finished shaft, or you may be starting over!

If it gets too thick, it can be thinned with acetone, also extremely flammable. Pour some in the tube, and pump an old shaft in and out to mix it. If it cracks in use, it was probably too thick when put on. I have some that's been in the dip tube for more than 10 years, and I periodically add more and thin it with acetone to renew it. It should have a consistency much like room temperature honey. If too much wipes off on the gasket, it is a little too thin. A little thin is better than a little thick, IMO, because of the cracking potential. If it's a little thin, you just dip it a couple of more times until the coverage is good.

When I use polyurethane, I use a penetrating sealer first followed by the gloss finish straight from the can, and brush both on. I quit using poly when I was shooting 3D a lot- poly sticks badly in 3D targets. GL doesn't.

Superglue works great for fletching with poly, but dries more slowly with GL. Duco is better for the GL.

I wouldnt use the stuff at all. It's only purpose in life is to put finish on pencils real quick so they can be dropped into piles. Polyurethane is made to protect wood. Use a foam brush to apply it and there is no reason to dip. No thinning and no tubes needed. Just some paper on the floor. Dries hard and smooth over night. I use 3-4 coats. Water proof.

I've been happy with it for more than a decade... and I don't use that many pencils.      

I can make a finished set of arrows in about 3 hours if pressed. That's what sold me initially, but I use it now in preference. I dip 4 times, and I can do the first 3 without waiting between dips. I give the 3rd one a few minutes before doing the final dip. When it's properly applied, the protective finish performs as well as anything out there. I have arrows finished with it that I've been shooting off and on for many years.

I've only used it on poplar, so I can't say from experience how well it performs on other woods. I doubt it matters.

I'm with Don.
I've made a few hundred dozen arrows all with gasket lacquer. I've had one crack. That was a presentation arrow with silver leaf that I put too many coats on trying to get a special look.
On all the other arrows I've made I've never had a negative comment on the finish and have had many repeat orders.

Guy

I used to get it from some rather gnarly ole gent on one of the trad sites, but haven't tried for years.

JD down in B'more sells something about the same.

Dip tube, gasket and it dries as you lay it down, run through a 1/2 doz and start over dipping the other end so's the end you hold gets coated.

Even use it on GT's! Get some of the 3 Rivers neopreme boogars (tapered silicone inserts/plugs) and stick them in and dip so's it doesn' plug the inside.

What I've used, helped wood and carbon pull out of foam targets right nicely,thank you!