Solarez I Can’t Believe It’s Not Lacquer Test

Trial run with the Solarez I Can’t Believe It’s Not Lacquer product before using it on guitar bodies - somewhat disappointing ending due to this being a new process to me. 😉 Product is great, though.

[@fate2022]

Even for a test, you need to be wiping away and completely cleaning before switching sandpaper grit, otherwise you're just grinding in the previous abrasives left on the surface. Also you need to use a cutting compound, before the polishing compound to get out the sanding scratches.

[@tommybyrne8092]

Duane, thanks for this. I've been playing around with a number of Solarez' products and I think you are very close to getting the results you're after. 1. Absolutely sanding and leveling after each coat, without laying it on too thick. 2. I would also suggest at this point in between each coat, that yo let it sit for an hour before givinig it sunlight...But first I have a small hand held hair dryer that I run over it for a few minutes, encouraging the bubbles to escape. Also with respect to prep work... Solarez has a great Grain Sealer ! Starting with this and going thru the same process as above. Thanks Again !!

[@abidiaz55]

I use Solarez. It does get glossy PROVIDED you clean away the sanding dust from each grit, then a cutting compound before a high polish compound.

[@DuaneForrester]

I always clean between coats and wipe down with alcohol to ensure the dust is gone, followed with a tack cloth. I suspect when I tried this experiment, now years ago, I did not manage the cutting compound end of the process well. ;)

[@TempleGuitars]

Hey Duane- thanks for this! I'm trying to do my homework as much as possible before mine arrives, as a pint of both the grain sealer and lacquer cost $200 all up to Australia where I am.

[@DuaneForrester]

Temple Guitars Wow! I plan to get back to experimenting with it again in the next month or so. See if I can find a reliable application method that eliminates and small bubbles. Love the product, I just think my technique needs refinement. 😉

[@TempleGuitars]

@@DuaneForrester Did you keep yours in the refrigerator? I hear that's a good first step with this product. Also, as you've already realised, I think adhesion may be an issue? If so, they also do what is said to be a killer sanding sealer that bonds really well to the lacquer. I'm trying both.

[@DuaneForrester]

Temple Guitars have not tried the fridge technique. And I should get the sealer, or at least try another sealer with it. 👍

[@edadpops1709]

Iam also testing for guitars . I find their icbinl grain sealer is great for filling, easy sanding and pin hole elimination. But on a guitar its 4 coats minimum.thin coats is a must. Sand wood to 320.sand sealer starting with 320 to 800. Then apply the clear in same way dividing guitar into top then back then sides. Sanding between coats.Probably 4-8 coats. Sand back to 4-600 and hand sand dry dont skip grits .600 to 4000. Thats as far as ive gotten polishing next.i doubt youll get a super gloss unless you have a machine buffer. Hand sanding will eliminate burn thru and wet sanding probably isnt needed. I guess nothing is free ,pay now or pay later. Its easy to apply dries in the sun in 4-5 minutes, but a regimented sanding and buffing schedule will be necessary for a super gloss guitar finish, also the film thickness in the end will be alot thicker than a nitro or true oil finish .Im up in the air on this product. Thanks for your testing .

[@DuaneForrester]

Edad Martin appreciate the input and ideas you added here! Great hearing the process on sanding to get to a smoother finish, too. I’ve taken it to a full gloss with some plexiglass polish on a budding wheel in the hand drill. Worked very well. 👍

[@leesbassment6393]

It seems to me that most of the "not great" was in the prep and sanding, rather than the Solarez. I read your comments on the other comment, and agree 100%. This stuff needs to be applied to scuffed up substrate, or it just pull away like water on a freshly waxed car. I think if you sanded more evenly, wiped away all the 400 grit dust before moving up in grits, buffed longer, etc, that the Solarez would shine.

[@DuaneForrester]

Yeah, the product isn't the issue here - that I'm sure of. :) I actually went back to my test sample from the video above last night with some plexiglass windshield polish - stuff used on airplane windshield, in fact. That product (Formula 1 Scratch Out - though I've seen it with other names as well) worked very well - it gave me the high polish I was looking for! :) But the prep, namely the last of sealing the wood used, first - that left visible differences in the coating that no buffing can fix. One of my take aways working with this is less is more. No need for several coast with sanding in between like other finishes. Just a nice medium coat of this, cure it and get working on polishing. Like so much of workcraft, if you've done the wood prep well, it'll all work out from there.

[@leesbassment6393]

Duane Forrester, I'm glad you're figuring it out. I've been happy with all the Solarez products I've used thus far.

[@rakentrail]

You need to clean well between every grit change!

