LUCKY
To protect products made of polymer plastic from the external environment, it is desirable to coat them with varnish. In addition, varnished works have additional color depth.
Unfortunately, not every varnish can be used for coating, some simply do not dry on plastic, others, although they dry, begin to stick after a while.
What varnishes should not be used?
1. Conventional nail polishes - they have a completely different formula and can start to stick after a while.
2. Hair sprays - they are not waterproof, in addition, dust likes to settle on them.
3. Acrylic varnishes for needlework and universal, which are sold in stationery and needlework stores - they often do not dry on plastic. A typical example is Hobby-Line.
What varnishes are guaranteed to be suitable for polymer plastic?
1. Specialized, from polymer plastics manufacturers
from the manufacturer Sculpey water-based (left glossy, right - matte)
from the manufacturer Fimo water-based (left) and mineral-based (center and right)
2. Acrylic water-based wood flooring. Often they also write "polyurethane-acrylic" on the banks.
Example - Varathane (Varatan) Crystal Clear Waterborne - a water-based coating for floor treatment, transparent, no yellowness, stable, high strength, non-toxic. It happens - glossy / matte / semi-gloss.
If it is not possible to buy Varathane, you can look at the hardware store for any other similar wood flooring. The main thing - pay attention that the composition of the varnish does not contain latex - it is not friendly with plastic.
For Aspens in Germany - I found an analogue in OBI - Classic Klarlack. It is certainly more expensive than Varathane, but the composition is similar, and cheaper than special branded coatings for plastic.
What to do if you still bought the "wrong" varnish, and it started to stick?
You can try to bake the product in the oven at a temperature of 110-130 degrees for 10-15 minutes if the varnish was water-based.
If this does not help and the product is still sticky, then you need to wipe off the layer of sticky varnish with acetone, rinse with soap and water, dry and apply a new layer of the "correct" varnish.
Some subtleties
You can often hear that even good varnishes begin to stick, peel off with a film or chip off.
What could be the reason?
1. The product was not baked for enough time, the plastic did not completely polymerize and the plasticizer reacted with the varnish. To eliminate this reason, you need to bake the product, you can even without removing the layer of varnish.
2. There was too much plasticizer in the plastic and a thin oily film formed on the surface of the product after baking, which interferes with the firm contact of the plastic surface with the varnish. St. Petersburg plastic art possesses this property to the highest degree. What to do? - before applying varnish, wipe the surface of the product with alcohol or wash with soap and water, and be sure to dry well before applying varnish. By the way, a fatty film can also appear from frequent contact of the baked product with your hands, especially if you have worked with raw plastic before.
3. The first coat of varnish was not sufficiently dry before applying the next one. Some polishes feel dry within 10-15 minutes of application, in fact, many polishes take several hours to fully dry.
Here is what else Tin_Liva wrote about varnishes:
"Key words for a suitable plastic varnish:
for wood (internal works) or one-component parquet varnish(you can hang yourself with two components)
1. on one basis
2. polyurethane
3. product type acrylic "
"About the varnish for plastics. At first, of course, I bought a special water-based varnish for Fimo, produced by Faber, but it greatly disappointed me. The varnish peels off even if you only diligently wear beads, and even if you go to the shower with them .... then I searched on the Internet for advice on what and how to bend plastic. The West has been dealing with plastic for at least twenty years and have had time to practice in this matter. They advise coating plastic with varnish (not even varnish, but a finish coat) for wood, water-based polyurethane. For other solvents can do not chemically react with plastic, i.e. acetone, nitro varnish, nail polish (except acrylic, but it is terribly expensive) is not suitable
Everyone recommends Varathane - a water based polyurethane finish (not varnish, polish or floor wax) that works very well with wood, paper, fabric, etc, including polymer clay! This acrylic product has proven to be compatible with plastic brands including Scalpi, Premo, FIMO, Cernit and others. By the way, you can buy it in Moscow in the Arlum database. Sold in glossy, matte and semi-gloss. this is the most best varnish. I had to order from America
but in principle, you can buy any varnish for wood if it is 1. polyurethane 2. water-based 3. with a filter of ultraviolet rays so that it does not turn yellow. there are quite a few of them, but as a rule they are sold in rather big jars, however, we bought the Swedish varnish Synteko (parketniy) and chipped into a jar and then poured into smaller jars.
the varnish itself looks like water with milk, with a slight smell, but when it dries it becomes transparent. it is better not to throw the product immediately into the water for a couple of weeks, then you can even swim with it in the sea, the varnish does not peel off.
Lacquer variant from favola:
Shop Kalinkapolinka
I am often asked questions by beginners, so I decided to write a separate post on the most basic questions (in some places the word polymer clay will be replaced by pg):
What polymer clay to use?
For starters, you can try the Tsvetik plastic, it is sold in packs of 6-12 colors and is cheaper than its foreign counterparts PREMO, SCULPEY, KATO, PARDO, FIMO (the most common foreign type of pg in Russia). There is also Polish plastic, it is quite inexpensive, strong, it can be boiled rather than baked, it is suitable for modeling flowers and other sculptural modeling, but, unfortunately, it is not very good in sausages. What is the difference between Tsvetik and more expensive materials? Firstly, this type of plastic has a very small range of colors, it looks like ordinary children's plasticine, and there are no colors with effects at all (mother-of-pearl, metal-like, etc.) Secondly, after baking, this plastic is more fragile (those who sculpts from Russian materials may question my words, but now I'm talking about my personal experience). Slightly better than "Tsvetik" "Sonnet", but still, after baking, it breaks easily. I often use these clays for the insides of round beads.
What is the difference between other clays?
