Rattlecan lacquer recommendations
- RobL
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Mar 11, 2019
I need to do some touching up. Are there any brands of rattlecan lacquer people recommend (or recommend against)? Thanks.
- tbonesullivan
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Jul 02, 2019
Nikolas lacquer is what I have used in the past. I first heard it mentioned when going through Dan Oberloh's restorations on their website.
I believe it is an old school cellulose based lacquer, similar to what Bach instruments used for decades until recently.
Here's a video where it was being used to protect areas where the silver plating on a trumpet had worn through. I know it's not as durable as some other coatings but it is, IMHO, easier to work with for the novice. One thing I can say is SURFACE PREP IS EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. You want it utterly polished and clean if any type of lacquer is going to adhere properly.
<INSTAGRAM id="Cw8WK_xPy5d">https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw8WK_xPy5d/</INSTAGRAM>
I lacquer all our horns and in our shop we only use Nicolas air dry lacquer as I find baked-on epoxy finishes to be costly in equipment and difficult to deal with should the instrument be damaged and need additional repair.
I believe it is an old school cellulose based lacquer, similar to what Bach instruments used for decades until recently.
Here's a video where it was being used to protect areas where the silver plating on a trumpet had worn through. I know it's not as durable as some other coatings but it is, IMHO, easier to work with for the novice. One thing I can say is SURFACE PREP IS EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. You want it utterly polished and clean if any type of lacquer is going to adhere properly.
<INSTAGRAM id="Cw8WK_xPy5d">https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw8WK_xPy5d/</INSTAGRAM>
- modelerdc
- Posts: 352
- Joined: May 03, 2018
I’ve used Tamiya clear in the aerosol can, works great can be found at some stores that sell plastic models such as Hobby Town
- Sniffynose
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Sep 29, 2020
Mohawk works great! Have used it on several horns now.
- RobL
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Mar 11, 2019
tbonesullivan and greenbean, confirming this is the one you mean. Tx
<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... olas-clear">https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/products/q1-nikolas-clear</LINK_TEXT>
<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... olas-clear">https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/products/q1-nikolas-clear</LINK_TEXT>
- hornbuilder
- Posts: 1384
- Joined: May 02, 2018
Realize that the air dry lacquer is not terribly durable, and will need touch ups fairly regularly, especially in contact areas.
- tbonesullivan
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Jul 02, 2019
[quote="RobL"]tbonesullivan and greenbean, confirming this is the one you mean. Tx
<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... olas-clear">https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/products/q1-nikolas-clear</LINK_TEXT>[/quote]
That should be the one! I would go with clear.
<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... olas-clear">https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/products/q1-nikolas-clear</LINK_TEXT>[/quote]
That should be the one! I would go with clear.
- tbonesullivan
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Jul 02, 2019
[quote="hornbuilder"]Realize that the air dry lacquer is not terribly durable, and will need touch ups fairly regularly, especially in contact areas.[/quote]
I put on a double coat years ago on the outer slide of my Bach 42, and it has held up. However I will also say that I am OCD as HELL. Every trombone gets the contact points wiped down after use with a microfiber cloth and/or a Conn Selmer / UMI lacquer cloth that has a bit of silicone impregnated into it. I also do not have acidic sweat, and tend to wash my hands a lot.
A lot of this comes from playing electric guitars with oiled necks, where if I play it with dirty hands, it gets sucked into the wood, and getting it back out is a pain.
I put on a double coat years ago on the outer slide of my Bach 42, and it has held up. However I will also say that I am OCD as HELL. Every trombone gets the contact points wiped down after use with a microfiber cloth and/or a Conn Selmer / UMI lacquer cloth that has a bit of silicone impregnated into it. I also do not have acidic sweat, and tend to wash my hands a lot.
A lot of this comes from playing electric guitars with oiled necks, where if I play it with dirty hands, it gets sucked into the wood, and getting it back out is a pain.