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I used rattle-can Deft to do my first finish topcoats (sealed and pore-filled with epoxy) without training wheels, and I thought it worked out very nicely. I read comments critical of the material. Why? That finish is now two years old and looks brand new and unblemished, undinged, undented, un-anything. What's not to like, and what am I missing?

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Peter Havriluk

A few thin coats of rattle can Deft over an epoxy base might work fine.
We used brush on Deft in 7th grade shop class. It made a relatively soft "milky"covering on the unglamorous black willow our book ends were made from. That was 50 years ago. Deft, like many companies has come out with a waterborne finish, which I have never used. When people comment on a material it may be a reflection of their long past experience with an entirely different product by the same "name".
Generally, the harder the finish, the higher the polish it will take. The Deft I used was "soft".

there are better finishes out there.
Deft in a furniture finish and I admit I used it in my early days. I found it was prone to checking.
Behlen and mowhawk make rattle can finishes that are superior to Deft.

I suggest for best results use the recommended sealers the finish companies suggest. It is more about chemistry and adhesion. I found that CA and Shellac can fail as a sealer. Used CA on 2 guitar and had adhesion issues using vinyl no issues since

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I hate the stuff. It never dries hard.

It only takes one bad experience to turn me off to products for life. Maybe they have reformulated it. But I will not be burned twice.

I have the same experience, it never got hard.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

...same here. Not a fan...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

#mustresistreplytodan


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I've used the aerosol can deft for refinishing a headstock in the past and it seemed fine. I have also used their brushing lacquer which looked great on a table I built, but had a real problem staying soft when exposed to other plastic items. I left a rubber eraser on the table top and came back a couple weeks later to find it melted into the finish. Needles to say their brushing lacquer is on my do not use list.

Kent

used the deft brush laquer 27 years ago , just an ok finish IMHO

Deft is great for furniture and cabinetry but instruments. its uber soft. it does get rock hard even over time.

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I'm not a fan either. I finished some chairs with Deft some years ago, before they came out with the spray. The chairs were dining room chairs, and seemed fine, until one day my wife had a tea or something, and a friend of hers was wearing a sweater that she had had dry cleaned. Apparently the chemical left in the sweater dissolved the finish and it stayed on her sweater. Not a good experience! When this happened the finish was several years old, so should have been dry enough to use! Therefore, I wouldn't even recommend it for furniture.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Some people's body chemistry simply doesn't work with certain finishes. If I sit in a varnished chair for a few minutes the varnish will be on the back of my shirt and backside of my pants after I peal the chair off. That's one of the reason's that I can't use French Polish (same reaction).