FIMO is the most common in Russia, there are two types of Classic and Soft. Soft is softer. It has a large palette of colors, suitable for all techniques, after baking it practically does not change color (only translucent shades become brighter, translucent white in a thick layer with gray tint it turns out)
Premo is one of my favorite types of plastic, it has a pleasant texture for modeling, it is very good for sausages.
Studio is another scalpi plastic that is no longer produced, but is still sold in stores. Pleasant to the touch, velvety after baking, the color scheme is very beautiful, there are very rich colors and restrained, noble.
Cernit is a fairly dense clay that requires long kneading before sculpting, similar to wax. During baking, the color changes significantly, transparency appears. Suitable for sculpting puppet faces (because of its porcelain), stone imitation (there is even a whole series for imitation of marble and other natural textures). And transparent it is one of the most transparent.
KATO- pg, baked at more than high temperature than all the others, has a very hard consistency, kneads with a hammer.
There are many more different clays, I mainly use these (I just don’t use KATO, I once bought all the colors for testing, something is difficult for me with it).
What tools and materials are needed for sculpting?
You need a knife, very sharp. A special one is best, but a clerical one will do. Do not use a kitchen knife, and in general the utensils from which you will later eat. This is dangerous to health.
In second place is a rock. Another indispensable pasta machine or in Russian noodle cutter. But at first, a rolling pin can replace it. The rolling pin should not be plastic (not all types of plastic can tolerate contact with pg, often pg dissolves them). Special acrylic roller, can be replaced with a metal tube, a glass object (narrow bottle, smooth glass, etc.)
Toothpicks come in handy, they can be used to roll sausage slices like miniature stacks, make holes in the beads (although I recommend drilling holes after baking with a 1-2 mm drill, but in some cases you can also use a toothpick), you can dry varnished beads on them and bake in the oven raw, in general, come in handy.
Then you will probably want to buy metal cut-out molds (similar to those used to make cookies) and texture sheets made of rubber or silicone, well, in general, there is still a mountain of everything that you can buy later. In the meantime, you can look in the bins for beautiful buttons, metal pendants (with which you can squeeze out drawings), and instead of molds, you can use a lid or glass with sharp edges, or make a tin mold of your own design from a metal can or plastic bottle.
In addition to tools, everything that needlewomen have in their stocks can come in handy: glitters, sprinkles, sparkles, shadows, pastels, skeletonized leaves, beautiful glass, beads, decorative elements, acrylic paints, in general, everything with which you can decorate your work.
If you want to make jewelry, then you will need accessories for jewelry: bases for earrings, pins, bases for rings, clasps, chains, cords, etc. I will write a separate article about this a little later.
How to achieve when sculpting that white is white?
During modeling, keep cleanliness, it is better to wear gloves on your hands, sculpt on a white piece of paper, clean glass. If you sculpt from white color, then wear light-colored clothes so that there are no lint around you. Keep wet wipes handy to wipe your hands and tools. In addition, wet wipes can smooth out bumps.
How to make plastic softer or harder?
To soften the plastic come up with a lot folk ways with cream, vaseline, heating, etc. I use the simplest one: Moldmaker. This is a plasticizer for making molds, peas are enough for a pack polymer clay. Or mix with softer plastic. And, conversely, if the plastic "flows in your hands", then you need to mix it with a drier one, or put it on a sheet of white paper for a couple of hours until it becomes greasy, excess plasticizer will come out of the polymer clay.
How to bake polymer clay and at what temperature?
Baking is important point to create a quality product. The temperature is indicated on the clay packaging. You can bake on a regular baking sheet covered with accordion-folded paper, you can put beads on a toothpick and stick them in foil, flat beads are best baked on glass or ceramic tiles. When baking, there should be no smell, the product should not blacken and char. If this happens, then rather ventilate the room. After baking, clean the stove if you plan to cook food in it later. If you are very worried about the issue of toxicity, then you can put the glass in a baking sleeve, and then open it on the street.
The first baking, do not put all the cobbled together beauty in the oven at once, practice on a sampler. After baking, the clay should be dense, thin flat parts should bend a little, and not break at the slightest pressure, the chips when drilling should be long, and not crumble with sand.
What varnish to coat polymer clay?
Do not use ordinary nail polish or acrylic varnish for creativity, some varnishes are able to dissolve plastic, even if it seems that it is dry at first, then over time it can begin to stick and collect all the dust, it cannot be removed from the product, which will be irretrievably damaged . There are special branded varnishes, in extreme cases, you can use not special, but experience-tested varnishes for construction work: Tikkurila parquet-yassia varnish (in a green jar, dries for a couple of hours, shines well, water-based, with a slight odor, the brush is easy to clean with water ), tikkurila unika-super (this is a yacht varnish, the coating is simply eternal, there are a couple of minuses - light products turn yellow, dries for a long time and has a strong smell), synteco pro 90 (pro 90 glossy, pro-45 semi-gloss, pro-20 semi-matte, the properties are as clear, but more stable, gives a more durable coating).
Glue for polymer clay, which one to use?
For gluing details on the bases (for example, for a ring), I use Contact-Gel glue. If you want to glue the pin, then drill a little hole with a margin so that there is room for the glue and it can fasten the pin to the base.
If you need to fasten polymer clay parts to each other or a piece of unbaked plastic to a baked one, then use a special baked gel, liquid plastic, for example, FIMO liquid. It definitely needs to be baked.
How to store uncut polymer clay sausages and started packs?
It is necessary to wrap them in a film or lay them in a zip bag. By themselves, in air, they, of course, do not dry out, but over time they can lose their plasticity and become brittle due to the evaporation of the plasticizer. Do not wrap sausages in paper!
How to grind polymer clay beads?
