If you have an air compressor you have 3/4 of a vacuum press. The last quarter is making a bag. Easy to do. And then using the input on the air compressor ( the side where there is usually a filter actually sucks air into the compressor right! ) to create a vacuum in the bag. To make a bag use what ever you have on hand. I've used heavy vapor barrier or the bags I make for reuse are the plastic old ladies cover everything with! You know the kind. I use Tuck tape the red stuff to seal it up on the edges. Any normal air compressor fittings work in vacuum or compressed mode. And to seal up the bag I roll it over itself and clamp it between two boards. Once the vacuum sets it self seals.
You can draw about 14 psi with a vauum press which is over one ton per square foot. I've broken objects by drawing to high of a vacuum with my pump that I picked up from a surplus store 15 years ago.
As for finish and filler.
Lacquer has only one redeeming quality. It dries fast. I personally use it on commercial stuff only. It has no durability in a home environment. You want a good polyurethane. Water borne is faster drying but not as hard as solvent borne. For easy to get stuff try Home Despot and MinWax urethane fast dry. You can put on three coats in a day with it. I know it is much slower than lacquer but it is resistant to water and most cleaners unlike lacquer. As for filler if you like Mohawk stick with it. They make good stuff. MJ Cambell also make good stuff. I sometimes also use Elmers fill n finish from Home Despot. The golden Oak is almost uncanny in it's ability to blend in. And a couple of others can be blended to color most problems away when needed.
Mark
Thanks mark, I would love to see some pictures or tutorial on your vaccume press in action. you make it sound easy:gulp:
I started Painting and Decorating when I was 16, had red seal Jurneymen TQ by the time I was 19. I have trained and taught many courses on finishing. I left the trade 5 years ago for several reasons, mostly because I was bored. :clap:
Terms are not what they once were, "Lacquer" is nitrocellulose dissolved in solvent , it offered, excellent flow out, poor water resistance,poor mar resistance, But was used mostly for its Super fast dry and ability to be used in most shop enviroments and still give a high quality finish without the need for buffing. You can still find it on cheap furniture from China. With its Cons out weighing its Pros manufacturers starting using Alkyd resins (among others), to combine the same flow,and finish properties of Nitrocellulose but the wear resistance of Alkyd based coatings. The term Lacquer is now used mostly to describe Lacquer " like" properties. There are so called Waterborne lacquers on the market that do not have the same spray abilities, at least i cant spray them anyway:R. Pre cat Lacquers offer me the ability to spray in my dusty shop, still producing a high quality durable finish. I used to have a down draft booth and the possibilities were endless. But now I dont have time to clean the dust off the floor:unbelievable:
Have you had any luck with spraying the minwaxx product?
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