Hello again ,

I managed to paint my blank last night with the CREATEX auto airbrush paint. The color came out nice , I now need to put a topcoat on it. I decided against pricey 2 part spray urathanes as im only going to do a matte blank on occasion.

Ive decided on no mix products. Ive been using varathane 900 as a color preserver and on my wraps.

Would Varathane 900 (A floor finish) be a good product for a whole blank? I have several new 1/2 pints that havnt been opened yet,I also have a quart of Helmsman spar urathane and its easy to come by as well !

My final choice would be to try permagloss since I have heard much about the product. The only thing that concerns me with Permagloss is you cant use a foam brush, it will dissolve the foam! Foam brushes are more user friendly to me for smooth applications.

I still would like to try permagloss over the wraps because of no sanding between coats if done within 48hr or less. I'll still use the Varathane 900 as a CP. Varathane has a very nice effect on thread you dont loose but a bit of color and it goes sort of translucent /semi transperant.

Thank you very much you gents are great!!
Happy Wrapping "John"

These are all good products and all have been used by rod builders to excellent effect. Varithane is made across the street from where I am sitting right now and I know the guys who formulated it. It is a favorite among many bamboo builders. Very tough, very smooth.

There are different families of urethanes. Permagloss falls into the camp that will not yellow, ever. Most urethane products will yellow or darken over time. Some rather quickly. The Helmsman falls into that camp. It's a good product, but will not stay as water white as the Permagloss.

Ralph O'Quinn can tell you more.
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It is my understanding that Permagloss is often applied with a foam brush. Have you actually seen the brush dissolve while applying Permagloss, or is this an assumption?

I sat in on Ralph's presentation at the Guild Conclave in Nashville. He mentioned using either a brush or foam applicator. N A new packaging trick is in the works to furnish longer shelf life once the Permagloss container is opened. I don't want to steal Ralph's thunder on that one, but it sounded like it would do the trick. OK, I'll leak some news. It involves a can, a nail, and a wood screw.
Clyde Dent

Hey John,


The gentleman that advised against the throw a way foam brush was one of the technical folks I talked to last week at U40. It was not Ralph O Quinn.

The gentleman I spoke to said to pour permagloss into another container rather than working out of bottle due to shelf life issues.

On the same note ,He warned not to use poly styrene dixie cups and I then mentioned foam brushes and he mentioned that permagloss will melt the foam brush as well . he advised the use of natural hair brush.

This would be a good thing to get clarified by Ralph cuz im lost with out either spraying or using foam applicators (mucho brush marks)

Happy wrapping "John"

John,

I believe I heard Ralph mention the same thing that Clyde Dent stated in the post above. Styrofoam is likely to be a no-no with Permagloss, but the foam applicators should be fine. I suspect when Ralph reads this string, heads may roll at U40.

I have used the common foam type brush with the PermaGloss. It held up, but put some small foam particles in the finish. That may not have been the finish's fault, but the brush itself. They may hold up, but I do not think they are as good as a brush for application on wraps. Perhaps for blank finishing, but not for the wraps. Not light colored thread wraps anyway!

................

I guess we need to find out what type of plastic the standard throwaway foam brushes are made of?

They may be a Poly ethel PE base foam and not poly styrene which, would be a problem.

"John"

Tom thanks for your input,

I'll only use the foam brush on the blank, I use natural sable brushes for any wraps Ive done.

"John"

I use the foam applicators I get at the harware store and have not had any problems with them. I use the smallest size and treat them as disposable. They wrap around the blank nicely and two 'swipes' will cover most blanks. I've never had bits of the applicator fall off but I do make sure there are no loose bits before I start.
The first time I used Permagloss I poured it into my usual plastic mixing cups and before I could say "I hope I get this right" it melted the bottom out and added a layer of finish to my bench. I now line the cup with a bit of aluminium foil.
Ralph likes to apply Permagloss with a piece of paper towel but then he doesn't mind getting the stuff on his hands. I'd think he might get some 'fuzz' but apparently not.

Andy
Rodbuilder Supplies

Thanks for the input everyone.

Ill order up some permagloss this week .

Happy Wrapping "John"