Grinding is done after baking, before varnishing. The sandpaper is waterproof, I buy it in automotive stores: the largest number is 400, then 600, then 800, 1000-1200 is polishing.
Grinding or not is your decision. If you feel the beads after grinding, they are completely different to the touch, the varnish does not hide the defects, but only emphasizes them even more.
Is polymer clay toxic?
In a sense, yes. This is still not completely natural product, which is not recommended for use by children under 8 years old, bake under the supervision of parents. If the plastic is burnt, ventilate the room. Bake with an extract, after baking, wash the oven or use a separate one for clay. Do not use dishes, noodle cutters, knives, plates that have been in contact with clay in the future for food! After baking, it is considered non-toxic. Not suitable for slingobus, children can bite off a piece of the bead, because they are softer in composition than plastic.
That's all I remember so far. I plan to add to this list.
baked varnish for PG cernit - reviews
I was unable to get information or any feedback on Cernit baked varnishes with simple and familiar queries from search engines, therefore, to replenish the worldwide information base of polymer makers, here is my post-review of Cernit polymer clay baked varnish from Darwi /
lacquer for polymer clay Cernit, reviews of lacquer Cernit,
I'll start with the clothes on which they meet. The jar and label are very convenient and well thought out. A jar of varnish is not made of glass, but of thick plastic - you won’t have to be afraid of a stupid loss of varnish due to the fact that the jar fell and broke. Instructions for using the varnish are here, hidden in a multilayer label that sticks and peels off perfectly. The instruction in Russian is incredibly pleasing - no need to interpret the supplier's explanations on a non-native sticker or wonder if the seller gave the correct instructions for use.
Lacquer consistency.
My experience with lacquers is Fimo lacquer, Sculpey lacquer, Vartan lacquer, Kiva Tikkurila lacquer, Yacht alkyd-urethane tikkurilla lacquer.
I really liked the consistency of Cernit lacquer - it is not as liquid as water-based lacquers, not as thick and viscous as parquet and yacht lacquers, it has the right consistency so that it is comfortable to pick it up on a brush without extra, flowing drops of lacquer, while it self leveling well. In order to imagine this consistency, imagine a jar of liquid honey on a hot day - it will be very similar.
Application rules.
The manufacturer gives instructions to cover the desired product with matte or glossy varnish in 1 - 3 layers with intermediate drying between layers for 1 hour in air. For quick drying, including, but, most importantly, to fix the varnish on the PG, the product varnished with the required number of layers must be baked in an oven preheated to 110 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. At the same time, polymer clay Cernit Cernit is baked at 130 degrees.
My experience - I baked several samples according to the instructions, baked several together with Cernit products at 130 degrees for 40 minutes - the increase in baking time and temperature did not affect the external properties of the varnish.
Coating durability.
After drying in the oven, the surface to the touch is the same as covered with building varnishes for wood or yachts - smooth, when you run your finger with pressure, you feel the resistance to slip. When pressed with force with a fingernail thumb a dent appears. which is restored before our eyes without a trace. An attempt to scratch the varnish with moderate force with recently manicured nails did not give anything - the varnish did not tear with a film, there was not even a burr on the coating. Out of sheer pampering, I threw a workpiece covered with glossy cernit varnish overnight into a glass of tap water, in the morning, after 7 hours, I took out the workpiece. After being in the water, the varnish became slightly whitish only in one place, where the varnish was thicker, when trying to pry and tear off the varnish there, nothing happened, it was not possible to scrape off or scratch the varnish on the workpiece with nails after such a bath. After 5 hours in the air, the workpiece dried out, the whitishness disappeared, the varnish did not lose any properties.
One thin workpiece varnished for experimental purposes was bent-twisted in all planes alternately - the varnish did not crack, obviously stretched along with the workpiece. One whitish spot appeared on the varnish only in the place where the corner of the workpiece was pressed to its main part by 120-130 degrees.
In general, I don’t know how else in the short term you can torment this varnish, but all the usual tests for normal loads on the PG and its lacquer coating varnish, in my opinion, was 5 plus.
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My reviews are:
- Cernit gloss varnish from Darwi is a treasure trove! When applied in 2 layers, it gives a good gloss, when applied in three layers, gloss and shine can only be compared with alkyd-urethane varnishes for parquet, but, unlike them, varnish for polymer clay Appreciates there is no huge minus in the form of yellowness. It dries quickly to the touch, but it is better to wait the hour recommended by the manufacturer between layers. The consistency is a miracle, the consumption is average. For self-levelling, so that there are no traces of the brush, you should not apply very thin layers.
- matte varnish is very good for matte. In fact, the surface covered in 1 layer with a matt varnish Appreciates the surface can be compared with the "natural" carefully sanded-polished surface of the PG. A coating of 2-3 layers gives an increase in color, a trained eye will immediately see varnishing, but even in bright light there are no glossy highlights, there is just a satin light sheen. In my opinion, they can cover almost everything where you do not want to see a bright gloss.
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Photos of test samples (test samples were made several years ago from the same pack of fimo blue metallic, mikashift technique. Where there are 3 samples in the photo - the lower one in the middle is not varnished at all):
Unfortunately, the choice of varnish, as well as the search for the selected brand, is a rather laborious and expensive process.
To begin with, the opinions of polymer workers about varnish are divided into two opposite camps: some prefer to work only with specialized varnishes from plastics manufacturers; the latter are ready to try varnishes used for decoupage, furniture, parquet and floors, automotive, yacht varnishes and the assortment offered by art and stationery stores.
