What is the purpose of lacquer?
What is the purpose of lacquer? Lacquer provides the extremely intense gloss finish often used on many Asian-inspired or ultramodern furnishings. It is extremely durable and resistant to damage, however over time it can begin to discolor and become scratched.
What is the meaning of 'lacquer'?
Lacquer is a type of hard and potentially shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. The term originates from the Sanskrit word lākshā (लाक्षा), representing the number one hundred thousand (100,000), which was used for both the lac insect (because of their enormous number) and the scarlet resinous secretion, rich in shellac that it produces, used as wood ...
Should brass be laquered?
Should brass be lacquered? Although the vast majority of brassware on the market today has been lacquered in production, the brass should not be polished, but instead cleaned. Brass that is lacquered will feature with a clear layer and tarnish will only show up if a crack appears on the surface.
Is lacquer an oil?
Oil based lacquer, also known as transparent alkyd paint, most of the time uses alkyd as a binder and white spirit as solvent. Oil paints and lacquer contain VOC’s which can be harmful for human health.
What is wood lacquer?
Lacquer is a wood finish typically made with a solution of nitrocellulose and solvents to make a glossy or matte coating. Frequently sprayed on, it leaves a thin coat that dries faster than other finishes. While lacquer is ideal for furniture, but it is not recommended for use over old paint or varnish.
What was lacquer originally made of?
Lac, a resinous secretion of certain scale insects, is the basis for some but not all lacquers. Lacquer in China and Japan is made from the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum, formerly Rhus vernicifera), which, cleaned of impurities, can be used in its natural state.
Is wood lacquer the same as varnish?
Both varnish and lacquer have a shiny, glossy finish once they dry on your wood project. However, the shine level differs between these products. Varnish provides a semi-gloss or satin sheen finish, where lacquer provides more sheen levels, ranging from high gloss to ultra-matte.
Is lacquer water based or oil based?
Lacquers are resin-based solutions emulsified (made into liquid) by solvents (oils) which dry into a hard transparent film when exposed to air.
How do you make lacquer?
A simple way to make Homemade Lacquer that actually works from two common ingredients. All you need is two simple ingredients: polystyrene foam (like the packing styrofoam that surrounds electronics in the box) and common thinner – all-purpose thinner/lacquer thinner.
What is natural lacquer?
Natural lacquer is one of the first polymeric materials used by humans and has both functional and aesthetic uses. It has been used as coating by human since the Neolithic Age. It was discovered that lacquer was not only used as a coating but also an adhesive at the Kuahuqiao site 8000 calibrated years before present.
Which is better varnish or lacquer?
Main difference in usage For semi-gloss or satin sheen finishes, a professional furniture crafter would typically use a varnish. On the other hand, lacquer is more versatile; it can be used to create high-gloss as well as matte finishes while providing a protective layer.
Is lacquer waterproof?
Polyurethane, varnish, and lacquer are tried-and-true sealants with excellent waterproofing properties. They're either brushed or sprayed onto clean, sanded wood and then allowed to dry completely, prior to the piece being lightly re-sanded and recoated.
Does lacquer preserve wood?
Durability, Appearance and Affordability Lacquer is a bit thinner than other products, making it penetrate deeper, which provides a durable seal that protects the wood from the inside out. You don't need to use more than two coats to get a good-looking sheen with lacquer.
What are the disadvantages of lacquer?
ConsDifficult to apply (need the right equipment and a dedicated spaying area)Difficult to remove scratches or dents.Toxic off-gassing when first applied (safe when dry)
Is it better to oil or lacquer wood?
The biggest advantage of oil over lacquer, is that it provides a deeper defence, penetrating the wood. While it's inevitable that the external layer of the wood will wear over time, opting for an oil varnish will help maintain the knots and layers beneath.
Which is better lacquer or polyurethane?
Despite being available in variances, polyurethane is more durable. It is thick and leaves a strong coating. Lacquer is thin and penetrates the wood surface. It is also durable but susceptible to scratches and discoloration after some time.
How was ancient lacquer made?
The ancient Chinese artists used the sap of the tree Rhus vernicefera (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), which was native to eastern and southern China and was sometimes referred to as the 'Lacquer Tree'. The resin is drained from a cut in the living tree and becomes an opaque white liquid on contact with the air.
How is traditional lacquer made?
It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. The term originates from the Sanskrit word lākshā (लाक्षा) for lac bug, representing the number one hundred thousand (100,000), used as wood finish in ancient India and neighbouring areas.
