Piano Finishes

[bases-loaded@juno.com]

Terry -

Are you doing a clear wood finish, or an ebony finish?  In either case,
to be safe, I would use a couple coats of 1lb dewaxed shellac as a
sealer.  If ebony, add a black dye to the shellac to help the wood go
black.  If clear, use the shellac to dial in the right hue with alcohol
dyes added to the shellac.  Either way, it is not time/material wasted,
as it will help do the final filling after your grain filling and ensure
total compatibility with your WB coats.  As far as I know, Target does
not yet supply a grain filler in their product line, but I know that Jeff
Jewitt is keen on the WB Crystal grain filler.  I have used oil based
filler with success with the PSL, using dewaxed shellac as a
barrier/sealer coat.

As far as I know, no sealer is actually required with the PSL or the
Hybrid finish, but with the PSL the use of Transtint dyes would be
advisable to warm up the color a bit if you are going with a clear
finish.  

I remain a faithful user of shellac to impart warmth and minimize
contamination problems when using WB finishes.  My success when using it
causes me to continue its use in my finishing schedule.  

I guess I like the stuff.

Mark Potter
bases-loaded@juno.com

On Sun, 19 Nov 2000 18:16:19 -0500 "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
writes:
> Thanks Mark. I'm going to give it a whirl. Thanks tons for your 
> input. Do
> you use and type of sealer on bare wood? Also, I have reverted back 
> to my
> marine refinishing ways and applied an oil-based grain-filling paste 
> stain
> to two mahogany test panels. My info is that if you let the 
> oil-based stain
> dry thoroughly, you should be OK with compatability. I wonder 
> though, if I
> should hit it with a sealer, or maybe something like a dewaxed 
> shellac to be
> sure. Any thoughts? Obviously, if I don't have to, I would rather 
> not use
> another product.
> 
> Terry Farrell
> Piano Tuning & Service
> Tampa, Florida
> mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <bases-loaded@juno.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2000 5:01 PM
> Subject: Re: Piano Finishes
> 
> 
> > Terry -
> >
> > I have used Target Coatings Premium Spray Lacquer (PSL) on my last 
> 3
> > grands.  I can whole-heartedly endorse it as a great WB finish.  
> In
> > particular, an ebony job I did using their products (black 
> production WB
> > lacquer and 3-4 coats PSL clear gloss) is the best looking ebony 
> job I
> > have ever done, with as litle fuss as you can expect on a job like 
> that.
> > I rubbed to satin/semi, but am told that, unlike many WB finishes, 
> the
> > PSL also rubs to gloss beautifully.  I found it to be very user 
> friendly,
> > sprays much like NC lacquer, levels well, dries quickly without 
> the soft
> > belly, sands and rubs wonderfully well, and is superior to NC 
> lacquer in
> > durability and mar and chemical resistance.  And the 100% burn-in 
> quality
> > is a real plus, and is not time sensitive.  In other words, you do 
> not
> > have to recoat within a certain window to keep the burn-in 
> effective.
> >
> > They also have a finish that is very nice called Oxford Hybrid 
> Varnish,
> > which is easily the warmest looking WB finish I have ever seen.  
> Somehow
> > there is an emulsified tung oil in the finish that really warms 
> the look
> > in a big way.  There is a cross-linker available with this finish 
> that
> > increases its durability considerably.  I used it on an old 
> upright and
> > it really had a nice heirloom or vintage look to it, similar in 
> apearance
> > to an oil varnish, but is a WB and I sprayed it on.  Very 
> forgiving
> > finish and easy to use, but not appropriate when buffing to gloss. 
>  It
> > was probably the quickest route to a good looking finish that I 
> have
> > experienced in a long time.
> >
> > I think Target Coatings is a quality supplier, and Jeff Weiss is 
> always
> > willing to help out with any technical problems with his products. 
>  Jeff
> > Jewitt thinks highly of Target's products, too, and I have found 
> his
> > opinions to be very trustworthy.  In fact, last time I talked to 
> him
> > (July 2000), he was completely phasing out his use of NC lacquer 
> because
> > of how much he liked the PSL.
> >
> > That's high praise.
> >
> > Mark Potter
> > bases-loaded@juno.com
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 19 Nov 2000 10:48:16 -0500 "Farrell" 
> <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> > writes:
> > > Well, here I sit boxed into refinishing (or making ill-fated 
> attempts
> > > to) a
> > > piano again. I am stuck on waterbase. I am eyeing OXFORD PREMIUM
> > > SPRAY
> > > LACQUER (1000 Series) water-base finish by Target Coatings. Has
> > > anyone tried
> > > it? Two features it claims attracts my interest: 100% burn in, 
> so no
> > > "witness lines" when flat-sanding final coat and ease of
> > > flat-sanding/polishing - the big one being 100% burn-in. That is
> > > where I
> > > have had problems in the past. Anyone????????
> > >
> > > I haven't even started yet, and the desperation & out-of-control
> > > feeling is
> > > already setting in :-(.
> > >
> > > Terry Farrell
> > > Piano Tuning & Service
> > > Tampa, Florida
> > > mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
> > >
> >
>