But even if you are not ready to experiment, and prefer to purchase a specialized varnish designed for use on plastic, be prepared for the fact that your choice may well disappoint you. Unfortunately, at the moment, the situation in the market for "plastic" varnishes is such that it is impossible to say that one (or several) varnishes will suit you perfectly, and you will buy what suits you. Practice shows that the same varnish behaves differently on different products, by different masters. So anyway, I think you'll have to go for some experimentation.
From my own experience I can say that there was one varnish that personally suited me in all respects, this is Fimo mineral-based varnish. Why was? Because the lacquer manufacturer is Eberhard Faber, discontinued its release. This company also has another varnish, but it is water-based, and the result of varnishing with this varnish does not even please me at all. The coating turns out to be fragile, it feels like rubber to the touch, and with the slightest damage it can be easily removed from the surface. Gives a slight yellowness on white and light products.
Drawing conclusions from the material that I read about Studio varnishes, I can state their main disadvantages:
The varnish foams strongly, leaves bubbles on the surface, so you need to varnish very carefully and slowly,
Very runny, leaves a super-thin layer, so if you want to achieve a "glassy" effect, then you need to put a lot of layers of varnish,
Sticks to toothpicks, i.e. adhesion to wood is stronger than to plastic, as a result, when trying to remove a toothpick, it may break off (break) or the varnish layer around the toothpick will be damaged.
Nevertheless, many masters successfully use Studio varnishes, and are very pleased with them.
For example, the opinion of Elena "shimshoni":
“I can write my feelings. I work now only with him, and with matte, and glossy.
It lays down evenly, without bubbles. Just don't shake the jar!! It is necessary to stir it a little with a brush before applying, and you can use it.
Glossy Studio is thicker, lays down in a thick layer. Dries to a great glossy finish.
For the best result, the first coat of any varnish should be applied very thinly, then two more should be added.
In order for the toothpick not to stick, you don’t need to smear it with varnish!;) And wipe the sliding droplets if you applied a lot of varnish. In general, any varnish is better to apply less than more, so as not to wipe the drops. And you can cover it with the next layer.
I fell in love with Studio more than Future Polish, which is applied perfectly on round beads, but does not fit well on flat products, often with bubbles. Studio has never given me bubbles on either flat or round beads.”
I'll tell you my impressions about Studio.
Glossy varnish
It bubbled up for me. Whatever the brush, even if you don’t talk and don’t breathe on it at all. It was easier with small items, but with large items, such as cigarette cases, it was simply unrealistic to cover smoothly. Everything has been sanded, polished and degreased.
But it was ideal for varnishing beads, i.e. the method where the brush is not involved. Two layers - and everything shines like glass. I usually don’t dip toothpicks in varnish, so I don’t know about sticking :)
Do not apply a thick layer. Especially if the jar is fresh. When thick layers dried, it happened that it gave cracks. Unfortunately there are no photos to demonstrate. Also, if you apply a thick layer unevenly, then everything will dry out for you :) Ie. if in some place the varnish layer was a little thicker than in others, it will be noticeable on the dried product - it will seem that there is an additional layering. Again, this is fundamental in large products - in small ones it is not so critical.
Matt Studio
As a result, I used it as a glossy :) Only more layers, but it is easier to apply than glossy. I have not had any cases of cracking. But it still does not give ideal gloss.
In a word, Studio is a varnish that absolutely does not know how to level. The bubbles do not burst, the layer is uneven - the way you applied it, the way it will look. If the surface had any flaws, then he will not hide them, but emphasize them. Often, after varnishing, I noticed flaws in the products, although they were invisible when uncoated. Matte varnish is more wear-resistant than glossy. With increased wear (again, we are talking about cigarette cases that dangle in all pockets and always fall), glossy varnish often gave cracks. Namely varnish, and not together with plastic.
Concerning drawing on hot products. Here you need to be very careful, since the varnish dries very quickly, almost instantly, and there is an option that you simply do not have time to apply a full layer of varnish to the entire product. Then the places of the “joint” of the varnish that has already dried and that was applied slightly later will be noticeable.
And I will add to the types of varnishes. Especially for plastics, there is also a glossy varnish Schmuck-Lack from Viva Decor (Germany) . Water based. You should look for it in those places where Pardo plastic is sold, also from Viva Decor.
In Kyiv, this is the shop "Artist's Shop", i.e. it can be in all Black River stores.
Here's one:
The label says that it is designed specifically for varnishing jewelry made of polymer clay.
It is thicker than the studio, it sticks very strongly to the toothpicks (it was after this varnish that I stopped dipping them in varnish at all :) It gives a dense glossy film. It does not peel off, does not come off - in general it is more stable than the studio, in my opinion.
Personally, I like it more in almost everything - it bubbles much less and is easier to apply. There is only one caveat: it smells like rotten fish to me :) But, in my opinion, it only seems so to me and you quickly get used to the smell) I have been using it for about 4 months and so far everything is fine.
By the way, I also baked with him, and everything was fine.
Selection of varnish not intended for plastics.
And now let's talk about cases when you do not buy a specialized varnish intended for plastic surgery, but through trial and error you select some other varnish that was not originally intended for plastic surgery at all.
Let's start with what varnishes should not be used to cover plastics.
1. Nail polish. Although nail polish is often used by beginners, due to the fact that desired varnish not yet found, but I really want to try to complete the finished product - still try to be patient. Even if you buy such nail polishes that fit very well on plastic (according to reviews), but are expensive. Simple logic - how quickly does the varnish on your nails “peel off”? Even if it's expensive and high quality. And it’s not even about speed, but about the fact that it “peels off”. It's the same with plastic. Nail polish is not designed to be durable. Plus, after a while, such a varnish may well turn yellow or begin to stick. Believe opinion experienced craftsmen, and never cover your products with nail polish.