Where did lacquer originate?
ChinaLacquer as an art form developed in China along two distinct paths—pictorial (or surface) decoration and carving of the lacquer. Rarely are the two techniques used in combination. In early times, surface decoration took the form of painting or inlay.
How is natural lacquer made?
Lacquer is made from the resin of the Son tree, which grows in highland areas. These trees start to produce lacquer sap after three years. The resin is stored in jars for between two and four months. After boiling, the resin turns white and becomes thick, like cream.
What is lacquer furniture?
Lacquer. Lacquer is a modern wood finish that is commonly used on high end furniture. It is fast drying, impervious to water, and maintains its transparency as it ages. Lacquer finishes are popular because they don’t yellow with age, protect well against liquids, and require very little maintenance. Lacquers are comparable to a varnish ...
What are the solvents in lacquer?
According to OSHA, some of the most common solvents found in lacquers are toluene, xylenes, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), formaldehyde, and methanol.
What Kind of Lacquer Does Copeland Furniture Use?
Copeland Furniture uses a catalyzed lacquer. It is low-sheen and GreenGuard Certified.
What is nitrocellulose lacquer used for?
Nitrocellulose Lacquer. Since its inception in the 1920’s, nitrocellulose lacquer has been the dominant finish for musical instruments like guitars, violins, and pianos. It is also popular as a coating on metal and was used heavily in the automotive industry through the mid-1900’s.
How does urushiol lacquer cure?
Urushiol-based lacquers cure through the processes of oxidation and polymerization, rather than the evaporation of chemical solvents like most other lacquers . Urushiol lacquers are the basis of Eastern lacquerware, which was and is traded popularly around the world. It was also used as a wood finish on coffins, instruments, furniture, and more.
What is the color of Nitrocellulose lacquer?
It dries to a smooth, high-gloss finish and is more malleable after curing than a traditional lacquer. Nitrocellulose lacquers tend to carry a reddish-amber tint as they age, which gives a beautiful lust and patina to some woods, but can be unattractive on others.
When did catalyzed lacquer become popular?
Catalyzed lacquers are a fairly new phenomenon, having only gained mainstream popularity in the late 1900’s and around the turn of the century. Prior to that, uncatalyzed nitrocellulose and acrylic lacquers were the standard in the world of professional woodworking.
What is CAB lacquer made of?
The most widely used of these products is called CAB-acrylic lacquer, made with cellulose acetate butyrate and acrylic resins. CAB-acrylic lacquer dries to a less brittle and more flexible film than that of nitrocellulose lacquer. It is also more expensive.
What is nitrocellulose lacquer made of?
Nitrocellulose Lacquers. Nitrocellulose lacquer is made by mixing fast-drying solvents with wood and cotton pulp containing cellulose that has been broken down by nitric and sulfuric acid. Edmund Flaherty, a chemist working for the DuPont Chemical Company, is credited for inventing nitrocellulose lacquer in 1921.
What is catalyzed lacquer?
The coatings industry put their chemists to work and responded by creating catalyzed lacquers, which are hybrid reactive finishes that cure chemically, not solely through the evaporation of solvents. Catalyzed lacquers contain some nitrocellulose resins, but the addition of urea resins makes these products much more durable. The chemical cure is initiated when an acid catalyst is added to the mixture.
Why is lacquer blushing?
Because it dries so quickly, when applied under conditions of high humidity, the lacquer film can trap condensed moisture and cause the finish film to appear cloudy — a problem referred to as blushing. You can overcome that finishing obstacle by adding a slower-drying thinner, called a retarder, which allows the moisture to escape before it gets trapped in the film.
What is the best finish for wood?
Lacquer is often regarded as the best all-around finish for wood. It dries quickly, and it’s durable. There are several different types of lacquers available to woodworkers. Understanding the characteristics of each will help you choose the right one.
What is the chemical cure of lacquer?
The chemical cure is initiated when an acid catalyst is added to the mixture.
Why did Henry Ford use nitrocellulose lacquer?
It was quickly picked up by Henry Ford for his mass-produced automobiles because finished cars could come off the assembly line faster. Not long afterward, nitrocellulose lacquer replaced shellac and oil-based varnishes and became the preferred finish and the industry standard for furniture and cabinet manufacturers.
When was lacquer invented?
Lacquers were introduced in the Chow dynasty (1027–256 BC) and were perfected in the Ming period (1368–1644 AD). The word lacquer is derived from lac, the name of a resin (shellac) secreted by an insect, Coccos lacca, that feeds on the lac tree.
