Easy way to apply Deft??

[Al]

I'm looking for an easy way to apply quite a few coats of deft to a living room furniture set I'm building. I've tried brushing and it's tough for me to see where I've already brushed - even with a bright light. I don't have the cash to invest in a spray rig (thought about renting one, but I believe the learning curve might be higher than what I want to deal with for this project) - though I do plan on buying one around summer some time (thought on this would be nice too). I've thought about, but haven't acted on, trying to apply deft with a common spray bottle - but I think I'd probably wind up putting down too much had getting an uneven finish on horizontal surfaces and runs/sags on vertical surfaces....I've also contemplated ragging the stuff on with a t-shirt - though I think this would be putting down very thin layers, effectively doubling the number of coats I'd need.

Thought anyone?

Thanks in advance, Al

[Wood Butcher]

I think you'd have a tough time trying to find a spray bottle which would stand up to the lacquer thinner in Deft as it melts many common plastics.

How about using Deft in a rattle can?

Art

[Bay Area Dave]

or use poly, but wipe it on instead of brushing. Deft is a slow drying lacquer; I don't know if it can be wiped like thinned poly (or "wiping poly") can.

dave

Al wrote:

[Lawrence A. Ramsey]

[Al]

I've seen the spray cans, but they look to be a fairly expensive alternative (granted, not as expensive as buying a spray setup). Guess I'll give the spray cans a go and see how many coats I can get out of one can...or how many cans it takes to get one coat. :)

Incidentally, the spray rig I'm going to wind up with is a binks HVLP conversion gun - gravity fed... I've heard that cleanup on these is the cat's meow and that if you set up a filling station that it takes no time at all to do a project...a bit pricey at abou $300(?) for the gun, but I think it'll be a worthwhile investment...

[Swingman]

Ditto .. Hold it upside down, spray for a few seconds and put it back on the shelf, you're done with the cleanup. I can put three coats on a small table in the time it takes to clean up the HVLP sprayer.

[Preston Andreas]

Use a wipe on polyurethane, or spray the Deft. The wipe on poly will give you a good finish, but since the coats are thinner, you need more coats, therefore, more time. You can buy a wipe on varnish, but it is simple to mix mineral spirits 50/50 with poly to make your own. I know you can brush Deft, but it is hard to keep a wet edge and get an acceptable finish. Especially on larger objets. When I use Deft, I spray it.

[Jimlemon]

Thought of using a Pre-Val sprayer? Just like a spray can and does a decent job.

[Charlie Campney]

Al,

I spray Deft Lacquer and also Sherwin Wiliams with a $16 spray gun from Harbor Freight. About 30 psi and thinned 50-50 or so.If yu have a compressor thats the way to go until you can afford an HVLP rig.

[BRuce]

[Pounds on Wood]

Agreeing with most of the other replies (except the poly ones), and to answer the padding question directly, I have padded the Deft on turned bowls and such. It is easy to do with a small swatch of cotton tee shirt, but it will take forever to get any build. I'm not even sure you can get a build, because each application will cut the previous. I like it as a first wetting coat in some cases. But I cannot imagine it working for what you want to do. The spray cans are pretty good.

Snip ....I've also contemplated ragging the stuff on with a t-shirt -

[Jim Weisgram]

[...snip...]

Have you tried shining a light across the piece rather than from above?