Back to varnishing my own prints.

[Jglaser757]

So the guy that I payed to varnish my prints realized that he could not do a good job,,,took him four times and two destroyed prints on his part for me to get it done..not great! Actually he decided after spending time and not getting it right that he could not do the job...I think he was sloppy,,thats all and did not take the proper time. Fool me once, shame on you,fool me twice shame on me..

Anyways,,I am attempting to use Art print shield spray cans.. In fact the aerosol mist coming out is finer than what I could get from my B and D sprayer.No spray booth either.

Suggestions  AGAIN!

[dgberg]

Where are you from? Your profile is empty..
Canvas?
What are you having problems with?

[Mark Lindquist]

So the guy that I payed to varnish my prints realized that he could not do a good job,,,took him four times and two destroyed prints on his part for me to get it done..not great! Actually he decided after spending time and not getting it right that he could not do the job...I think he was sloppy,,thats all and did not take the proper time. Fool me once, shame on you,fool me twice shame on me..

Anyways,,I am attempting to use Art print shield spray cans.. In fact the aerosol mist coming out is finer than what I could get from my B and D sprayer.No spray booth either.

Suggestions  AGAIN!

If you're looking for a great guy to finish your work - I highly recommend Dan Berg (The post before mine).  He will get it right and is reasonable and highly skilled.  Give him a call - one of the best in the business.

[Jglaser757]

Where are you from? Your profile is empty..
Canvas?
What are you having problems with?

I am in south florida, delray beach to be specific. I am doing my own prints on hot press natural. I tried varnishing my self using a B and D power sprayer. I built a paint booth,had an exhaust fan, etc. but i think I was close to blowing the place up. Plus it was extremely hot in the garage.Plus Plus, I was having issues with debris. Which is was the same problem the professional framer I paid had problems with. And,  now with summer it will be even hotter.

I definitely see a difference in the spray coming off of the can of premier art shield in comparison to the power sprayer. IT has a much finer mist..almost a vapor..

[huguito]

I was under the impression that Premier Print Shield was a varnish for smooth substrates, like glossy, semi gloss or Baryta surfaces.
How does the matte epson paper you print on looks after a couple of coats of Print Shield?

Hugo

[dgberg]

Still need a little more info?
If you are spraying your prints upright you should almost eliminate any debris.
Lay them flat and you are asking for trouble.
The print shield still should work.
Several light coats and you should get a decent look. (Still soft natural fine art paper look and feel.)
Put much more on then that and it will start to build up and that's when it starts to look funky> (At least in my opinion.)
The solvent spray is somewhat expensive.
In the tests I have done with 2/3 light coats the solvent usage is about 1 ounce per square foot. At $12.95 a can and only 12 ounces of spray.
Thats $1.00 a square foot or about the price of your paper cost.

[Jglaser757]

Still need a little more info?
If you are spraying your prints upright you should almost eliminate any debris.
Lay them flat and you are asking for trouble.
The print shield still should work.
Several light coats and you should get a decent look. (Still soft natural fine art paper look and feel.)
Put much more on then that and it will start to build up and that's when it starts to look funky> (At least in my opinion.)
The solvent spray is somewhat expensive.
In the tests I have done with 2/3 light coats the solvent usage is about 1 ounce per square foot. At $12.95 a can and only 12 ounces of spray.
Thats $1.00 a square foot or about the price of your paper cost.

Thank you for the info Mr.Berg.

would you recommend a large fan being used (at low speed)pointed directly at the photograph to help keep debris from settling on it?

[dgberg]

When your print is hung upright which is the proper way to spray it, nothing can/should settle onto the print.
I have a spray booth but the fan draws the overspray out and away from the print.

[Mark Lindquist]

Thank you for the info Mr.Berg.

would you recommend a large fan being used (at low speed)pointed directly at the photograph to help keep debris from settling on it?

If you use a large fan with air directly on the print, it will redirect the spray away from the print in weird patterns and screw up the natural airflow of the can (which is not much).

Also, living in Florida (I'm outside of Tallahassee) it is incredibly hot and humid these days.  You mentioned high heat where you are working.  I suggest you read the label on the can and determine the working temperature that is acceptable for spraying the finish.  Too hot and it can mess with the drying time and many other factors.  

A fan may be necessary and if so, try to have the fan pull air away from the work environment - much more gentle approach.  You may be better off sending the work off to a pro for finishing.  They have spray booths and work in bulk and have the systems completely worked out.  It might even save you money, including the shipping.

IMHO... FWIW \ YMMV

(Dan beat me to this answer, LOL)

[Jglaser757]

If you use a large fan with air directly on the print, it will redirect the spray away from the print in weird patterns and screw up the natural airflow of the can (which is not much).

Also, living in Florida (I'm outside of Tallahassee) it is incredibly hot and humid these days.  You mentioned high heat where you are working.  I suggest you read the label on the can and determine the working temperature that is acceptable for spraying the finish.  Too hot and it can mess with the drying time and many other factors.  

A fan may be necessary and if so, try to have the fan pull air away from the work environment - much more gentle approach.  You may be better off sending the work off to a pro for finishing.  They have spray booths and work in bulk and have the systems completely worked out.  It might even save you money, including the shipping.

