Mohawk/Behlen lacquer

[Joel Nowland]

Mohawk/Behlen instrument lacquer.

Has or does anyone on the forum use Behlen/Mohawk instrument lacquer?

How do you like it? How does it compare to other lacquers you have used?

Joel

[Stephen Neal Saqui]

I've been using it for 2-3 years.
Definitely get the sealer along with it which really does it's job!
I pretty much follow the directions. After the final thinned gloss coat I keep the guitar warm (75 to 80 degrees) for 1 1/2 to two weeks before rubbing it out. Then I use a series of Micro-mesh before putting it to the buffer.

Overall it does take more time than catalyzed finish and I like to keep it thin so that requires more shooting, sanding and filling. The end product is classy though. I like it.

However, I'd like to try the new catalyzed finishes to lessen the time factor if they have the depth and can be kept from being too thick.

[Wayne Brown]

I've been using it for 9 -10 years. I can buy it locally and it's manufactured up the road from here. I have always had good results in my finishes.

[Todd Stock]

Direct from Mohawk...in 4, 6, or 8 gallon orders, the shipping is reasonable, and B2B pricing makes it much less expensive than some alternatives...about $40 delivered per gallon of Classic Instrument Lacquer and $38 for EZ Vinyl Sealer until you want to go to larger drum orders. The EZ Vinyl Sealer works well - unlike McFaddens, you def have to sand beyond 'scuffing'. Solids by volume are down in the 13% range from the can, and 85/15 finish/thinner applies wet at 5-6 mil, so you'll want 7 to 8 wet coats over the VS to build to 5 dry mils prior to sand and buff (should be 3.5-4 dry mils after sanding/buffing. McFaddens changed up their formulation at some point (2007?), because I switched back to Mohawk after McFaddens folded and recall being surprised at how much better the Mohawk was to work with. Have not shot Cardinal - coming from the Left Coast, it's a killer on freight, versus Mohawk direct from NC. Have seen some non-instrument lacquer used on instruments that had a hard time maintaining flexibility in even the thinnest of coats...def sticking with purpose-made instrument finishes for traditional lacquer work.

FWIW, burn in on Martin and Gibson finishes is always going to be a case of prep and thinner. For overspray, def need surface clean and deglossed on old lacquer...on drop fills, does not matter...they will burn in fine. For newer Gibson, degloss and cut first coat with teaspoon of butyl cellulose per pint of lacquer to get burn-in if a lacquer thinner test shows little/no degloss in 30 seconds (after touch test...Gibson seems inconsistent on their lacquers).

I used to sand between sets of coats, but now shoot VS, sand, shoot four wet coats, drop fill any lacquer sucks, then shoot another four coats on B/S and three on the top. Drying box for 10 days or three weeks hanging in open air at 70 F, then sand 400/800/1200 wet & buff med/fine Menzerna and either super fine or hand glaze.

TransTint works fine for transparent/translucent, and universals work for black. Great handling stuff. Usual cautions...hard to get this stuff to run (good hang if the surface is already lacquered), so don't try to fix runs wet...level work and allow to dry...usually no more than .5 mil bump after drying, so what looks terrible wet disappears. Don't try to spray at over 70% RH with a turbine, or over 65% RH with conversion gun without running a slow thinner. Have sprayed down to 45 F without real issues with turbine, and 55 F with conversion guns (blush is the issue here in damp mid-Atlantic region). I run a cup filter in all my guns, but I have not yet opened a can that showed any contamination (after 50-60 quart and gallon cans over 6 years of shooting Mohawk or Behlens).

Not picky on what it guns through...runs through just about anything. Fuji MM4/T-75G w/nylon cup for clear, and HF jamb gun for metallics, but happy to spray in my old SATA and Iwata guns, Iwata or cheapie airbrushes, etc. Runs fine through the HF SATA Mini knockoff as well - nice for burst work, although the T-75G is equally useable.

[Clay Schaeffer]

Reminds me of the old Sherwin Williams nitrocellulose lacquer for spraying ease. Spraying with a cheap HF high pressure jamb gun works fine (less over spray with a smaller gun). If you get a run you can "pull" it with masking tape when wet and lightly recoat to smooth things out, but as Todd mentioned allowing it to dry (then scraping flush with a razor blade) works fine too. I buy mine from P.E.D. distributors in Oxford Pa. , so shipping is not a problem.

[Dan Smith]

I've used Behlen on half a dozen guitars.
I'm not a pro and have not tried any other brand, but it went on with no problems and buffed out nicely.

[Steven Smith]

I've switched to Mohawk. Work directly with the distributor and I am able to get a gallon at a time. I've sprayed 4 guitars with it so far and like it a lot. Easy to use.

[Joel Nowland]

Thanks very much for the responses.

I have used mainly two different lacquers for guitars and was happy with one of them but at $120.00 or so per gallon is a bit much.

On other forums Mohawk gets all good reviews. I will try it.

Thank You

[Todd Stock]

The correct sealer for Classic Instrument Lacquer is EZ Vinyl sealer 550 VOC, which is M610-800x, although it can be shot over sanding sealer with some loss of clarity on woods that don't need pre fill. Also shoot well over shellac and directly on epoxy or raw wood, although vinyl sealer provides some shock absorption and resistance to delamination on corners, etc.

[Steven Smith]

The correct sealer for Classic Instrument Lacquer is EZ Vinyl sealer 550 VOC, which is M610-800x, although it can be shot over sanding sealer with some loss of clarity on woods that don't need pre fill. Also shoot well over shellac and directly on epoxy or raw wood, although vinyl sealer provides some shock absorption and resistance to delamination on corners, etc.

I'm bummed then. When I spoke to a rep they recommended I get the Finisher's Choice Clear Lacquer Sealer, M610-25007. So I got a gallon of that with my order. Any experience with this one Todd? So far it seems to be working well and I hate to just toss the rest but I will if it's a significant mis-match.

[Todd Stock]

It's a non-vinyl nitro-based sealer - should be fine. Vinyl sealers add some ability to handle shock, but no other real difference. Minimize the build on any sealer - just one coat is needed.

[Steven Smith]

It's a non-vinyl nitro-based sealer - should be fine. Vinyl sealers add some ability to handle shock, but no other real difference. Minimize the build on any sealer - just one coat is needed.

Thanks Todd, I'll try the EZ Vinyl Sealer when this one runs out.