[@duaneraymond4252]

I think it's a satin finish product rather than a high gloss product.

[@rickss69]

I would lose the sanding pads and invest in some quality sandpaper.

[@Meddled]

Wobbly little foam pads don't really level a bumpy surface.

[@chrisfromthelc]

If you haven't yet, check out the video Chris from Highline did on Solarez: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpuuYphoo6ulrtk I tried his method on some test scraps (to use on my own upcoming build), and it seems to work pretty nicely. The Swirl Remover is the key to it in my opinion. It also looks like you went from 400 to 2000 to 2500 grit. I've discovered that making that large of a jump in grits will leave those faint sanding ridges because you're not able to adequately remove the 400 grit scratches with 2000 grit. 400 to 600 to 800 to 1000 to 1500 to 2000 to 2500 will take car of that. I would start wet sanding with the 400 on up. Once you get to 2500 wet sanding from 400 through 2500, it takes just a minute with swirl remover, then a final buff with polishing compound, and it will be super clear.

[@dackmursted7445]

Here's my experience with this product after a fairly disastrous first go and then subsequent trials. First, let it sit for about an hour before ever exposing it to the sun, every coat. Second the polishing and buffing process is critical, using rubbing compounds and a buffing machine at 900 rpm does wonders after it's fully sanded IF all the coats have been properly leveled.

[@DuaneForrester]

Interesting - never really did any leveling with it, so I'll have to try that next! Thanks for the tip Dack. :)

[@drewjohnson4673]

It is a grain filler, not a finish coat.

[@timbutler9857]

I appreciate the review. Its great for people who may not have a fully equipped workshop. Id like to try this stuff but I'm curious on how hard the cured resin is. Does it seem pretty scratch resistant?

[@DuaneForrester]

The final cure, when done right, is as hard as any other resin. Nice and hard. As far as scratch resistance goes, it’s put it on par with most others. No better than some and probably better than others.

[@timbutler9857]

@@DuaneForrester thanks, I just ordered some to try

[@kalikokahoonei4781]

its super tough and is really easy to work with. its best to do the curing in flashes....i did a 5 seconds in sun ..pulled back for 30 ...then 5 seconds ...back for 30 ....cured super clear and didnt kick to fast and make pinholes an dbubbles etc.

[@timbutler9857]

@@kalikokahoonei4781 I got some, tried it and found it cured nice and hard. My problem was it didn't want to level out no matter how long i left it before curing. The result was a lot of 400 grit sanding to get it flat for the next coat. So then i tried building up a few coats without level standing until after the final. That produced witness lines. Oh and i could not get it to really shine like a lacquer after buffing. I really want to like this product, Maybe I'm doing something wrong

[@peterjames2580]

Where do you get those sanding sponges? Thanks for video!

[@DuaneForrester]

Some I find on Amazon, but that one in the video specifically, is from an auto parts store and their auto body section. :)

[@jasonschronicles]

Following this with great interest as I'm considering using this on an upcoming guitar build... Do you think some of the hazing could have been avoided with thinner coats?

[@DuaneForrester]

That might help, as would more thorough sanding between coats. I also suspect it would have helped to use a proper wood sealer on the wood itself prior to putting the Solarez resin down. AND, let's not forget a major shortcut i took right up front: I only sanded to 400 grit before applying. While that's plenty for a smooth enough surface in most instances, the point here isn't my level of grit - it's the lack of time invested in prepping the surface overall. Given it was a test, it's fine, but on a guitar body, the surface need to be perfect before you apply - so sanding sealer, full sand back and leveling, then apply the Solarez. I ran a coat over another body I have last night - lemme just say this - be ready to level sand afterwards. You can touch up Solarez after it cures, but you're just adding layers and you'll be able to see them. Also, the between coat sandings? be sure every bit of the surface has been sanded. I could easily tell the areas i didn't scuff well prior to applying more resin as the resin tended to pull away from those super smooth spots. I was starting from a fully polished finish, which I scuffed with 400 grit to key it for the resin. in spots where i didn't scuff enough, or even missed entirely, the surface was too smooth for the resin to grip, so it pulled back leaving pockets. I applied a thicker coat and set it with the UV light, knowing today I was planning to sand back most of it anyway as i level sanded the resin. there is another option here for polishing to a high gloss as well - progressive and higher grit papers prior to a polishing compound and a proper polishing wheel. Some guys go up to 15,000 grit on the papers, then swap to the polishing wheel with a coarse and fine polishing compound - that seems to work, at least in videos here. ;) I think the Solarez product is great - but I still need to learn how to get the most out of it.

