# Lacquer finish for shaving brushes



## wildcatstrat (Apr 12, 2017)

Greetings! Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been turning shaving brushes and pens (primarily) for about 2 years now, and recently began using Masters Magic spray lacquer as a finishing technique for my wooden shaving brushes. I'm never in a huge hurry to finish my projects, so I don't mind having to wait however long it takes for the lacquer to fully dry before I can buff with automotive compound and polish, and I LOVE the look and feel of a lacquer finish compared to my prior go-to method of CA glue. At any rate, I'm curious if my finishing method would benefit from adding Dr. Kirk's Microcrystalline Wax after my final polishing. I've been very pleased with how my projects have been turning out, but I wanted to inquire on here if I could enhance it further with this additional step. Sorry if this question has been answered somewhere already (I'm sure it has,) but I hadn't seen it phrased in a way that gave me enough confidence to try it. Thanks in advance for any insight.


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## jttheclockman (Apr 12, 2017)

Welcome Dan. Adding wax to any finish is not going to protect the project much for what we do. We make projects that are handled a lot and in some harsh conditions. Will it enhance the appearance, it can not hurt it is the best way to put it. My thoughts though go back to your use of lacquer on a project that is subject to water. Water and lacquer do not play well with each other. Not sure what type of lacquer you are using but most people use nitrocellulose lacquer because of it ease of use and readily available. Now if you want to step up to the next best lacquer it would be a pre-catalyzed lacquer. But you need to seal it usually with a vinyl sealer. But it has a shelf life. The best type lacquer is the 
catalyzed lacquer but it is mixed with a sealer (vinyl) But the drawback on this is use and throw away unused portions. 

Again this is only my thoughts but I believe you would do better with a polyurethane. You can buy spray polys that dry quicker than others but that is always the downside to using polys. The drying time but the finish is more durable. I will say this that there is in my opinion no poly that can give the depth of look that you get with Lacquers because it is 2 different types of finishes. Good luck.


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## wildcatstrat (Apr 12, 2017)

jttheclockman said:


> Welcome Dan. Adding wax to any finish is not going to protect the project much for what we do. We make projects that are handled a lot and in some harsh conditions. Will it enhance the appearance, it can not hurt it is the best way to put it. My thoughts though go back to your use of lacquer on a project that is subject to water. Water and lacquer do not play well with each other. Not sure what type of lacquer you are using but most people use nitrocellulose lacquer because of it ease of use and readily available. Now if you want to step up to the next best lacquer it would be a pre-catalyzed lacquer. But you need to seal it usually with a vinyl sealer. But it has a shelf life. The best type lacquer is the
> catalyzed lacquer but it is mixed with a sealer (vinyl) But the drawback on this is use and throw away unused portions.
> 
> Again this is only my thoughts but I believe you would do better with a polyurethane. You can buy spray polys that dry quicker than others but that is always the downside to using polys. The drying time but the finish is more durable. I will say this that there is in my opinion no poly that can give the depth of look that you get with Lacquers because it is 2 different types of finishes. Good luck.



Thanks for the warm welcome! I appreciate the info regarding my question about using wax, as well as the pros and cons of different types of lacquers. You are correct that I'm using nitrocellulose lacquer. I read a lot of good reviews about the masters magic stuff, so I thought I'd give it a try. I will say that I've been very impressed with how the projects I've used it on have turned out. There doesn't seem to be a huge learning curve with it. Regarding using lacquer for a project such as this that comes in contact with water regularly, I've made it a point to mention that the brush should be completely dried after each use. I always make sure to completely coat the inside of the hole for the brush knot with the two part epoxy that I use to set the knot with, so hopefully long term durability will be of little worry. 

I would certainly be open to trying polyurethane to finish with. I attempted to finish a razor handle and brush/razor stand with some Helmsman Spar Urethane spray a couple of months ago, and it was a complete disaster. Couldn't get a smooth finish. If buying or even mixing up my own "wipe-on" poly would be a better method I'd love to give it a shot. As I said before, I don't really mind having to wait a bit to buff if need be. 

Here are a couple of examples of brushes or handles that I've finished with the Masters Magic. 










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## jttheclockman (Apr 12, 2017)

Very nice. Like the shapes of the brushes. I believe wood will always look nice with a lacquer because as I said it gives depth to the finish. With pens you are not as prone to water as with shaving brushes. Acrylics always make good alternatives for material choices. You do as you wish but remember the cool beverage dripping droplets on that wood table. That is why you are encouraged to use coasters. Good luck.


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## Ted iin Michigan (Apr 12, 2017)

+1 what JT said re lacquer and water.


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## farmer (Apr 13, 2017)

*Finish*

How about west system's marine epoxy 105/207 ?
you looking at 4 coats at 6 hrs of rotating the subject per coat .

Can you rotate your lathe at 35 to 50 rpm for 30 hrs straight?


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## wildcatstrat (Apr 13, 2017)

farmer said:


> How about west system's marine epoxy 105/207 ?
> you looking at 4 coats at 6 hrs of rotating the subject per coat .
> 
> Can you rotate your lathe at 35 to 50 rpm for 30 hrs straight?


Unfortunately my lathe does not have that capability. It sounds like my best options are... 

1) Some form of polyurethane 
2) Go back to using CA glue, which I'm not too crazy about. I feel like small details are hard to finish with CA. 

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## Skie_M (Apr 13, 2017)

Or you could take it to a totally different extreme with another type of lacquer entirely ....

You could even make it yourself, if you have access to a lot of poison ivy or poison oak (the sap of either)...

You see, lacquerware made in Asia (China, Korea, Japan, ect) is known to be beautiful, durable, waterproof, and quite safe to use and handle (once fully cured).

Have a look at Manu Propia's gorgeous pens ... just keep in mind that one of his completed pens represents 30+ days of patient work, even if just 5 - 10 minutes each day...


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## Eldermike (Apr 13, 2017)

I've used quick dry ploy before with good results but prefer CA finish.  CA gives a harder finish. 


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