# Jimmy Clewes Finishes Question



## GeorgeS (Jun 17, 2017)

Good afternoon all! I was watching a video where Jimmy was using dyes and he used a lacquer finish. He didn't finish the piece but said that he uses car polishes to finish the lacquer. I've never used a lacquer finish and was wondering how to finish it off after the last coat is applied. Any help is greatly appreciated.


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## gman2431 (Jun 17, 2017)

I use a laquer from time to time and buff afterward. Caranuba and rennasaince wax work well.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## GeorgeS (Jun 17, 2017)

@gman2431 So are you sanding with 4-6-8-1000 then going to buffing? Also how long did you let the lacquer dry before sanding and buffing.


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## gman2431 (Jun 17, 2017)

Depends how good your last coat of laquer is... Lol. Sometimes it barely needs to be touched. 

Full week to cure minimum I've always done. Sanded through to much stuff before. Or if youre using the white compound to start buffing you will go right through.


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## woodman6415 (Jun 17, 2017)

I took a couple of Jimmy's classes .. he puts probably 8 to 10 light coats .. then lets it completely cure .. 24 hours ( he said ) ... then he sands with wet sands with 800 grit .. then hand buffs with Meguiars car compound ... then a hard car wax to finish ... lots of work but looks like glass ... he uses Deft Lacquer rattle can ... puts it in sun to warm up can ...

Reactions: Informative 4


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## GeorgeS (Jun 18, 2017)

woodman6415 said:


> I took a couple of Jimmy's classes .. he puts probably 8 to 10 light coats .. then lets it completely cure .. 24 hours ( he said ) ... then he sands with wet sands with 800 grit .. then hand buffs with Meguiars car compound ... then a hard car wax to finish ... lots of work but looks like glass ... he uses Deft Lacquer rattle can ... puts it in sun to warm up can ...



That's what I did yesterday, put about 8 coats on it while it was still in the chuck. Let the lathe barely spin while each coat was drying. It was hot as hell here yesterday so that dried quick. Believe it or not I have never used lacquer so the whole wait a week thing blows my mind. So he only waits 24 hours? I think I'll wait out the week. I don't want to screw this up and start all over again lol! Wish I had a seperate room for finishing! Kills my productivity in the shop.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 1


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## woodman6415 (Jun 18, 2017)

Yes finishing in shop has its draw backs ... I never spin a piece that I have sprayed lacquer on ... doesn't really help and burns Elect ... nearly all finishes have a 24 hour cure rate .. but a week won't hurt .. can you store it elsewhere during cure? After it drys to touch nothing should stick to it ...


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## GeorgeS (Jun 18, 2017)

Here's a couple of quick pics. It's black, purple and yellow. Hard to see the purple, hopefully it pops a little more when it's sanded and polished. I took it in right after the last spray dried.

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 3


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## Steve Smith (Jul 12, 2017)

I generally don't do high gloss finishes. I don't care for the look or feel and it's a lot of work. For pens I'll do high gloss about half the time. I'll use ScratchX or some other type of automotive scratch remover to get it to a super high gloss and it works pretty well.


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## Robert Baccus (Jul 26, 2017)

This closeup pic shows a finish that was sprayed too dry. A bit of retarder added will fix this and leave a finish that is easy to buff out. Forget sanding with several grits--just wet sand(soapy water) with a 220 sponge for a short time and switch to a medium grit liquid auto compound. Both of these on the lathe. Then you can adjust to a high gloss or low gloss sheen with different grit compounds. This sounds complicated but takes but minutes. Lacquer can be tough without using retarder for flowout and blush prevention in damp weather which requires a spraygun and compressor.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 2


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## GeorgeS (Aug 9, 2017)

@Robert Baccus I tried wet sanding and ended up going through the lacquer. I resprayed and used a heavier hand and the finish looks much smoother from the start. Im waiting 2 weeks and then will try buffing on the lathe with rubbing compound. Thanks for the great info.


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