[@jasonschronicles]

@@DuaneForrester Yeah, I'm likely going to order some now to start playing with until my project is ready. My current plan is water based stain > Solarez Sanding Sealer > Solarez I can't believe it's not lacquer (multiple super thin coats). Obviously lots of sanding at each of those points... I don't have an actually polishing wheel so I'm hoping high grade wet sanding > Micromesh > Polishing compound will get me to a good place. Only way to tell for sure is to test on some scrap wood and see how it goes.. I'm assuming you've also seen the videos Chris (Highline Guitars) has on this topic. If not, may be worth a watch as well.

[@DuaneForrester]

Yes, i was specifically thinking of the Highline videos as i just rewatched them last night. The approach you've outlined sounds very good, and i suspect will result in a finish closer to the Highline finish. I don't have polishing wheels either, but I am considering selling my sportscar and getting some set up in my garage now...LOL@@jasonschronicles

[@DuaneForrester]

Just an update Jason - I used a new polishing compound I bought on Amazon last night - Formula 1 Scratch Out - and it worked wonders. Gave me a nice high gloss as desired. :)

[@jasonschronicles]

@@DuaneForrester That's great to hear. My Solarez ICBNL came in this week, just waiting on the actual guitar body. Unfortunately I'm still probably about a month out from it being delivered from the custom shop.. I'll drop a note if I find anything interesting testing the finish in the interim.

[@congruewoodworks1474]

Did you do another test to get a better shine? What was the process?

[@DuaneForrester]

Alas, I did not. If you check the comments on this video, you’ll find discussions from others detailing ways to improve the process or what’s worked for them. 👍

[@aaronfuksa2047]

You may need a metal polish to cut such a hard coating.

[@Stewart_John]

You put some Tung or linseed oil before the solares on the top? Or direct the solares?

[@DuaneForrester]

Stewart John Just the Solarez, John. Put two coats directly on the walnut, no oils on this test.

[@Stewart_John]

Thank you sir appreciate it!

[@larsdahl6594]

Go to a car detailing channel and learn the proper way to sand/wet sand, compound and polish a finish for ultimate gloss.

[@Olivijad]

Do you know if you can paint over this?

[@DuaneForrester]

Yes, you can paint over it! I just did this earlier in the week. Used the Solarez to smooth the surface of the wood a bit, sanded it back to smooth it and key the surface for paint (used 220 grit, then 400 grit sandpaper’s). Then brushed on the paint. Spraying would work as well. Just keep in mind that your paint will show whatever is under it, so if the Solarez is cured with any lines, drips or bubbles, the shapes will remain visible when painted. Needs to be smooth. 👍

[@aaronfuksa2047]

Slight confusion...can i leave it outdoors for the sun to abuse it through the life of a painting?

[@DuaneForrester]

Honestly, I don’t know. That question is better asked of the manufacturer. I use it for guitars.

[@drewjohnson4673]

I don’t think you are using this properly. It is to be used similar to lacquer sanding sealer. A finishing product should then be used.

[@kentcross2757]

Can you prime and paint over this?

[@DuaneForrester]

I don’t see why not! It’s a very hard finish when cured, so with the right prep (Keyed to, say, a 180 or 220 grit), there would be enough mechanical grip for primer and paint. 👍

[@kentcross2757]

@@DuaneForrester Awesome, thank you for the upload and getting back with me!

[@rockymtnmovies]

Why is it just poured so thickly on that piece of wood? Would you do that to a guitar? No. It's always best to do thin coats and build on that. If you are going to test, do it like you would on your best guitar on an actual sample of wood you would use on a guitar.

[@DuaneForrester]

K Kels appreciate you taking the time to watch the video. 👍 If you’ve never worked with this product, you may not realize how thick it goes on - it’s like a thick syrup, so thinning it during application is tougher. But your point is taken, despite the judgement. We’re I to use this on an acoustic body, it would be a challenge due to its viscosity. On an electric body, however, it’s entirely usable. But that’s just my experience using it.

[@nicoleroennmann765]

What is the recommended application method? is it sprayable or just light brush coats. is it thinable for sprayer? I have a couple of guitars that I swirl painted with hobby oil based enamels, but was trying to find a better top coat than lacquer(dry time sucks). did you get sanding burn through rings in coats as in poly if you sand to deep? This seems to be the best for home builds, and I really want to try it, just not that much info out on it. thnx...

