Official Luthiers Forum!

LMI has Target Coating 25% off.
I'm switching to EM6000 from NC lacquer.

Should I expect to use REDUCER?
DO you emtech guys use the CLEAR UNIVERSAL SANDING SEALER? After reading a book on Classic Violin Finishes, I expect this sealer tol add depth to the wood color and grain. GIven the ratio of sealer to top coat this should come in a quart


Having read the IFU, I suspect there is no need to use the cross linker on tone wood?

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

You need reducer if you will be brushing the finish on. It's not needed for spraying.

I haven't used the Clear Universal Sanding Sealer, but I have used UltraSeal-WB Shellac as the sealer which has a slight amber tint. I bought it in quarts and used it on the sides, back, and neck, but not the top.

I never used the crosslinker. One of the best features of EM6000 is repairability and I would be concerned that crosslinking might mess with that. Could be wrong though.

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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

I use the crosslinker. There is no downside. It does not harm repairability. It does help the finish flow out a bit better instead of retreating from edges and pores. My customer with the finish destroying sweat was still able to destroy the cross-linked finish. But, for everyone else, it seems to work fine. Make sure you follow the mixing directions carefully if you use the crosslinker.

I don’t use reducer when I brush it. Sometimes when brushing, I thin it a little with water. Most of the time, I spray.

I use dewaxed shellac as a sealer coat. When I tried their waterbase shellac many years ago, it didn’t like it. It might be better now.

If you get on the Target Coatings email list, they always have a 25 or 30% off promotion that gets the price down near or below the LMI sale price. I always buy direct. I use enough that buying the gallons makes sense for me. When I open the gallon, I pour it into quart Mason jars for storage. I have use EM 6000 and its precursors for many years.

Thanks for the info fellas.



Love the mason jar tip!

I used to buy empty quart cans from SW, but they were coated inside.
When you poke holes in the rim for drain holes, the coating chips off and slowly deteriorates, flaking off into the finish. THe can corrodes too and I dont now why. I ruined a can of Bullseye Shellac poking holes in the rim. Mason jars!

_________________
Measure Twice,

Karl Borum