2. Acrylic varnishes for artwork. You can find such varnishes in art and stationery stores. Moreover, the sales assistant can tell you that such a varnish is perfect for plastic surgery. Don't believe. Such varnishes, for the most part, will not dry at all on your plastic product. And if they dry, the bead will probably be sticky or become so over time.
3. I often met advice on the net not to use alcohol-based (or aldehyde) varnishes for plastics. Search engines do not give out information on aldehyde varnishes, they say there are only phenol-aldehyde ones. Unfortunately, I am not strong in chemistry, so I could not figure out what exactly in the composition of these varnishes can harm plastic. She considered the only drawbacks of such varnishes to be their fragility and the ability to darken in the light, which in itself already indicates inapplicability for plastic jewelry. Here is a description from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, if any of the readers can explain something about phenol-aldehyde varnishes, I would be very grateful.
Now about what varnishes you need to buy.
It is best to ask a furniture lacquer in a hardware store, and it is better for a water-based acrylic polyurethane (acrylic-polyurethane) parquet. Make sure that it does not contain latex - it is not friendly with plastic. In addition, pay attention to the presence of a UV filter in the composition - then your varnish will not turn yellow over time.
Be prepared that the sellers of hardware stores have not even heard of any acrylic-polyurethane varnishes, and will even tell you that such varnishes do not exist in nature. Don't be discouraged and go to another store. These sellers use the Russian lacquer classification system, which does not include acrylic-polyurethane or polyurethane-acrylic. You can see the Russian chemical classification of bases for varnishes here, and the foreign classification - here.
Try to place an order for the varnish you need in some large store. Remember, the search for "your" varnish often takes a lot of nerves, money, effort and time. Patience and good luck with this.
There are many varnishes, and even more opinions about their compatibility with plastic. I have read a lot of conflicting information on this topic, and I can say that I am incredibly confused, because the same varnish often had completely opposite reviews. Therefore, I will list only those varnishes that have been tested by polymer craftswomen in practice, and which received the most positive feedback.
1. Firm Varathane. VARATHANE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATERBONE DIAMOND WOOD FINISH . This varnish is considered one of the best, tested by generations of foreign masters. Just do not confuse - the name should be exactly that - word for word, because Varathane has many other varnishes, it is easy to get confused. At one time, for lack of a better one, I bought an oil-based varnish from this company - it did not suit me. My notes on this are here.
Characteristics: Water base; three types of gloss: glossy, matte, semi-gloss; drying time from the manufacturer - 1 hour "to touch".
From the description: “Water-Based Diamond Gloss Lacquer for Interior Wood Surfaces Gives wooden furniture and furnishings a beautiful shine for years to come, protecting them from wear. Advantages: colorless, non-yellowing, minimal odour, waterproof.
2. S. C. Johnson Company. FUTURE FLOOR FINISH. Renamed Pledge® with Future® Shine
Lacquer of the same level as in point 1. B different countries known under different brands: "Parket Plus", "Klear", "Krystal Klear" or "Johnson's One and All", "Klir". Here is information on varnishes and its analogues in English, but if you follow the link "Future in Russia", you can read the information in Russian. They say that this varnish is even more difficult to buy in Russia than Varatan, so look, who is interested, on the same site there is a form for ordering via the Internet from Russia, with prepayment by WM or YandexMoney.
Features: water base, acrylic lacquer. Touch dry 20-30 minutes. Between layers it is recommended to withstand 8 hours.
Characteristics: water-soluble, polyurethane base, the layer dries in 2 hours, you can apply many layers, and then there will be an almost glassy effect. Full drying from 18 to 24 hours.
4.Firm Dufa Meffert AG, Germany, varnish AQUA - PARKETTLACK. Colorless (transparent), forming a glossy or semi-gloss finish. Russian website of the manufacturer.
Characteristics: drying - for applying the next layer - 1 hour at a temperature of +15 to +25 C. Water-soluble. 24 months storage.
6.BonaTech Mega - parquet varnish, polyurethane, water-based. Very much praises this varnish "marina-kotliar". It dries quickly, but completely dries in a day. Liquid, it is convenient to use it for varnishing by dipping.
7. Manufacturer AN Synteko, Sweden, varnish SADOLIN SYNTEKO PRO 20 (semi-gloss), SADOLIN SYNTEKO PRO 90 (glossy) - met in the network only positive reviews on this varnish.
From the description: - one-component water-soluble polyurethane-acrylic varnishes that provide high-quality appearance and high strength. Used on parquet and wooden floors in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, hallways, stairs. It can also be used on raw cork and other wood products. Technical data: binder polyurethane-acrylic lacquer.»
8. Tikkurila company.
ASSA varnish and KIVA varnish - acrylate varnish based on polyurethane. Does not turn yellow.
Please note that there are two types of Tikkurila Yassia - PanelsYassya (red label) and ParkettiYassya (green label), so for plastic surgery you need the one that ParkettiYassya.
Varnish UNIQA super - urethane-alkyd, does not turn yellow, is removed with white spirit.
Review: “My alkyd-polyurethane varnish, tikkurila, passed an 8-month test! It doesn't stick, doesn't flake, and generally behaves decently :) It is cheaper than acrylic-polyurethane, and is sold in small jars, and also gives a smooth glass surface, i.е. very shiny. Of the minuses - white beads turn yellow and dry for 5 hours, and it is difficult to wash the brushes, because it is mixed with white spirit.
From the description: "High quality acrylic lacquer. It is used to coat paints with a metallic effect, etc., to create a protective layer on any painted surfaces. It has excellent gloss, durability, as well as increased resistance to the influence of atmospheric and mechanical influences, aggressive environments.
