#161 
Greetings from Bill Boxer, 
Sr. Vice President, Apollo Sprayers International, Inc
In 2016 Apollo Sprayers Celebrates 50 continuous years of innovating, manufacturing and selling HVLP spray systems. We start our celebration with a special coupon promotion. We hope to entice those of you who have been sitting on the fence and thinking about purchasing an Apollo turbine system, with a special valued offer. (See the offer on the right, now extended to June 30th.)
As groundbreaking as Apollo’s entry into the finishing world was, here are a few other important events 50 years ago:
The Beatles came to America. GI Joe, the Chevrolet Comaro, appeared. We saw the first photos of the moon. The Adams Family and Batman were on television. Nelson Mandela was sent to prison and Vietnam heated up.
Just a reminder-The Apollo Team will be at the AWFS 15 Show in Las Vegas where there will be a spectacular display and demos of woodworking tools and equipment.
John Darroch, President and CEO of Apollo Sprayers and TheFinishingStore.com, was once again judge of “Excellence in Finishing” at the Design in Wood Competition and Exhibition at the San Diego County Fair.
Next month’s newsletter will feature interviews with the winners and photos of their work. In the meanwhile here are some photos of outstanding work. Stay tuned for the winners.
Finishing Feature Article: by Charles Neil
Spraying Oil Finishes
I get a lot of questions about hand applied oil finishes.
So why would you use an oil finish? Many folks like the ‘close 
to the wood’ look of thinner oil finishes, it’s just getting the
final sheen even and clear.
One of the most prevalent questions/concerns is how to get the sheen of the finish even, especially satin sheens. The typical issue is that the sheen is streaked. The issue seems to be getting the flatteners to lie out evenly. Oil finishes go on very thin and when wiped they are super thin. The problem seems to be the flatteners just don’t have the ability to “flow out” evenly.
To understand, take a look at your car, most have metallic paint, meaning they have zillions of small polished metal flakes in the paint, to give it the sparkle. When spraying a car you have to concern yourself with being sure the metallic is laid out evenly. In the case of “other than gloss” the flatteners are much like the metallic in the paint and getting to lay out evenly can be a an issue. Many suggest you do base coats of gloss, then do a final one or 2 coats of satin, and it does help, but streaking can be an issue, My solution is simple “spray it”…..
Most would not even think of spraying an oil finish. The truth is it works quite well. The problem is that oils dry very slowly and are very thin so runs can be an issue if you try to apply the finish like a typical sprayed finish.
Here are the keys to getting a great sprayed oil finish.
1. Use good varnish oil that dries well. Pure oils dry excessively slow and are a not candidates for
spraying.
2. Use a .08 or 1.0 needle/nozzle.
3. Cut the fluid down and turn the pressure up a little; you want to “mist” the finish on, especially
the first coat. Keep an eye on it and as soon as it “tacks” up do another slightly wetter coat but
again, you’re not looking for a full wet coat. Remember it’s going to dry much slower and it’s
going to flow more.
Products of the Month:
Aqua Coat Premium Water-Based Clear Grain Filler 15% off
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SafeCoat Polyureseal BP 15% off, A durable, high quality water based finish, quarts or gallons
Safecoat Acrylacq 15% off HIGH SOLIDS yet LOW VISCOSITY (HSLV) quarts or gallons performs like lacquer without the toxicity, produces the highest waterbase luster
Zip Sanders, 20 % off, make sanding easy and efficient, all Zip products
Micro-Mesh, 15% off includes all high grit sanding products
Our Super Spring Special is the Apollo E7000 Non-Bleeder Turbine only Quart cup gun, $229.95 & free shipping, full pattern control, excellent atomization, low maintenance & minimal overspray
Finishing Tip from Bill Boxer: When Experts Use Different Paths to the Same Goal
Finishing expert and writer Scott Burt, in an excellent informative article in an earlier newsletter, gave our readers two tips: Tip 1: Strain Product: Always, Tip 2: Never Spray Outside. Ever
Bob Flexner, on the other hand, responds and cautions us that you can never say “always” and you can never say “never” because everyone’s circumstances are different. Some finishes don’t have an adequate indoor spraying space and must spray outdoors. Painting contractors obviously are successful spraying outdoors.
Bob also points out that if lacquer is not strained the bits dissolve into the finish so it is not necessary to strain. Personally I always strains all my finishes, including lacquer, because I do not want to take a chance clogging up my spray gun.
This is a good example of why we publish our newsletter. We want to provide an exchange of ideas.
We know that the goal is to get the best finish possible and as Bob says, “It’s only with lots
of exposure to others that we learn that there are lots of ways that work well. I’m still adjusting my explanations and instructions based on contacts I have with other finishers.”
Finishing Tips by Bob Flexner:
Using Reflected Light to Advantage
You should never have runs or sags in your dried finish. The trick to avoiding them is to spot them before the finish dries and remove them with a brush. The way to see runs and sags developing is to look at the surface in a reflected light, as shown in the accompanying picture. You may need to move your head, walk around, or even arrange some special lights other than the overhead lights or the light coming in through a window.
Once you have spotted the problem, use a brush to brush out the excess finish even if you’re spraying. If there is too much finish to brush out successfully, lift some off the surface with the brush and deposit it onto another part of the object, wipe the brush dry with a cloth, or drag the brush over the lip of a jar or can to remove the excess.
Repairing Finishes
In most cases when repairing a finish (for example, removing a water ring, touching up a scratch or ding, or doing a burn-in or epoxy fill to a gouge) it’s most important to get the sheen the same as the surrounding surface and make the surface feel smooth. Even if the color of the repair doesn’t match exactly, the repair will be successful because people will think the mismatch is a flaw in the wood.
If you don’t get the sheen right, however, people will notice the repair immediately when they see it in a reflected light. Even if the do get the sheen right but not the color exact, most people will run their fingers over the repair, so it’s also important to make it feel smooth.