I want to give this a try. Where do you buy it? I have only found it
at instrument sites, and prefer to order from somewhere more
"relevant". Whole Lotta Whimsey has is, but it is several dollars
extra and that may be too much to pay for relevance…
Also, has anyone used Permalac (from Sculpt Nouveau) on jewelry?
Noel
Hi Noel, I’ve bought Nikolas Lacquer from Allcraft, in NY.
Cindy
Cynthia Eid
I’ve used Syncralac from Sculpt Nouveau for years. Syncralac is
glossy, whereas Permalac is a satin finish. It has good shelf life,
although you will want to skim off any skin that has formed on the
top, rather than stirring it up. It is non-yellowing, UV resistant
and very tough. Cut it generously with lacquer thinner, and apply
several light coats so that “fuzzies” don’t settle on the surface
and ruin the finish. You want your piece dry to the touch in 10 min.
It can also be used with powdered form dyes and treatments for a
transparent colored finish, if you go light on the dye. I like
aniline dyes. Usual disclaimer, satisfied customer.
Hey Noel, I got mine here:
I got 2 cans to save on shipping, one for a friend.
whole lotta whimsey wasn’t helpful when I called them to inquire
about pricing and shipping, and they charge extra for shipments
under $50 which I don’t like on principal. So I went with this other
company, who is cheaper anyway.
I used the Nikolas spray on a blackened ring and it’s holding up
great.
good luck,
amery
McMaster Car has Nikolas lacquer their part # 76885T73
James Binnion
Noel,
G.J. Nikolas is located in Bellwood Illinois - maybe you can go
direct to the source - or just have them ship you a case of 12 oz
cans? (Their #2105 clear is available in aerosol cans)
Ruta
Designs by Ruta
If you’re asking where to buy Nikolas, I simply went online and got
it from Nikolas.
I.I.R.C. I got a free sample (?) but had to buy a whole gallon. I
went with #12164 OD Brass for my wire sculptures of the indoor
variety. I made a lacquer-holding sponge-holding piece of plastic,
with a hole in it for pulling sections of welding rod through, which
worked ok, and then a few weeks ago got the genius (for me) idea of
putting some in a pump-spray plastic bottle, which was boatloads
easier… all of which has nothing to do with anything anybody was
talking about, but with a few more tangents (which I don’t actually
feel like typing) it would bring us back to “do” (adeer, etc.),
metalworking, press-forming, and possibly even jewelry.
Maybe the photographs would help ; they’re all in the camera, with
zero degrees of separation. I’ll finish the roll up and get some
shots of recent work online soon, I promise, and this will all make
sense, lol!.
Dar
Noel,
I really like this product. One of the best things about it is that
it comes in both flat and satin finishes. It coats nicely, dries
quickly and is very easy to use. I would recommend purchasing the EF
(non-stinky) version in liquid. You can use a paint brush to apply
it. I tried the spray version the first time but I much prefer the
liquid. You can use it to seal copper, silver, patinated metals,
oxidized surfaces, vermeil parts which will incur a lot of wear and
might need a little extra protection, and the list goes on.
The company says that metal surfaces exposed to the outdoor elements
after being sealed will be protected for at least 10 years. I tried
applying it as recommended to the surface of a copper pendant I had
patinated using Midas green to create a verdigris finish. I used two
coats, and let it dry overnight. The next day I powered up the flex
shaft and tried using radial disk brushes, a bristle brush, and
sandpaper with grits as low as 360.
The surface had no changes and the sealant remained completely
intact.
You can purchase it directly from sculpt nouveau at
Tracy Arrington
Noel, I have used mass quanitys of PermaLac from Sculpt Nouveau in
our copper fountain biz and found it to be an excellent product from
an excellent small company. I also have been using it to coat the
copper components of jewelry; earrings & pentants. It holds up pretty
well and is user friendly inspray cans. Its a little thin, so
multiple coats are best. I recently got Protectaclear
(www.ProtectaClear.com) as recomended by someone here on Orchid, both
in a spray can and pint liquid. It is easy to apply but you have to
go thru some pre-coat steps to assure a clear coat. Seems it doesn’t
like any “acid” and will have dark streaks if it isn’t nutralized
first. Not hard, just some extra steps. I suspect this will be a more
durable coating than Permalac but have not had it long enough to give
feedback on this. For copper bracelets, I wax them with a clear metal
wax also from Sculpt Nouveau. Clear protection from fingerprints &
air oxidation that wears off more evenly. I inform my customers of
this and the reason they are not lacqured: cuffs get alot of abuse
and the lacquer will scratch off only in some areas leaving unsightly
finish. I then move on to to “health benifits” of copper bracelets
and they need skin contact if they want that and will have to deal
with the tarnishing involved. No one seems to be concerned that they
will have to clean/ polish them. I missed your original question, but
my input on Permalac is a good product. Will report back on
ProtectaClear.
April Bower, Arizona
headed to the mountains as the desert is soon to be unbearable
(but moving a metal/jewelry shop 2x/year is no fun either)