Thanks for the video. I think if you were to make a video with this product applied to a piece being painted it would be exponentially more telling. Anyone who's tried painting oak knows how important grain filler is to achieve a glass finish. Painted finishes would instantly show any all pinholes or voids.
One more question. It seems like it would be a good idea to just use the 705 for everything, interior or exterior, yes? If there's no difference in the clarity or look it seems like one product would do nicely for any project, interior or exterior.
Yes, if you do indoor and outdoor projects alike, you can use the 705 for everything. There is no real disadvantage to use the 705 for Interior projects with the only small exception that the 705 is a little harder to polish (provided you want to polish your gloss surfaces into a high gloss).
What temperature is your shop? I'm trying the 700 and I am getting almost zero self leveling, even if I leave it for over an hour to level before I cure. It almost impossible to level without 60 grit since it is so hard. My shop is around 70°F.
My shop was also in the low 70's for temperature. If it does not self level properly for you, you can always thin it down with Isopropyl Alcohol (must be at least 99% pure) at a rate of up to 15% alcohol to 85% Clean Armor. However, application technique is also very important. Remember to apply as thin as possible (1mil thickness per coat). I do prefer spray application, but when applying by hand, stain applicators with microfiber surface work best. You are in full control here as you simply do not cure before you like what you see. (unlike other finishes, it will not start to cure while you are still trying to wipe over again to even it out). While I never tried, many customers reported that sponge brushes do not provide good results with Clean Armor, so stay away from these.
A UV light with a frequency between 365 and 400 nm is a must to cure Clean Armor products. These lights also must operate in low energy with a range of 1 to 3 milliwatts light output per square centimeter. Only the CUVO lights are made to these specifications. Many UV lights on the market (such as party or black lights) do work in the correct frequency but are simply to strong and tend to “boil” Clean Armor when curing. This can lead to problems such as wrinkles in the finish. Any other LED lights (including so called full spectrum lights) will take no effect as you can apply these finishes in your shop under normal (including LED) interior lights. If you mostly work with small projects that are easy to carry, you can apply the finish in your shop and then take the projects outside to cure as normal daylight (even on cloudy days) will cure the products within about 2 minutes.
In between coats, I always sand with 320 grit. However, if the 230 grain filler is not spread evenly enough, it helps to first sand it with 240 grit and then again with 320 before applying the finish.
Clean Armor will dissolve easily in Isopropyl Alcohol. This is available in any pharmacy and comes in different strengths. For cleaning, use at least 70% strength. You can also use it to thin Clean Armor (if ever needed), but you should be using the purest form of at least 99%. When it comes to cleaning hand applicators such as wipes, squeegees, or brushes, I simply don't. Just throw these into a ZIP LOCK bag, label it with the product you used it with, and store it in a dark space. Clean Armor ONLY cures with UV light, but there is nothing that will evaporate. So if you keep it in a sealed bag in a dark spot, you can pick it up again months later and continue using it...
Thank you for showing your mistakes as well! Honestly very helpful
Thanks for the video. I think if you were to make a video with this product applied to a piece being painted it would be exponentially more telling. Anyone who's tried painting oak knows how important grain filler is to achieve a glass finish. Painted finishes would instantly show any all pinholes or voids.
YUK !! I simply do not understand why anyone would go to such lengths to make a nice piece of wood look just like plastic imitation wood !
One more question. It seems like it would be a good idea to just use the 705 for everything, interior or exterior, yes? If there's no difference in the clarity or look it seems like one product would do nicely for any project, interior or exterior.
Yes, if you do indoor and outdoor projects alike, you can use the 705 for everything. There is no real disadvantage to use the 705 for Interior projects with the only small exception that the 705 is a little harder to polish (provided you want to polish your gloss surfaces into a high gloss).
@@MyWoodCutters-ur8vn
Good info, thanks.
What temperature is your shop? I'm trying the 700 and I am getting almost zero self leveling, even if I leave it for over an hour to level before I cure. It almost impossible to level without 60 grit since it is so hard. My shop is around 70°F.
My shop was also in the low 70's for temperature. If it does not self level properly for you, you can always thin it down with Isopropyl Alcohol (must be at least 99% pure) at a rate of up to 15% alcohol to 85% Clean Armor. However, application technique is also very important. Remember to apply as thin as possible (1mil thickness per coat). I do prefer spray application, but when applying by hand, stain applicators with microfiber surface work best. You are in full control here as you simply do not cure before you like what you see. (unlike other finishes, it will not start to cure while you are still trying to wipe over again to even it out). While I never tried, many customers reported that sponge brushes do not provide good results with Clean Armor, so stay away from these.
Why not use the squeegee from the beginning to spread it around?
You can certainly do that. I just found it is easier to spread with a brush first.
What is the Wave Length of the UV required to cure it, please?
A UV light with a frequency between 365 and 400 nm is a must to cure Clean Armor products. These lights also must operate in low energy with a range of 1 to 3 milliwatts light output per square centimeter. Only the CUVO lights are made to these specifications. Many UV lights on the market (such as party or black lights) do work in the correct frequency but are simply to strong and tend to “boil” Clean Armor when curing. This can lead to problems such as wrinkles in the finish.
Any other LED lights (including so called full spectrum lights) will take no effect as you can apply these finishes in your shop under normal (including LED) interior lights. If you mostly work with small projects that are easy to carry, you can apply the finish in your shop and then take the projects outside to cure as normal daylight (even on cloudy days) will cure the products within about 2 minutes.
Can you recycle the excess material and put it on another wood project.
Can you apply this product on painted wood so the paint is scratch and chemical resistant. Ideal for furniture.
@stejud so which product version will you recommend to apply on painted wood
What grit are you sanding with?
In between coats, I always sand with 320 grit. However, if the 230 grain filler is not spread evenly enough, it helps to first sand it with 240 grit and then again with 320 before applying the finish.
Any chance you could demo using this stuff to finish an acoustic guitar?
Since never built any guitars and don't have any unfinished ones on hand, I'm afraid I cannot help with this...
Excellent video. Glad you kept the pimples in. It is encouraging for new users who might encounter similar problems.
How can you claen your brushes and the silicon tool?
Clean Armor will dissolve easily in Isopropyl Alcohol. This is available in any pharmacy and comes in different strengths. For cleaning, use at least 70% strength. You can also use it to thin Clean Armor (if ever needed), but you should be using the purest form of at least 99%. When it comes to cleaning hand applicators such as wipes, squeegees, or brushes, I simply don't. Just throw these into a ZIP LOCK bag, label it with the product you used it with, and store it in a dark space. Clean Armor ONLY cures with UV light, but there is nothing that will evaporate. So if you keep it in a sealed bag in a dark spot, you can pick it up again months later and continue using it...
I just ordered and received some 99.9% alcohol. Got it on Amazon but you could order directly from distributor.