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To this I'll add that my good friend Don is the only person I know of who had issues with RL. Unfortunately it was catastrophic and cost him the guitar. This was the very first formulation for spraying in I want to say 2015 or so. I used the original formula in a french polishing course around the same time and haven't had any problems with the guitar to this day.

I haven’t had any Royal Lac problems (I’m a different Don from the one James is referencing). I French polished one with original formula RL a few years ago, and I recently sprayed one with RL post cat. I think the spray version of the original formula stumbled at one point, and some folks got burned, but that is all in the past. The original formula works fine, and RL post cat is very nice.

@Bryan Bear, It may be as Ed posted, something with the earlier product, but I have a tendency to shy away from products that have reported problems. My former life was auto body paint. I learned early on to stick to mainstream products have stuck to that concept ever since.



Thanks for the link Clay Ill check it out, I would think the big issue would be trying to repair it as a finish, that is why I have stuck to lacquer and french polishing.

Interesting concept though.

Cheers,
Bob

FWIW, after leaving the leftover 50/50 blend overnight in the mixing cup, by morning it was an opaque white foam like substance.

When I used Zpoxy, and thinned it with alcohol for a wash coat, leftovers in the cup would cure to a very rubbery solid.

I have about 5 guitars out there done in Royal Lac going on about 5 years now and so far no problems that I know of. I have one hanging in my shop for a demo guitar that is about 2 years old and it still looks good. It definitely takes a bit more abuse then regular shellac but is still a very thin transparent finish. I still FP the old way but as I move forward I like RL more and more, I just wish it was a bit less expensive.

BTW I pad RL on just like FP technique. Most of the issues I have heard here and on other forums was in spraying it on and I do believe those problems have been solved too.

The biggest issue early on was with spraying. Some of us, I was one, did not allow sufficient cure time between coats. As a result the finish crazed over time. We worked with Vijay and solved the problem. I would not worry about spraying but I have changed to doing Royal Lac FP like JF and have had no problems - oldest one is from 2015.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

@jfmckenna and @SteveSmith

Thanks for that info guys, I did read the early posts about the problems with RL and that is what I based my decision on not to even try it. I confess... after reading about the problems I pretty much wrote RL off.

As I said I pretty much stick to tried and true methods of finishing since I don't want to have to deal with problems. But I have always experimented with new and different products, just not on anything I care about or a commission. Where my doubts come in is what happens years from now, and I have seen many products fail in the auto finishing industry. The biggest fail I have see was back in the early 70's someone came up with a new sealer that was suppose to end the confusion about what sealer to choose for what paint. Guys were jumping on the bandwagon and using it on everything. But about a year down the road all these guys that used it started getting come-backs with the paint coming off in sheets! I cant think how many guys asked me what I did to make the sealer stick. I told them I never used it. (commissioned painters don't get paid for re-do's)

I may give RL a try on something I don't care about and see how it works. I like the idea it is about 1/2 way between Lacquer and Shellac. But will still probably stick with what I know works.

Thanks again for the info guys,
Cheers,
Bob

Which epoxy did this happen with? Like joshnothing mentioned, when I've let the diluted epoxy sit overnight, it turned to a rubbery solid. If the epoxy was zpoxy and the temperature overnight was below 70 degrees (F), that might explain what you saw.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

West 105 with 207 hardener…everclear dilution…

I hear ya. It's not time tested and proven. I had that experience when I jumped on the water base stuff in the 90's. A client came back with a guitar many years later b/c the bridge lifted and I was absolutely shocked at how awful the finish was. I was actually surprided that he didn't care much about it. In fact when this guy took deliver of the guitar he sold his Koa Taylor because he liked it so much. So I guess that has something to do with it.

When I’ve done it I use VERY little epoxy and alcohol. I tend to use everclear for everyTHING haha. I use a paper towel that is lent free… some sort of aerospace stuff. Works great. I just go in strait lines fly on and off…


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I just had a buddy from Alberta bring me 2 bottles of Everclear. Here in BC the government has seen fit to protect us from it…

I wouldn’t personally recommend drinking it haha… MAAAAN! That said… it will clean most anything ha


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It is for shellac…he says.

Just curious if you can get the 190 proof Everclear in Canada? I would think 151 proof is more likely.

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Stay with the happy people.
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Yup, 190 out of Alberta…