TromboneChat

I need to do some touching up. Are there any brands of rattlecan lacquer people recommend (or recommend against)? Thanks.

Nikolas lacquer is what I have used in the past. I first heard it mentioned when going through Dan Oberloh's restorations on their website.

I lacquer all our horns and in our shop we only use Nicolas air dry lacquer as I find baked-on epoxy finishes to be costly in equipment and difficult to deal with should the instrument be damaged and need additional repair.

I believe it is an old school cellulose based lacquer, similar to what Bach instruments used for decades until recently.

Here's a video where it was being used to protect areas where the silver plating on a trumpet had worn through. I know it's not as durable as some other coatings but it is, IMHO, easier to work with for the novice. One thing I can say is SURFACE PREP IS EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. You want it utterly polished and clean if any type of lacquer is going to adhere properly.

I’ve used Tamiya clear in the aerosol can, works great can be found at some stores that sell plastic models such as Hobby Town

Mohawk works great! Have used it on several horns now.

Every tech I know uses Nicolas for spot lacquering.

Thank you for these recommendations!

tbonesullivan and greenbean, confirming this is the one you mean. Tx

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... olas-clear

Realize that the air dry lacquer is not terribly durable, and will need touch ups fairly regularly, especially in contact areas.

RobL wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2023 8:15 am tbonesullivan and greenbean, confirming this is the one you mean. Tx

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... olas-clear

That should be the one! I would go with clear.

hornbuilder wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2023 10:20 am Realize that the air dry lacquer is not terribly durable, and will need touch ups fairly regularly, especially in contact areas.

I put on a double coat years ago on the outer slide of my Bach 42, and it has held up. However I will also say that I am OCD as HELL. Every trombone gets the contact points wiped down after use with a microfiber cloth and/or a Conn Selmer / UMI lacquer cloth that has a bit of silicone impregnated into it. I also do not have acidic sweat, and tend to wash my hands a lot.

A lot of this comes from playing electric guitars with oiled necks, where if I play it with dirty hands, it gets sucked into the wood, and getting it back out is a pain.

Thank you, tbonesullivan, greenbean, and hornbuilder!