10. Lacquer produced by Yaroslavl Paints PF 283 (pentaphthalic) for wood and metal, high gloss , alkyd. Composition: alkyd resin, solvents, desiccant. Drying of each layer 36 hours.
I used this polish myself for a while. Gives a beautiful glossy finish, durable. Disadvantages: dries for a very long time - 1 layer 36 hours, and then another for a long time the beads feel slightly dry to the touch; when applied, it gives foam, yellows white and light colors, has a strong pungent odor.
11.Firm MAIMERI (Italy), lacquer «IDEA» Decoupage. Water-based vitreous top coat for decoupage.
From the description: “Forms a vitreous film resistant to scratches, abrasion and external influences. Easy to use. Perfectly protects and gives exceptional water resistance to the decorated surface. For best results, apply in several thin layers with intermediate drying. After drying, it forms a crystal clear and colorless film with a 'wet' vitreous luster. leaves no brush marks. Irreversible."
12. Firm DARWI, Belgium, varnish DARWI VERNIS - transparent varnish, on a mineral basis. In the description on the websites of stores selling this varnish, it is said that it is suitable for all surfaces, as well as for products "of our own production, for example Fimo". The solvent is alcohol. It is quite popular today in the "polymer" world, many call it a worthy substitute for the mineral Fimo. There's a little discussion here.
And a small “but”: it does not have sufficient plasticity, i.e. on very thin details, if they are slightly bent, the varnish cracks into a fine, fine mesh.
“The drying time before the first contact is written on the jar 4 hours. In fact, a little more. Somewhere around 6-8 hours. Well, complete drying is a day.
I liked the medium-coated beads the most.
They are the most brilliant. Well, in general, like glass.” - the opinion of "bopoha", taken from here.
14. Aqua varnish parquet "POLY-R" : glossy, silky matte. Base: Acrylic urethane copolymer.
One-component, water-borne, fast-drying clear varnishes for interior use. It is used for protective and decorative coating of parquet with normal operating load, as well as for processing furniture and other wood products.
After drying, the varnishes form a hard transparent film, resistant to occasional exposure to water and characterized by high wear resistance. It dries “tack free” in 20-30 minutes, between layers you need to withstand 4-6 hours, complete drying 12-14 hours.
“There are hard varnishes, for example Poly-R, with a giraffe on a green background - here it has a hard surface, I even polished it with fine sandpaper, then varnish again, then polish again. The layer is ideal, glassy, solid. BUT! upon impact or subsequent drilling, it can give chips - there was such a thing. You are right, indeed, it turns yellow, and the more layers, the stronger. Not suitable for white and blue things. But for the rest (black-brown-red-yellow) - good. The main thing is not to make a mistake - the giraffe should be on a GREEN background. This is a water-based acrylic parquet varnish. And do not believe the sellers that this does not happen. I personally used a whole jar, I would have bought more, but here in Moscow it disappeared without a trace. I especially liked the fact that it can be sanded and reapplied. The layer turns out very beautiful "
15. PearlEx Varnish by Jacquard - suitable for those who use pigments, keeps pigments well from blurring the pattern, can also be used as a regular top coat. Water based. Can be used on paper, clay, metal, wood or plastic, easy to clean with water.
Diamongd Glaze by JudiKins - giving a glassy coating. Can be mixed with dye-based paints, watercolors, perlex pigments, etc.
Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos UV curing Glaze - in fact, the resin and hardens with a thick glassy layer under an ultraviolet lamp. More details in English.
The last two are similar to each other, only Lac Pavelka allows you to create a thicker layer. They lie on any surface - paint, glitter, embossing, natural flowers, etc.
A few conclusions about varnishes.
Mineral-based varnishes do not adhere well to a wet surface, most of them have a strong pungent odor, often take a long time to dry, but at the same time create a stronger coating than water-based varnishes.
Water-based varnishes are almost odorless, dry faster (most often), but do not fit well on a greasy surface, it happens that they swell in a humid environment, and the coating turns out to be elastic, as if rubber, and with a slight damage to the layer, it can be removed like a film from the entire surface. Here is an example of such a situation. However, if you put a very thin layer of varnish - you most likely will not notice any problems with it. You also need to remember to thoroughly dry the beads coated with water-based varnish. During the day, and preferably two - do not touch and do not allow water to enter.
A water-based varnish has the advantage that if it thickens, it is easily diluted with water to the desired consistency. Here, for example, there is a post on how to dilute Sculpey Glaze Gloss. If the “mineral” varnish thickens, then it is necessary to dilute it with solvents with great care, because. some of them react with plastic. For example, I diluted the “mineral” Fimo varnish with medical alcohol. Be sure to read the instructions for the varnish - how it is diluted, and then try applying a small amount to an unnecessary piece of plastic, and observe for a while so that there is no reaction.
Note: There is another option for varnishing plastic products - this is epoxy. But this is rather a topic for a new article, because there is a lot of information on epoxy. Here I will only say that finding the right epoxy is perhaps even more difficult than finding the right varnish. But the surface coated with epoxy is ideally "glassy" and very durable.
Methods for varnishing plastic products.
Note: do not forget to degrease your plastic product before varnishing, especially if you are going to use a water-based varnish. For degreasing, you can wash the beads in warm water with soap, or wipe the surface with a cotton swab with alcohol.
1. Varnishing by dipping.
To do this, put a bead on a toothpick or needle (knitting needle), dip it in varnish. You take it out, and for some time rotate the toothpick with the bead around its axis, thereby letting excess varnish drain and distributing the varnish evenly over the surface. Stick a toothpick in foam sponge for washing dishes or a bunch of crumpled foil. After a few minutes, a drop of run-down varnish forms on the bead, it must be removed with a soft brush.
