Clean Armor How To: Wood 710 Sealer

[@lintelle2382]

so, I have seen several how-to videos now on these products and I am sold. already bought most of the sheens, and sealers and all that. the one thing that is common with all the videos is that the presenter only finishes the top surface. all fine and good, but what about the inevitable drips and dribbles over the edges? I presume that they get cured too. Do they blend in when one finally hits the adjacent surfaces? How does one most effectively cover all six side of a board? Hit the top and four edges first, then the backside and hope you don't let any run over the edges while doing so?

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

The main thing with Clean Armor that is different from other finishes is that it cures on demand with a UV light instead of evaporation of the solvents. This means that everything else is pretty much the same as with other finishes. You have to take the same care to prevent runners and drips on the bottom. In fact, you really have a huge advantage here. With traditional finishes, you often think everything looks good and you walk away and when you return, you notice some runners have formed in your absence that now are dry. With Clean Armor, this cannot happen. You simply only turn the UV light on when you like what you see to "freeze it in place". When I finish flat pieces with the edges along, I only do one side at a time and include all 4 edges. After that, I turn it around and repeat. This means I finish the edges twice and for that reason, I apply very thin coats here. I mainly do spray application which makes this much easier.

[@lintelle2382]

@@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn OK. I think I understand. Top and edges. Flip it over and do the other side and the edges again. Thank you for your response!

[@ritzypatrick8577]

Is the sealer required prior to the clear coat 700?

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

The sealer soaks a little deeper into the wood and cures a little harder to build a solid platform for the top finish, but it is not mandatory. With the top coat alone, you can achieve a beautiful finish that is built to last. We usually give the following advice: A bottle of 1 quart finishes up to 400 square feet per coat. For the 700 and 705 product line, most common applications will require 3 coats, and therefore, one bottle will finish up to 133 square feet total. The 757 product line usually only requires 2 coats, so one bottle will yield a total of up to 200 square feet. If you only have a single project that is smaller, then only order the appropriate top coat. If you have more to finish and need more than one bottle anyways, then order and use the sealer along.

[@ritzypatrick8577]

@@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn Thank you for the reply. I'm having trouble curing the topcoat on a couple exotics - particularly bloodwood and cocobolo. I suspect the oil in these woods is an issue. I have no trouble with domestics and other more typical exotics like mahogany. I'm using cuvo 100uva. Do you think the sealer would solve my problem?

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

@@ritzypatrick8577 Yes, you will have better success with the sealer, but it still requires some extra attention when dealing with these oily woods. When you prepare your wood for finishing and have it sanded, before you apply the Clean Armor, wipe it down with Isopropyl Alcohol to remove any oil excess from the surface. Then blow it down with compressed air to drive the oils back into the wood pores. When you are applying the first coat of Clean Armor, chances are that the surface still appears tacky. When the Clean Armor is curing under the UV light, it produces some heat and that heat drives some of the oils to the surface again before the Clean Armor completely cures. In most cases, you have the Clean Armor completely cured, but a thin layer of oil on top of it may make it appear as if the Clean Armor has not fully cured. In this case, wipe it down with Alcohol, then give it a fine (320 grit) sanding, and apply another coat, and you should be fine...

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

@@ritzypatrick8577 Clean Armor works well with all wood species. However, when working with oily wood species, using the sealer (710 as sealer for 700 and 705 products and sealer 750 for 757 products) is highly recommended. Before applying the first coat, wipe the wood down with Isopropyl Alcohol (at least 70% strong). The sealer soaks deeper into the wood and cures harder to build a solid surface for the finish. While it is curing, it produces some heat and this will oftentimes push some oils to the surface. For this reason, the surface may appear as if the Clean Armor did not fully cure under the UV light. If this happens, wipe it down with Alcohol again and give it a gentle 320 grit sanding, and then apply a second coat of sealer.

[@ritzypatrick8577]

@@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn thank you!

[@douglasanderson7260]

Good video, this stuff looks really neat, I am hoping that it is useful in my arsenal of tools. The only question I would have is it better to use mica powder or liquid tints if one was going to tint either the sealer or the top coat?

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

I never played with powder tints but expect they would work fine. Liquid tints work great for as long as you use solvent based (not oil or water based) tints. Remember that tinting will extend the time to cure with UV lights (the darker the color, the longer it takes to cure).

[@HallcraftCustomDesigns]

When Spraying sealer or finish, what air supply and other spray equipment recommendations do you have?

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

I personally use a Iwata IWA5660 1.3MM LPH400-134LVX Gun with very low air pressure (around 15PSI). I also use the PPS system with black cups for UV cured products. One of the most important things is to keep your gun safe whenever you turn the UV lights on. Build yourself a small cabinet where you place your gun and close the door before turning the lights on. UV light exposure to the tip of the gun and the needle alone can end up in disaster as the black cups alone do not protect the entire gun...

[@Z-add]

Can it seal mdf edges for paint.

[@ThekiBoran]

I've used chisel tip foam brushes for oil polyurethane and water based too. Have you ever tried chisel tip foam brushes with clean armor?

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

I have not tried any chisel tip foam brushes with Clean Armor but see no reason why these would not work. Whatever streaks your applicator leaves, at room temperature and waiting a few minutes before curing, the product does self level and eliminates all such streaks...

[@ThekiBoran]

Doesn't the grain filler also seal the wood?

[@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn]

Yes, when using the grain filler, there is no need to use the sealer.