Tufcote / Furniglass

[Phil Olson - Model Technics]

I am sure I found an equivalent to Tufcote / Furniglass a few months ago, but I can't find the link to it now. IIRC it was for a litre size can ( with the acid hardener). Can anyone help

[Don Fry]

Try acid catalysed lacquer in a search. It's used as a hard finish in the furniture industry. Comes as gloss, satin and matt.

[Brian Neasham]

Rustins plastic coating is what I use for fuel proofing, don't know if its the same but it sure smells like the old Tufcote!

[Martin McIntosh]

It is certainly Sadolin PV67 in 1lt cans. Smells, tastes, mixes and works just the same as Tufkote.

[Peter Miller]

Oh that Furniglass Hardcote was so great!!!

[Martin McIntosh]

I agree Peter,

It was available in 500ml cans which were a boon when you needed to spray the the stuff. Take my word for it, PV67 is as near as you can get now.

[RottenRow]

Rustin's Plastic Floor Coating... gloss or satin. 2 pack mixes 4:1 available in 1 litre packs. This was recommended to us during a club talk on finishing by Ian Peacock many years ago.

Also Rustin's Plastic Coating... a very similar product but only gloss available. Can be polished to a very high gloss if required (like a mirror finish).

Both can be thinned and sprayed (using their own thinners) but beware of the dangers of spraying any 2 pack finishes.

Brian W.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Phil Olson - Model Technics]

Many thanks guys - I have some chairs to restore now

[Tony Harrison 2]

Very interested in these materials, always looking for a cheaper alternative: I want a very tough, clear coating that levels well, isn't too thick but will often do with a single coat, has a reasonable working time of a few minutes, and doesn't discolour over a period of years... It's actually for coating the nylon-thread wraps holding fishing rod guides in place. There are a number of proprietary products I've tried over the past 40 years or so, but they're sold in tiny quantities, shelf life is poor, and dealers charge shockingly high prices for the very small containers...

Which of the products mentioned here would you recommend as having the qualities I mention?

Thanks, Tony

ps Interested to see the mention of Rustin's Plastic Coating, didn't know it was still around - my late dad used to swear by it for covering the small pieces of furniture he built.

[Bruce Collinson]

Tony,

Have you tried epoxy resin at an appropriate viscosity? Good quality, e.g. Pacer, accurately mixed with cheapo digital scales and probably diluted a little using alcohol? I recalled that traditionally, guide whippings were two-coated anyway, a thinner coat for the mechanical fixing/soaking the thread, then a second coat for gloss/cosmetics. Long tome since I had to do one however.

BTC

[Bruce Collinson]

Long time. Freudian slop?

[Tony Harrison 2]

Posted by Bruce Collinson on 02/01/2020 20:33:26:

Tony,

Have you tried epoxy resin at an appropriate viscosity? Good quality, e.g. Pacer, accurately mixed with cheapo digital scales and probably diluted a little using alcohol? I recalled that traditionally, guide whippings were two-coated anyway, a thinner coat for the mechanical fixing/soaking the thread, then a second coat for gloss/cosmetics. Long tome since I had to do one however.

BTC

Thanks Bruce - no, haven't had any common or garden epoxy resin since I built a canoe years ago. I'd have assumed it was available only in fairly large volumes such as I bought for my canoe - and I wouldn't have relied on it to stay wholly clear without discolouration. But it's an interesting idea - by "alcohol" do you mean perhaps isopropyl? Yes, I generally use a colour preserver (thin stuff) even on top of NCP type thread, just to tack it all together, prior to a top coat of hard gloss epoxy/polymer. Looked around and found Rustin's, a 250ml pack on Amazon for under £11 - considerably cheaper than one can pay for a very much smaller quantity of special coating stuff sold for guide wraps! Might go for that, though not until I've looked at the Pacer stuff you mention.

rgds Tony

ps On the "Epoxy" thread I see you mention digital scales again - for handloading ammo. I've loaded many thousands of rounds in various handgun and rifle chamberings, tried some good digital scales - and found them unreliable, a bit flaky. I went back to a really good manual balance scale, a Redding custom-tuned by a guy in the US.

