Re: The "official" cabinet finishing thread
Okay, I should check in a shade more often.
Hopper gun, HVLP, and airless can all be used to apply duratex. I use a hopper gun for a box or two, when it gets serious I break out the airless. If you use a hopper gun you want either the smallest or middle size opening depending on the texture you want. Set the trigger stop so the gun BARELY opens, and move fairly quickly. It builds very fast. Too thick of an application will run, and also not set up properly.
With an airless you need a big tip, .20 to .24, and very low pressure. Plus a pretty serious airless. This stuff is elastomeric, and the cheaper machines either won't spray it, or it will eat the packings lunch. I use an Airlessco which is about a 2k sprayer. Once again move pretty quickly. I have shot it with a .17 tip for a first coat, it goes on like paint with that tip.
To roll it don't use any nap style roller. Has to be the foam rollers. Acrytechs works the best of any I've found. But you can use any faux finish technique with this stuff you can do with paint. Watch your film thickness. 1st coat very thin, just make the cab black. Then apply a texture coat. Above 70deg you should wait about 1/2 an hour.
Can you compare working with DuraTex and Polane-T (if you used the water-based formula)? We're getting ready to finish some new work boxes and cable trunks.
Polane is a harder finish. Also harder to apply, nastier stuff. I think Duratex applied correctly is probably just as tough, and easier to apply and repair if dinged.
You're in Parsons? Wow, I was just through there a few weeks ago (had to wave at the last roll of Kodachrome) on my way to a gig.
My Uncle was featured on the Today show story on Kodachrome. He was a professional photographer here for 40-50 yrs. The actual last roll to be processed was shot by the owner of Dwaynes photo.
It was crazy, they were getting TRUCKLOADS literally of Kodachrome to process. Stop by some time if you're through. I'll be in tatown this weekend for the Opera Gala. My daughter is a young artist with the WGO.