i have recently completed a build on a titan 39 and, it was my first experience with duratex. the results i got were acceptable, but not perfect. (i first coated with a roller, and second coated with a spray hopper) the texture that i wanted wasn't there. this was due in part to my lack of experience with the product. another thing, it wasn't quite as hard as i'd hoped for. don't get me wrong it is very tough, but it's still soft enough to dent with a fingernail using moderate pressure. with the remaining amount that i had left over i decided i need to practice to get a feel for working with the stuff, so i immediately ripped all the old carpet off an old swr basic black that i got ahold of for cheap. then i decided to think outside the box. i mixed the duratex about half and half with tightbond glue and sprayed a small piece of plywood. texture was great. the next day it was hard as a rock. flattens the sheel a little and gives it a dark grey color as opposed to black. my basic black cabinet is now drying with the final coat and the texture is really darn good (considering it's my second atempt, actually it's good enough i would put my name on it. i'll post some pics later)
i don't know if this is something that is even remotely reccommended, but according to my test piece the new improved finish seems remarkably durable. will update later.
Duratex experiment.
on my titan the duratex has been setting for a couple of weeks so it is fully cured. it's tough stuff, but the new formula is just harder, and tightbond (blue label) is about $15 a gallon. i do believe that i could now get most any texture i wanted with just straight duratex. that just comes with getting a feel for working with a new product, but for me the results with my experiment have been quite positive, for my personal needs.
i am not really reccommending this as i am not yet sure of the long term implications of the "duratex version 2.0". (that's why i tested it on a piece that was both inexpensive and unessential for my gigging needs, plus it looked like ass already so no worries if i scewed it up) i am merely sharing my experiences on a topic of interest to many on the forum.
i do plan to try and make a poor man's duratex with a similar mixture. it will be interesting to see if i can come up with a homebrew textured coating that will hold up as well and cost considerably less. we will see.
i am not really reccommending this as i am not yet sure of the long term implications of the "duratex version 2.0". (that's why i tested it on a piece that was both inexpensive and unessential for my gigging needs, plus it looked like ass already so no worries if i scewed it up) i am merely sharing my experiences on a topic of interest to many on the forum.
i do plan to try and make a poor man's duratex with a similar mixture. it will be interesting to see if i can come up with a homebrew textured coating that will hold up as well and cost considerably less. we will see.
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LelandCrooks
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If it lasts that long I'd spray the whole thing. Better than asphalt sealerebinary wrote:weather related update - I oversprayed some duratex on my asphalt driveway a year ago. Exposed to 12 hours of sun and weather for a year, still looks like the day I oversprayed it. Dang it.
Eric
If it's too loud, you're even older than me! Like me.
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well on a positive note, the new coating seems to be stable. it really is rock hard, and i'm lovin' the way it looks. seriously it's hard enough to skin your knuckles on with the extra rough texture.
on a negative note, the poor man's duratex coating gave iffy results. not really that great. i have one other idea but it'll be awhile before i can try it out.
anyway i'll probably just stick to the duratex tightbond mix for future projects, it's tougher and the $14 gallon of tightbond will make the duratex go a lot farther. it works out to about $37 a gallon instead of just under $60. i will say that a gallon of the mix probably won't go quite as far as straight duratex, but the cost offset is significant enough to still realize a significant savings.
i pretty much flew by the seat of my pants coming up with a method to work the new mix but if anyone wants to try it...
first coat, 50/50 mix and then thin with water until about the consistecy of thick paint. roll on with a small foam roller. go quickly and deliberately making sure everything is smoothed down as you go. this substance doesn't dry so quickly as it gets gummy quick. you may find yourself having trouble getting it to lay down if it is too thick. if you find yourself with rough spots that are just too noticable sand it down the next day (just enough to flatten it out a bit) if sanded roll another very thin coat. after you have the entire surface covered and dry, mix another 50/50 batch (you may have to thin this just a pinch but try to avoid this.) the mixture thickens up as you mix it, so a small long screwdriver is my tool of choice for stirring it in the hopper to get it into the spray chamber. about 20-30 psi on your air line, and just barely crack the trigger. spray from about 2 feet from the cabinet. do not crank the trigger back or you will get a big mess. spray slowly and methodically. (you may want to adjust your gun so that the trigger can only be depressed about an eighth of an inch to avoid accidents) let the texture build slowly until you are satisfied that you have enough then move on. last step, leave it alone until tomorrow no matter what it looks like, you aren't going to touch up anything until it is dry. you will only make it worse. the texture seemed to cover up a world of ugly on the cab i tried it on, small imperfections as well as some larger ones just dissappered. looks factory.
i would also reccomend trying this stuff out for the first time on a test piece to get the feel for working with it. btw i used roller grade satin duratex, spray grade will definately perform differently.
on a negative note, the poor man's duratex coating gave iffy results. not really that great. i have one other idea but it'll be awhile before i can try it out.
anyway i'll probably just stick to the duratex tightbond mix for future projects, it's tougher and the $14 gallon of tightbond will make the duratex go a lot farther. it works out to about $37 a gallon instead of just under $60. i will say that a gallon of the mix probably won't go quite as far as straight duratex, but the cost offset is significant enough to still realize a significant savings.
i pretty much flew by the seat of my pants coming up with a method to work the new mix but if anyone wants to try it...
first coat, 50/50 mix and then thin with water until about the consistecy of thick paint. roll on with a small foam roller. go quickly and deliberately making sure everything is smoothed down as you go. this substance doesn't dry so quickly as it gets gummy quick. you may find yourself having trouble getting it to lay down if it is too thick. if you find yourself with rough spots that are just too noticable sand it down the next day (just enough to flatten it out a bit) if sanded roll another very thin coat. after you have the entire surface covered and dry, mix another 50/50 batch (you may have to thin this just a pinch but try to avoid this.) the mixture thickens up as you mix it, so a small long screwdriver is my tool of choice for stirring it in the hopper to get it into the spray chamber. about 20-30 psi on your air line, and just barely crack the trigger. spray from about 2 feet from the cabinet. do not crank the trigger back or you will get a big mess. spray slowly and methodically. (you may want to adjust your gun so that the trigger can only be depressed about an eighth of an inch to avoid accidents) let the texture build slowly until you are satisfied that you have enough then move on. last step, leave it alone until tomorrow no matter what it looks like, you aren't going to touch up anything until it is dry. you will only make it worse. the texture seemed to cover up a world of ugly on the cab i tried it on, small imperfections as well as some larger ones just dissappered. looks factory.
i would also reccomend trying this stuff out for the first time on a test piece to get the feel for working with it. btw i used roller grade satin duratex, spray grade will definately perform differently.