Edited By Tony Harrison 2 on 02/01/2020 21:46:44

[Don Fry]

I use a set of drug dealers digital scales, cheap enough, and drug dealers can't be wrong. Couple of quid off eBay. But in this game we just don't need the accuracy and consistency of a charge for a bullet. And if you dilute epoxy, you should use isopropyl achohol, if you want it to cure without any loss of structure. An alternative, the coating epoxy used to skin aircraft. A lot thinner than glue, or even standard laying up resin. Either way, none will discolour.

If you mix a bit, put a first coat on, and put the mixing pot in the fridge, it will be good for a second coat the next day.

 

Edited By Don Fry on 03/01/2020 06:57:04

[Martin McIntosh]

Mick Reeves sells epoxy coating but only in minute jars. It made a good job of my Stampe cowl when sprayed on but would cost an arm and a leg to do a whole model. It is thinned with cellulose.

Anyway, what`s wrong with the Sadolin product I suggested above?

[Tony Harrison 2]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 03/01/2020 10:57:33:

Mick Reeves sells epoxy coating but only in minute jars. It made a good job of my Stampe cowl when sprayed on but would cost an arm and a leg to do a whole model. It is thinned with cellulose.

Anyway, what`s wrong with the Sadolin product I suggested above?

Martin, thanks for the tip - will check the Mick Reeves site. I did look up Sadolin PV67 but since it's designed to be used for floors, it seems to be sold only in large volumes - far too much for me to get through in years, and expensive!

rgds Tony

[Peter Christy]

Has anyone tried this: **LINK** ?

It appears to be a polyurethane varnish. The reviews claim a smooth finish and doesn't yellow.

Back in the day, we used to use Kingston Diamond Polyurethane paint, which seemed to be proof against virtually everything. Sadly, it seems to be no longer available, but maybe this is as tough?

--

Pete

[Erfolg]

I thought a picture may be just what is needed

A collectors item, one of those things that sad people keep, and from time to time drewl over.

The only thing is, what do you use it for?

[Don Fry]

The simple answer Erf, that vey nice table you deploy your jewels on, do you wipe it clean, or polish it regularly. If the former, the finish is that or its brother. That's what it was mainly used for, durable 2 pack spayable varnishes.

By happy coincidence, they are , being a 2 pack curing resin, impervious to methanol based fuels.

Edited By Don Fry on 03/01/2020 16:45:25

[Martin McIntosh]

Tony,

You can buy it in 1l cans and by weight is much cheaper than Tufkote was. You could maybe share it out between mates. It is the stuff used for public house bar tops I am told so that these could be used very soon after application.

The other thing I use a lot these days on scale models is Dulux Diamond Glaze in satin. Water down 5% and it brushes on quite well. Not totally fuel proof but two or three coats will cope with 5% nitro just about.

[Bruce Collinson]

Tony,

Pacer comes in small quantities, down to 2 fl ozs and is well stocked in many model shops, and I think I’ve seen it in tackle shops too. Zap by another name.

Don has a point. If hypothetically you mixed a batch (using the Redding scales, I trust), used half of it either thinned (I use meths but now I’m circumspect) or heated a little to make it runnier, you could soak it into the wraps, let it go off which it will a little quicker having been warmed, fridge the other half, warm it to room temp and use it full strength as the gloss coat. Worth a try?

My scales are PACT. Had them for maybe 25 yrs plus. The first set arrived completely inert. I spoke to their customer services who said, what the hell has your postal service done to my scales? but replaced them without quibble. Back in my club level competitive days I was loading 300 .38 wadcutters a week and came to rely on them absolutely. I did check calibration quite regularly but found a Dillon 4 stage press to be very accurate even at a rate of knots. When the state took my pistols away (but we’re all much safer ...) and I started rifle shooting, I weighed every charge which was hardly a chore with the PACT scales.

Back to the thread, as it were, Z Poxy (Pacer) finishing resin would do it, I’m sure. I assume you use an electric rotating device whilst applying and drying? At the Hardy Bros factory 30 years ago, when rods were still made in Alnwick including the blanks, we saw racks of 30 odd rods being coated up on one large rotating rack.