IMHO... FWIW \ YMMV

(Dan beat me to this answer, LOL)

I thought I was using a Pro here in South Florida. IT turns out he kept getting debris(shmutz) on the paper. He blamed the paper and not his technique. Im using Hot Press Natural. SHipping 44 inch prints might be an issue.

[Roscolo]

I use the $12-$14 spray gun from Harbor Freight and usually spray outside (Georgia). I was worried about debris, but you can set the spray so fine with that gun, that debris doesn't stick to the surface like it does with the non-compressor spray units (like the Wagner or the Wagner knock-offs), and the pressure of the spray actually blows any debris off the print while you spray. You have to set it to a fine spray for this to work. My prints are tacked to foam board in the vertical position when I spray. I also take it inside in between spray coats, so that helps. Yes, you would think you would get lots of debris, as did I, and that's why I never tried it. So glad I finally hauled some prints outside one day and tried it. MUCH faster and easier and cleaner than spraying in my studio like I used to do. Probably better than most homemade spray booths. Obviously it's not going to work on days with high wind or rain. Heat and humidity have proved to be no problem.

[Jglaser757]

I use the $12-$14 spray gun from Harbor Freight and usually spray outside (Georgia). I was worried about debris, but you can set the spray so fine with that gun, that debris doesn't stick to the surface like it does with the non-compressor spray units (like the Wagner or the Wagner knock-offs), and the pressure of the spray actually blows any debris off the print while you spray. You have to set it to a fine spray for this to work. My prints are tacked to foam board in the vertical position when I spray. I also take it inside in between spray coats, so that helps. Yes, you would think you would get lots of debris, as did I, and that's why I never tried it. So glad I finally hauled some prints outside one day and tried it. MUCH faster and easier and cleaner than spraying in my studio like I used to do. Probably better than most homemade spray booths. Obviously it's not going to work on days with high wind or rain. Heat and humidity have proved to be no problem.

What air compressor do you use?..how is the smell when taking the item in the house? Does the wife complain?

[Mark Lindquist]

I thought I was using a Pro here in South Florida. IT turns out he kept getting debris(shmutz) on the paper. He blamed the paper and not his technique. Im using Hot Press Natural. SHipping 44 inch prints might be an issue.

Shipping 44 inch prints, if canvas, is not a problem.  Go to a store that sell fishing tackle, like a rod and reel place.  They often have telescoping fiberglass cases for rods that are relatively inexpensive.  Roll your prints and send them off.  I do it and it works fine.  I don't see why you couldn't do the same with paper, after all it starts as a roll....

Finding good professional service is difficult.  You might do a search for a pro in South Florida if you're not comfortable shipping them off.  You could just do a search on this forum- start a thread," any professional printers in Delray Beach area  that do print finishing"?

[John Nollendorfs]

What air compressor do you use?..how is the smell when taking the item in the house? Does the wife complain?

Generally  you need between 3.5-5 cf @ 45lb pressure capable compressor. This generally means at least a 6 gallon tank. Kinda depends on how many pieces and the size of pieces you want to spray at a time. If your volume is low, and you can afford to wait for the tank to fill, you can get buy with a smaller unit. Expect to pay in the $80-100 range minimum.

I use the water soluble vinyl acrylic, which is very low odor, the the Harbor Freight type gun. If you do go this route, spend some time practicing spraying with just water, and learn the adjustment knobs that way. Also, your first prints should be "throw aways". It takes some practice! Even spraying from a can takes practice!

[Some Guy]

I've been spraying with a compressor and a Sata MiniJet 3 gun using the Premier Art Shield and have had good luck.  Spray cans are sort of iffy.  Never got a decent spray with Krylon and sometimes it comes out like a garden hose mid-spray.  Maybe it sits too long on a shelf, doesn't mix well, I dunno even though I can shake the thing for 5 minutes.  I get pretty good sprays out of the Marshall's SureGuard print sprays, but they are expensive at $22 per can as I find them.

With canvas, I'm thinking I am over-sterilizing trying to keep them pristine clean.  I notice some painters seem less fussy and just wipe a varnish onto their work with a sponge.  They don't seem to spray as much as we do.  Somewhat like below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnoXZ6nXGSE

Now I am working away from the sterile look of glossy super-clean work as with the Chromacolor metals into painting with thick acrylic gel prints to get a 3D effect with some depth.  I am not having a lot of luck finding classes in the inkjet-to-gel process other than one in Canada.  The effect is more like a thick oil painting from your inkjet printer on whatever canvas or paper you use.  If I use the sponge for a finish cover of lacquer or varnish on canvas prints, no harm done if the surface wipe with it isn't that well as if I was painting a custom motorcycle paint job (Done that too.) and needed a sterile dust-free environment.  Texture of canvas can hide many things and gives it more of a hand-made effect too, or matte under glass covers a lot too.

SG

[Roscolo]

What air compressor do you use?..how is the smell when taking the item in the house? Does the wife complain?

I use the 8 gal. 2hp. compressor from Harbor Freight, $120, but regularly on sale for $100. I have a large studio (1500 sq. ft. with 15 ft. ceilings) that is built into the house, but there is no smell anyway as I spray a water based coating. No complaints now that I spray outside. The very rare occasions that I sprayed solvent, I just use the attic fan to suck the smell out. An attic fan would NOT be a safe ventilation system if you were spraying large quantities of solvent in the house.