What is lacquer paint?
Lacquer. Lacquers are thermoplastic solution paints or varnishes which physically dry through ordinary evaporation of solvents rather than by oxidation or polymerization. From: Encyclopedia of Analytical Science (Second Edition), 2005. Download as PDF.
What additives are used to make nail lacquer?
For example, film formers are added, which are ingredients of the film that determine the principal cosmetic quality of the lacquer (nitrocellulose; plasticizers such as dibutyl phthalate, camphor and citric acid est ers; resins).
Why use solvents in lacquer?
Solvent blends used for lacquers are balanced compositions, albeit expensive, chosen to given acceptable viscosity, evaporation, and flow characteristics. To avoid excessive solvent retention in the film it is necessary to use solvents free from high boiling ‘tail’ fractions, and to balance carefully the evaporation rates of the remainder. The external plasticizer assists in solvent release by maintaining a fluid film for as long as possible; this allows shrinkage stresses (considerable in acrylic lacquers) caused by the drying/stoving process, to be relieved.
How do you get nail lacquer?
Nail lacquers, applied with a brush, are designed to colour and give shine to nails. The lacquer shade is obtained through mineral pigments or organic lakes. According to their percentage of use we will have a more or less transparent lacquer. Additions of pearlescents give special effects to shades.
Where are Dammar resins found?
These soft turpentine-soluble resins are obtained from trees in Borneo and Sumatra and are named after the export cities (i.e., Batavia, Singapore, or Penang).
Is alcohol a solvent?
Ketones or esters are active solvents for this resin. An alcohol is a latent solvent, which simply means that it is not an active solvent, but in combination with an active solvent, will produce a synergistic effect. The combination of the two will be a better solvent than either one alone.
Overview
Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. The term originates from the Sanskrit word lākshā (लाक्षा) for lac bug, representing the number one hundred thousand (100,000), used as wood finish in ancient India and neighbouring are…
Etymology
The English lacquer is from the archaic French word lacre "a kind of sealing wax", from Portuguese lacre, itself an unexplained variant of Medieval Latin lacca "resinous substance" from Arabic lakk, from Persian lak, from Hindi lakh (Prakrit lakkha).
Sheen measurement
Lacquer sheen is a measurement of the shine for a given lacquer. Different manufacturers have their own names and standards for their sheen. The most common names from least shiny to most shiny are: flat, matte, egg shell, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss (high).
Shellac-based lacquers
In India shellac derived from insect lac was used since ancient times. Shellac is the secretion of the lac bug (Tachardia lacca Kerr. or Laccifer lacca). It is used for wood finish, lacquerware, skin cosmetic, ornaments, dye for textiles, production of different grades of shellac for surface coating.
Urushiol-based lacquers
Urushiol-based lacquers differ from most others, being slow-drying, and set by oxidation and polymerization, rather than by evaporation alone. The active ingredient of the resin is urushiol, a mixture of various phenols suspended in water, plus a few proteins. In order for it to set properly it requires a humid and warm environment. The phenols oxidize and polymerize under the action of lac…
Nitrocellulose lacquers
Solvent-based lacquers that contain nitrocellulose, a resin obtained from the nitration of cotton and other cellulosic materials, debuted in the 19th century along with nitrocellulose's other commercial applications. They were used, for example, on brass items such as musical instruments. Faster-drying and more durable versions of these lacquers were developed in the early 1920s and soon greatly displaced much use of the slower-drying paints and lacquers that preceded them; they w…
Acrylic lacquers
Lacquers using acrylic resin, a synthetic polymer, were developed in the 1950s. Acrylic resin is colourless, transparent thermoplastic, obtained by the polymerization of derivatives of acrylic acid. Acrylic is also used in enamel paints, which have the advantage of not needing to be buffed to obtain a shine. Enamels, however, are slow drying. The advantage of acrylic lacquer is its exceptionally fast drying time. The use of lacquers in automobile finishes was discontinued whe…
Water-based lacquers
Due to health risks and environmental considerations involved in the use of solvent-based lacquers, much work has gone into the development of water-based lacquers. Such lacquers are considerably less toxic and more environmentally friendly, and in many cases, produce acceptable results. While water-based lacquer's fumes are considerably less hazardous, and it does not have the combustibility issues of solvent-based lacquers, the product still dries fairly quickly. Even tho…