Anyway, good luck with it.

And finally, on a trip to my son in Los Angeles, I had a .45 and 100 reloads and was hitting a half size pig silhouette at 45 yards, once I worked out how far off the sights were. The sand bed backstop helped. Like riding a bike ....

BTC

[Tony Harrison 2]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 03/01/2020 20:45:33:

Tony,

You can buy it in 1l cans and by weight is much cheaper than Tufkote was. You could maybe share it out between mates. It is the stuff used for public house bar tops I am told so that these could be used very soon after application.

The other thing I use a lot these days on scale models is Dulux Diamond Glaze in satin. Water down 5% and it brushes on quite well. Not totally fuel proof but two or three coats will cope with 5% nitro just about.

OK Martin, but even one litre is a huge quantity considering my requirements. I looked up Dulux Diamond Glaze, and on the Dulux website it lists the smallest at one litre - "from £34..." Prepared to pay rather less than half that, for something very high quality which meets my requirements exactly. Still, I'll see if any chums need some Sadolin.

rgds Tony

[Pete Collins]

I remember being told many years ago that Tufcoat (Which, I believe, was just re-badged furniglass) was actually a Urea Formaldehyde resin! I don't know if this helps (or even how accurate it is - as I can't remember the source) but, for what its worth, it may be a help. I do remember it as being very hard wearing and totally fuel proof!

[Tony Harrison 2]

Posted by Bruce Collinson on 03/01/2020 21:03:17:

Tony,

Pacer comes in small quantities, down to 2 fl ozs and is well stocked in many model shops, and I think I’ve seen it in tackle shops too. Zap by another name.

Don has a point. If hypothetically you mixed a batch (using the Redding scales, I trust), used half of it either thinned (I use meths but now I’m circumspect) or heated a little to make it runnier, you could soak it into the wraps, let it go off which it will a little quicker having been warmed, fridge the other half, warm it to room temp and use it full strength as the gloss coat. Worth a try?

My scales are PACT. Had them for maybe 25 yrs plus. The first set arrived completely inert. I spoke to their customer services who said, what the hell has your postal service done to my scales? but replaced them without quibble. Back in my club level competitive days I was loading 300 .38 wadcutters a week and came to rely on them absolutely. I did check calibration quite regularly but found a Dillon 4 stage press to be very accurate even at a rate of knots. When the state took my pistols away (but we’re all much safer ...) and I started rifle shooting, I weighed every charge which was hardly a chore with the PACT scales.

Back to the thread, as it were, Z Poxy (Pacer) finishing resin would do it, I’m sure. I assume you use an electric rotating device whilst applying and drying? At the Hardy Bros factory 30 years ago, when rods were still made in Alnwick including the blanks, we saw racks of 30 odd rods being coated up on one large rotating rack.

Anyway, good luck with it.

And finally, on a trip to my son in Los Angeles, I had a .45 and 100 reloads and was hitting a half size pig silhouette at 45 yards, once I worked out how far off the sights were. The sand bed backstop helped. Like riding a bike ....

BTC

Thanks Bruce - I'll look at Pacer again. Your suggestion about double coating is worth trying, too. I know the PACT brand, recall it's well known for handloading scales. Re presses, I never owned a progressive, only ever had two RCBS single-stage presses even for loading lots of .45ACP when I used to shoot Practical Pistol. You don't say what breed of .45 you used in LA - Long Colt, ACP... I had four 1911s in succession, best was a Series 70, miss them dearly. As you say, we are of course far safer now, no gun crime whatsoever, no knife crime either... Yes, I have a very simple but effective rod-rotating setup bought on Ebay from a guy in the US who makes them - works perfectly well. You mention blanks - 30-40 years ago one could find a limited selection of decent shortish blanks suitable for (bait)casting rods, which are what I build, but now I have to buy abroad - latest purchase is a CTS 6' blank from NZ, excellent quality.

rgds Tony - I'll try Z-Poxy.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]