[@DuaneForrester]

Nicole Roennmann The Solarez website has a detailed FAQ that directly answers many of your questions. They do say it’s sprayable, but I’m not equipped for that day never looked into it. My application process was simple: foam brush, brush on, cure with UV light. Sanding follows a normal process like any other product (Lacquer, for instance) and final buffing is similar. Whether you do a thicker coat (and fewer of them) or a thinner coat (and more of them) is your choice. For this test, I went thin and medium coats (both cured the same) to make sure I had lots for sanding back. I can tell you this: my sample is extremely smooth to the touch after the sanding and polishing. The sanding burn through that happened to me was down to my technique. I was using a power sander and not fully aware of how the pad was contacting the surface of the guitar. This resulted in a burn through back to bare wood, resulting in me fully stripping back the finish and stain and restarting the entire finishing process. Not very hard to sand the Solarez ICBINL completely off if needed, either. Not that I think anyone should make that a goal. 😉

[@nicoleroennmann765]

@@DuaneForrester ok thnx

[@edadpops1709]

Also check highline guitars on you tube for tons of technique with this product

[@TempleGuitars]

Solarez have two different formulations for this product- sprayable and wipe on.

[@Dropaprayer]

400 to 1500 is a massive jump... You'd likely be better off with more in between grains.

[@DuaneForrester]

Totally fair comment Dan. :) Alas, even when i tried the correct flow of grits, I still ended up with some pin prick bubbles. That said, I should actually redo this test in a less manually manner - like a random orbital on a larger surface area going up the grits form 400 to 15,000, then use a polishing compound and a wax - do it properly. Or, since a friend has a buffing wheel, I could roll down to their shop for those final couple steps and see if this performs better. I'm hopeful for a better result given how well it's worked for others. :)

[@Meddled]

I would go 400, 800, 1200, 2000, 2500 and then use a coarser polish like Macguier's Ultimate, then something like Macguier's swirl remover. Maybe even finish off with a filler wax. Rotary polisher, running at higher speeds than a hand drill and generating a bit of heat at the same time.

[@thomasbailey9605]

I'm not trying to break your balls....but, I kinda cringed when you didn't remove the particles between sanding stages! Yikes. That's a recipe for disaster.

[@DuaneForrester]

Completely agree Thomas...sigh. The technique I used here was poor, at best. The results were therefore predictable. I may retry this again, but with a proper process and see what happens. I also question the need for multiple layers with the Solarez - it's a pretty robust product and goes down well (tends to level itself out), so I'm thinking the single coat might work. Still a fan of the product, despite my own ham-fisted approach here. ;)

[@scoots8519]

And they say he is still sanding............

[@DuaneForrester]

scoots Bwahahaha! 🤣😂 Nah. Managed to break through to raw wood again early last week. My right arm is not noticeably more buff than my left, though... 😉

[@scoots8519]

@@DuaneForrester I think instead of calling it "I Cant Believe it's not Not Lacquer" it should be "I can't believe I did all this sanding" . Thanks for the video!

[@DuaneForrester]

scoots First Hans I can tell you...having access to a giant drum sander proved useful after I needed to strip an entire guitar body clean of this stuff. 😉

[@gregrandol2801]

This time I will use Woodglut plans for this.

[@SarcastSempervirens]

Dude.. this is a tutorial on how NOT to do applying, leveling, sanding or polishing :/ There's no "technique" to do it, you do it like any other lacquer or PU or something, you skipped over steps, grits, cleaning, compounds, tools..

[@DuaneForrester]

As many have pointed out, including myself. 😉 But thanks for reinforcing it again. 👍

[@TheHomeMaker1]

400G to 1500G yeah definitely left a shit ton of scratches behind that was impossible to remove with that 1500 please stop making videos showing hints done incorrectly like for the love of gawd!!

[@DuaneForrester]

Awesome of you to join the conversation to crap on others. Very impressive. Love your creative use of advice there, too. Obviously mistakes were made, and this was never a how-to video. Please stick to making your own high quality content and maybe refrain from trolling others? But it is good to know what the personality behind your channel is like. Appreciate you sharing that for everyone to see. 👍

[@caelachyt]

Tried this stuff and did not like it. Very pricey for the mediocre quality.

[@DuaneForrester]

Sir_Valion it’s not for every application, and I have to admit, I’m still figuring it out myself. It takes longer, but I’ve had better luck with Tru Oil overall.

[@kalikokahoonei4781]

@@DuaneForrester i had better results when flashing the resin in sun for 5 seconds to kick it off thn pull it back in shade and repeating this process a few times gives better adhesion over all and clearer final product

[@DuaneForrester]

Kaliko Kahoonei Love this idea. Definitely gonna try it next time - appreciate the input here! 👍🙂