But I myself don’t like this method and don’t use it, because. very hard for me to catch right moment to remove a drop - if you remove it too early, a drop (or influx) will still form; if you are late, then the place where you removed the drop may not be leveled, because. the varnish has already thickened.
It is much easier for me to varnish products in the second way:
But an important role is played by the choice of brush. To ensure that no grooves (paths) of varnish remain on the surface of the product, you need to choose a soft brush. Which one? Often masters are advised to use a soft synthetic brush or "squirrel", "columns". Alternatively, you can use a soft nail polish brush.
Note: if your brush is fluffy, then there is a lot of air inside the pile, and because of this, bubbles may occur on the varnished surface. In order to “expel” the air from the bristle of the brush, it is advised to take a little varnish on the brush, and with your fingers (do not forget to wear gloves) wring out the brush for a while. Also, so that a lot of air does not accumulate inside the pile, it is advised to purchase brushes that are flat, not round.
3. There is another option for varnishing beads- it applies to cases when you have varnish in an aerosol can. At first, this method of varnishing may seem inconvenient to you (as it was in my case), but after a little practice, you will understand that this method is sometimes literally indispensable, for example, when you need to varnish a complex surface, with many recesses and protrusions, or when you varnishing a painted or tinted surface, etc.
So, varnishing a product with varnish from an aerosol can is very simple: slowly rotate the bead put on the toothpick with one hand, hold the can in the other, and spray the varnish on the bead. If you have a flat product, for example, a pendant, then you can put it on a bag or paper, spray it with varnish, wait for it to dry, turn it over, and repeat the spraying procedure for the underside of the pendant.
The appearance of your coating will depend on the distance from the can to the bead and the intensity of the varnish jet: if you keep the aerosol away and spray the varnish quite a bit, the surface will turn out with a matte thin coating; if you hold the spray can closer and make the spray of varnish intense, you will get a smooth glossy surface. Just do not hold the aerosol close to the bead - then the pressure of the varnish jet is very strong, and foam with air bubbles may form on the surface. What kind of distance you need - determine empirically, because. Aerosol varnishes are different, respectively, and the effects are different. What I said is based on the practice of using MOTIP automotive varnish.
After your product has dried completely, you need to remove it from the toothpick. We remove with a twisting motion, carefully, otherwise the layer of varnish around the toothpick may be damaged, or the toothpick itself may break and remain inside the bead.
And now let's talk about the problems and difficulties that you may encounter in the process of varnishing plastic products.
1. Your beads immediately after varnishing or after a while become sticky. This can happen even after a few months, so the varnish can be considered "tested" after a period of at least six months.
The cause of a sticky surface can be either an “inappropriate” varnish or underbaked plastic. Those. if you did not bake your product long enough, the plastic did not polymerize, and the plasticizer residues contained in the plastic reacted with the varnish. Therefore, first of all, if you find that your beads have become sticky, you can try to bake them again - yes, yes, like this, bake right along with the varnish ... ... at 110-130 degrees for 10-15 minutes. But if repeated baking does not help, then you will have to remove the varnish from the bead and varnish it with another varnish.
To remove water-based varnish from a product, it is advised to put the bead in water with lemon or vinegar overnight - the varnish will swell and crack, and it will be easier for you to remove it. To remove mineral varnish from the product, you can use a solvent. Carefully read the instructions for the varnish, which solvent is recommended by the manufacturer. Most often, mineral varnish is removed from the bead with alcohol or white spirit. In any case, there is some risk of spoiling the product, because. some solvents may react with plastic.
If the product allows (there is no pattern, image or complex reliefs on it), sticky varnish can be sanded off the surface with sandpaper. It is better to take a very small skin (for example, 1000-1500), because you need to try, if possible, not to damage the surface of the product.
Pay attention to this: in order to avoid stickiness of the varnish after varnishing, it is best to leave the product in the open air for a while. Since there are varnishes that seem to be completely dry to the touch, but in fact it has not yet completely hardened. The drying time is usually indicated by the manufacturer on the label, but even if you have waited the due date, do not rush to pack your products in bags and boxes. Play it safe, wait a little longer, but you will be firmly convinced of the result.
You can also try to cover the bead with another varnish, right on top of the sticky one. On the Internet, I met notes about the possibility of applying one varnish on top of another. The craftswomen shared their experience that they did this, and everything is in order.
I will tell you about my experience - for the experiment I covered several beads with Motip car varnish on top of the old varnish (there were several options for different varnishes) - and so, on one of the beads (coated with oil-based Varatan), two varnishes reacted - the surface foamed and warped. So my advice to you - be sure to experiment on an unnecessary piece of plastic, how varnishes applied one on top of the other will behave.
And sometimes there are situations when the varnish tested many times by many masters can give stickiness. So it happened with Tatyana "gekata_ru" with everything
The famous Varatan. Read the comments on the post at the link if you are interested, but many considered the undercooked product to be the main reason.
2.Undercooked product. As you already understood from point 1, this problem is very important, undercooking affects both the strength of the product itself and the strength of the varnish coating. Determining underdone is very simple: bake a small piece of plastic on your usual baking mode, and try to make a hole in it - with a needle, awl or drill. If at the same time the plastic crumbles and breaks off in small pieces, your plastic is underbaked. In this case, you need to re-bake the product.
The temperature regime and baking time of plastics are indicated on the packaging, different plastics have different ones, but usually this difference is not very big.
Often the cause of undercooking can be that your oven (stove) does not maintain the temperature indicated on the regulator dial.
In order to be sure of the temperature, you must use a thermometer. Such thermometers are specialized, they are produced by plastic manufacturers. You can also use a household oven thermometer. I also met advice to use a thermometer for a sauna, but I myself did not use one.
