Resisthane adhesion problem

[dlminehart]

I'm refinishing an ash bunk bed. It was originally finished with catalyzed lacquer. I'm using Resisthane Plus, sprayed on using my HP HVLP sprayer. I'd sanded the finish off the wood, then used a refinishing solvent from HD (called "Refinisher") that specified lacquer among its target finishes. I soaked a terrycloth pad with the solvent, rubbed it into the finish to soften, lifted with another pad. Finally, I wiped everything clean with mineral spirits and waited overnight to apply the Resisthane.

I'm finding that the Resisthane seems not to adhere as well as I'd expect. In places where my spraying was a little heavy and droplets formed, if I sand the drop a little too much and get down to the wood, the surrounding edges of the finish seem to lift much easier than I'd expect. If I use a ROS on such spots, small flakes of finish sometimes come off.

Any ideas? Is this normal? Did I not do a thorough enough job removing all traces of the catalyzed lacquer? Did the mineral spirits leave a residue that Resisthane dislikes? Ought I to have diluted the Resisthane with some water? (it took 15 seconds to empty the viscosity cup, the manual says 8-20 seconds is good, and someone online reported good results with 15 seconds.) Will I need to remove this coat of Resisthane and redo the solvent finish remover?

[ragswl4]

I'm refinishing an ash bunk bed. It was originally finished with catalyzed lacquer. I'm using Resisthane Plus, sprayed on using my HP HVLP sprayer. I'd sanded the finish off the wood, then used a refinishing solvent from HD (called "Refinisher") that specified lacquer among its target finishes. I soaked a terrycloth pad with the solvent, rubbed it into the finish to soften, lifted with another pad. Finally, I wiped everything clean with mineral spirits and waited overnight to apply the Resisthane.

I'm finding that the Resisthane seems not to adhere as well as I'd expect. In places where my spraying was a little heavy and droplets formed, if I sand the drop a little too much and get down to the wood, the surrounding edges of the finish seem to lift much easier than I'd expect. If I use a ROS on such spots, small flakes of finish sometimes come off.

Any ideas? Is this normal? Did I not do a thorough enough job removing all traces of the catalyzed lacquer? Did the mineral spirits leave a residue that Resisthane dislikes? Ought I to have diluted the Resisthane with some water? (it took 15 seconds to empty the viscosity cup, the manual says 8-20 seconds is good, and someone online reported good results with 15 seconds.) Will I need to remove this coat of Resisthane and redo the solvent finish remover?

You may have experienced a problem with the mineral spirits. I contacted the manufacturer of Resisthane some time ago about using Danish Oil (contains mineral spirits) on wood that would be top coated with Resisthane. They informed me to wait at least 24 hours, 48 hours would be better to ensure the oil had dried (read cured) before top coating. Not saying this is your problem for sure but maybe. Could be the "Refinisher" stuff as well. I would contact the Resisthane tech support to see if they can help before doing anything else. Might save some time and anguish.

I don't believe that Resisthane should be thinned. I use it directly from the can in an HF HVLP sprayer system with no problems.

[cabinetman]

I would have just applied the Resisthane to the sanded finish without doing all you did. You could just use a stripper and then apply the finish. You might try waiting several days, and sand smooth, and then apply the finish to a small area as a sample. Try very thin coats. I usually thin WB's at least 5% with water. Some as much as 10%. Thin coats work the best.
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