Gasket Lacquer. . . Befuddled. . .

[Ben Tiller]

It's not working!  I bought some gasket lacquer from Rose City.  I have a tube and gasket from 3 rivers.  Ten passes, and absolutely no indication that I ever made the first dip.  Tried really slow, tried really fast, tried a bigger hole. . . nothing.  Tried a smooth shaft, tried roughing it up. . . Is the lacquer too thin?  What should the consistency be like?  Thanks!

Ben

[Grey Taylor]

The consistency should be about like honey. It should be used as-is out of the can without thinning.
When you say you tried a bigger hole on the gasket, all the gaskets I've seen have four holes, one in the center and three vent holes around it. They are all the same size. What hole did you use?

Guy

[Ben Tiller]

I used the center one.  Then made a new hole because I thought a bigger one might help.  Still nothing.  The stuff is definitely thinner than honey.  It poured right out of the can and into the tube.  Had the consistency of an enamel paint, I'd say.

Ben

[jcar315]

10 passes and nothing???

Tell us more about the shafts....what type / any sealer on them / etc.

What color are you using or is it clear?

[Sal]

I had something similar happen to me once, it was because the lacquer was too thin.  I poured it back and forth a couple of times from the can to the dipper and that thickened it up.

[Ben Tiller]

POC Shafts.  No stain.  It's gotta be too thin. It poured right out of the can as fast as I could tip it.

[Patrick55]

It is the gasket not the lacquer.  
I buy 12 gaskets at the time and have had 2 out of the 12 where the center hole (dipping hole) was too tight. Even on a Predator 11 carbon shaft that is thin anyway it would not take the lacquer. I took a 23/64 shaft stuck it in the hole and left it outside in the sun to stretch it out a bit. Worked OK.  
Gasket lacquer dries so fast it does not penetrate to wood very well. I thin the clear by ¼. ¾ gasket lacquer ¼ Acetone.  This helps with penetration into the wood.  If you do not thin it you run the risk of it cracking. I have two dozen completed arrows in a bucket where this happened. If you are dipping POC do not sand the shafts and do not stain under where you plan to crown/cap dip. The stain will sometimes bleed through the cap dip especially the white. Sanding the shaft smooth will decrease the penetration and the lacquer will sit on top of the wood and not in the wood. The first two coats of clear are generally pretty rough. After the third coat it slicks out good. The 4th coat seems to be the charm.
I have not had any problems at all with carbon just the wood. If you live in a high humidity area I would recommend thinning for better penetration into the wood.

[SCATTERSHOT]

Just a thought, are you sure it's gasket lacquer, and not regular lacquer? It shouldn't be that thin.

As someone mentioned above, it should look and pour like honey.

[Dustin Waters]

I am going to agree.  Gasket lacquer is is super thick.  When you pour it, your first thought should be something along the lines of, "holy crap how much is my arrow going to weigh when I get done dipping this thing?"  If its not then chances are its way too thin and wont work well.

[Ben Tiller]

I'm going to pour it out into a paint tray to let it thicken up.  I'll take a video when I do it.  It's sloshing around in the reservoir up top.  

Scattershot-I'm sure the can says gasket lacquer, but I'm not sure about the contents!

[Don Stokes]

GL should definitely be honey-thick. If it's too thin it won't adhere to the shaft properly. It should be perfect when it comes from a sealed can, and you shouldn't have to thin it until it's been used a while and starts to get too thick. You should have a good even coating on the fourth dip. I've been using it for about 15 years. You should be able to hold the tube upside down briefly without it pouring out, just like a jar of honey.

Sounds like you got a bad batch. Hopefully it will thicken up for you.

[Ben Tiller]

Here's a video of the stuff.  It's a pretty big file.  Does it look right?

 

[Grey Taylor]

Nope, doesn't look right at all.
All the GL I've ever used has been way, way thicker than that. It's literally like honey. I can hold my tube upside down for a few seconds and not worry about anything running out.

Guy

[Plumber]

I get mine from 3 rivers I dont know about that brand.the stuff 3 rivers sells you can turn the can upside down with the lid off an nothing will come out for 6-8 seconds that is how thick that stuff is.your not going to have much luck punching holes eathier when you get the right stuff that rubber has to be tight to remove the excesse.once you start to pull it out dont stop or you will get rings on it,I put a finishing nail throught the end of the shaft (drill a little hole slide a little nail throught it so you can use it as a tee handle when your done cut the shaft to size.good luck ED

[Grey Taylor]

The MSDS for gasket lacquer on the Rose City site says it comes from Egyptian Coatings. That's the regular place most others get their gasket lacquer from. It's certainly not Rose City brand.
I don't know what happened to the stuff Ben is using but it looks to have issues.

Guy

[Ben Tiller]

Here's a video of the stuff.  It's a pretty big file.  Does it look right?

 

[Don Stokes]

Ben, if that's the way it came to you, something is very wrong. I would send that video to whomever you bought the stuff from and ask for your money back.

[Stone Knife]

One thing I have found with gasket lacquer is that the smoother the shaft the better the job. When I run my shafts through a compression block that is when I get the best finish, I use the yellow from three rivers and it looks to be a little thicker than yours. It sure would be hard to tell how much is on the shaft with clear, I know if i dont run the shaft through the compression block some of them will still look like I just stained them yellow after many coats. The smoother the shaft the better the finish.

[Paul Mattson]

Rose City thins there GL way to much. I bought some from them awhile back, and had the same problem.  I used it to thin the GL I got from 3 Rivers.

[Don Stokes]

The proper thickness for GL will give you an even finish on the fourth dip. Any thinner and the finish is uneven. Any thicker and the finish will crack. At least that's been my experience using it with wood shafts.