When measuring the temperature in the oven (stove), pay attention to the fact that your measurements must be spaced apart in time, i.e. if you usually bake plastic for 15 minutes, then you need to take measurements every 5 minutes. This is due to the fact that the heating in the oven (stove) can change. On this occasion, “orangejul” wrote wonderfully in the comments to this post:
“I also have a mini oven. I don't use it much, I'm afraid. Looks like a DeLonghi. I expected better from her, to be honest.
A little lower here I wrote in the comments to the post about a bath thermometer about a digital multimeter. He has measurement limits, it seems, -400 - +1000 degrees. So for our purposes it will go :))))
According to his testimony (amazing accuracy), heating in the mini-oven occurs along a sinusoid. We set, for example, 110 degrees: it heats up to 160-180 (!), Cools down to 70-80, then heats up to 150-160, cools down to 80-90. So further, with the narrowing of the temperature fluctuation to an interval of 50 degrees. I describe this from memory. To achieve this interval, the stove must be turned on for about 40-50 minutes. Thus, it is not possible to achieve a constant temperature in a mini-oven. Or else, as an option, stand near this stove and constantly tighten the handle, which is very inconvenient)))
By the way, after the purchase, we went to the store and tested several more stoves in this way. They are all like that. That's why I'm afraid to bake plastic there. Maybe we'll do some upgrades in the future. My father said that it was sort of possible.
For comparison: in a home oven (electro), when set to 110 degrees, the temperature rises to 125, and then decreases and stays in the aisles of 105-115 degrees. Noticeable difference, however. But the home oven is a pity.
3. On the surface, stains and "islands" are formed. More often than not, this means that your varnish has thickened, or is too thick for your work. In this case, it is advised to dilute a little varnish, coat the surface once with this diluted varnish (as if primed), and varnish undiluted over this layer.
4. When you try to remove the varnished and dried product from the toothpick, you find that the toothpick has stuck to the varnish coating. How to fix? You can gently cut the varnish around the toothpick with a blade. You can heat the product a little in the oven, literally within a few minutes - the lacquer coating will become more elastic, and you can remove the toothpick without fear of chips and damage to the lacquer layer. In addition, you can play it safe a little, and during the drying of the product, when the coating is no longer sticky, but has not yet completely dried out (i.e. remains elastic), turn the toothpick inside the product, or slightly move the bead along the toothpick.
5.Varnish on beads (especially on white or light ones) gives yellowness.
This is a property of your varnish, look at the manufacturer's instructions on the package - are there any UV filters in the composition of the varnish? - just they protect the varnish from yellowing. But even if you have a varnish that gives yellowness, do not rush to throw it away, you can later successfully apply it on dark and yellow flowers plastics.
Precautions when working with paint products.
First of all, I would like to urge those who use spray varnishes to be careful.
When you spray such varnish, a “cloud” of finely dispersed varnish “dust” forms in the air, it settles on nearby surfaces, gets into the eyes and mucous membranes of the nose and mouth. And it turns out that in such a situation it is not enough to work in a well-ventilated area, it is best to go outside for varnishing. Well, at least the stairs. It is also very important to have protection in the form of a respirator, and it would be nice to have goggles as well. The rest of the recommendations for using varnish in an aerosol can are standard: do not bring it to fire, keep it out of the reach of children, in case of contact with mucous membranes, immediately rinse them with water.
When working with other varnishes, precautions are usually standard, and you can read about them on the packaging, here are the most common ones:
Keep out of the reach of children. Work in a well ventilated area. If the composition is swallowed, seek medical advice immediately and show the container or label. Do not empty into sewer. The remains of varnish and its packaging should be taken to a hazardous waste collection point. Work with the material should be avoiding contact with skin and eyes. Use rubber gloves to protect your hands. At the end of the work, wash the tool with a solvent. In case of contact with skin, wash with soap and water. Use personal respiratory protective equipment. Keep away from fire!
Successful work and creative success!
Water-based two-component polyurethane varnishes for ABS and PVC plastics PaliPlast UR- are water-based industrial paints and varnishes with excellent indicators of atmospheric mechanical and chemical resistance.
PaliPlast UR 5030 lacquer- high-gloss two-component water-based polyurethane varnish on plastic.
PaliChem CA 7040 cross- universal hardener for water-based polyurethane enamels with high chemical and mechanical resistance, highly viscous transparent solution without odor and foreign inclusions.
Scope and operational properties
Plastic varnish is used for painting ABS and PVC products in industrial environments where Special attention given to the gloss of the coating or where a protective paint coating is required. The varnish protects products from abrasion and scratches, from the influence of the external environment, and is resistant to detergents.
decorative properties
Polyurethane lacquer for plastics is characterized by exceptional transparency and good pourability, which makes it possible to obtain high-quality decorative coatings. Varnish is widely used for multi-layer coatings with optical effects, improves and stabilizes color reproduction.
Specifications
Dry residue 35% by weight Density (specific weight) 1.04 kg/liter Viscosity (DIN 4 at 20 °C) 80-120 sec Consumption 100-120 ml/m² Wet film resistance up to 120 µm Gloss level 5-90 at .e. Thinner Water Hazard category NoPainting and technological properties
Lacquer for plastic PaliPlast UR 3030 lacquer is a two-component and requires preparation before painting the plastic. Immediately before application, a hardener for glossy varnishes is added to the water-based varnish. PaliChem CA 7040 cross: 20% by weight. The life time of the resulting mixture is 2-4 hours. The varnish is applied by spraying, drying can be done at room temperature.
water varnish on plastic is environmentally friendly. When applied and dried, it does not smell, the varnish is diluted with water.
