EM6000-compatible sandpaper

[David]

Hi all,

I've been using Super Assilex sandpaper to level my sprayed EM6000 finishes after it being recommended here, and it works beautifully for getting to a polished finish. 

My last guitar had a major pinhole problem and I assumed it was the sandpaper I used to level between spraying sessions. So this time I used the Assilex papers to do a quick flattening between sessions, and I'm seeing the same pinholes. It seemed like the vinyl sealer was going on well until I flattened it, so I was blaming my sanding step.

What sandpapers are people using with EM6000 that don't seem to cause this issue? Or do you think my pinholes aren't caused by surface contamination from sanding?

Thanks!

-David

[daronconi]

David, whenever I have pinholes it's because the lacquer coats were sprayed too heavily and too close together. This is something that took me years to get dialed in, however, thinner coats is much more likely the solution rather than the sandpaper you are using. 

The pinholes are the result of heavy coats that are trapping air bubbles in the finish because the surface is curing faster than the air can escape. If you try spraying thinner coats I am confident that you'll stop seeing the pinholes. 

[JohnParchem]

I kept individual wet coats to 3 mils. I test my guns setup before each coat and test with a  Wet Film Thickness Gauge. EM6000 can also take on a blueish tone if sprayed too heavy. I've used all sorts of paper, just made sure there are no stearates (anticlog) in the paper.

[David]

Thank you for your responses! I've definitely done that before--applying too heavy of a coat and trapping air bubbles. What's different this time is that the coats seem too dry--the surface is a little toothy after application. It's likely that you're both right, though, and I will check my application thickness before looking for contaminants.

Thanks!

-David

[Matt Deneffe]

I’m not sure if it’s the same issue. Without seeing what the pinholes look like. 

But when I first started using em6000 I would get micro bubbles in the finish that would cause pinholes when leveling. 

Jeff Weiss at target coating confirmed my suspicions that it was solvent pop. 

He recommended I add their retarder instead of water to thin. 

It has eliminated that problem for me. 

I mix 7.5-10 percent of the reducer depending on the ambient weather conditions. 

As for the sand paper. I also use the super asilex and have had great results so far. 

Hope this might help. 

Matt 

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