Help Giclee coatings (canvas varnish)

Create a Post
khooengtheng

khooengtheng

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Posts
701
I am buying the EPSON Stylus 9900 printer and now I am sourcing and want to import the canvas print coating ( for pigment ink ). I can't find this kind of product in south east Asia and I am still using acrylic varnish for the finishing. The cost of using it is too expensive for giclee print.

Any recomemndation for a good giclee coating?
 
Jerry, Thanks for the recommendation!:smiley:

I will call their Australia' office later. Hope they do ship their products to Malaysia.
 
Jerry Ervin said:
http://www.breathingcolor.com/
They have videos on the website.
Click to expand...

Which IMHO are very misleading.

The videos show the coatings being transferred onto the art via a roller. It is not possible to transfer coatings fast enough that way. The coatings will partly dry before you get the coatings fully rolled out, and you will wind up with marks from the edge of the roller and general ugliness. It is best to POUR the coating on the canvas then spread it out with the roller. It's the only way you can get coating onto the canvas fast enough to keep ahead of drying. If you do it right the print will still be very wet looking with no ridges pr streaks when the coating is completely spread. A very wet Glamour II coating levels out extremely well so don't try to correct minor defects. A wet coating like that takes maybe 30 minutes to dry enough for the next coat, you need two or three coats, the first one will always be a little ugly in spots. Dilute about 1 part Glamour II to 2 parts water.

The above applies mainly to big prints, which are almost impossible to roll successfully the way they show in the video. But little prints are OK for that method, barely.

Best way is to give the print three or four heavy coats with an HVLP gun. I bought a Fuji system and it works like a charm, one of the best equipment investments I have ever made. Takes just a couple minutes per coat. You'll never go back to glazing.
 
more_so said:
Which IMHO are very misleading.

The videos show the coatings being transferred onto the art via a roller. It is not possible to transfer coatings fast enough that way. The coatings will partly dry before you get the coatings fully rolled out, and you will wind up with marks from the edge of the roller and general ugliness. It is best to POUR the coating on the canvas then spread it out with the roller. It's the only way you can get coating onto the canvas fast enough to keep ahead of drying. If you do it right the print will still be very wet looking with no ridges pr streaks when the coating is completely spread. A very wet Glamour II coating levels out extremely well so don't try to correct minor defects. A wet coating like that takes maybe 30 minutes to dry enough for the next coat, you need two or three coats, the first one will always be a little ugly in spots. Dilute about 1 part Glamour II to 2 parts water.

The above applies mainly to big prints, which are almost impossible to roll successfully the way they show in the video. But little prints are OK for that method, barely.

Best way is to give the print three or four heavy coats with an HVLP gun. I bought a Fuji system and it works like a charm, one of the best equipment investments I have ever made. Takes just a couple minutes per coat. You'll never go back to glazing.
Click to expand...

I am wondering if we can apply the Glamour II with HVLP gun? I have one with me but I am using it to spray paint my bare finished moulding. If yes, I think I need to buy a new set purposely to spray canvas coating.
 
khooengtheng said:
I am wondering if we can apply the Glamour II with HVLP gun?
Click to expand...


Yes you can.

But I roll them exactly as the video shows and it works.

You do need the correct kind of roller.

It takes a little practice to not get the lap lines. If you do, you are pressing too hard.
 
Yes, you need an 8" or 200mm FOAM roller. Very thin foam, 1/8 inch or 3 or 4 mm thick, nothing else works right. In the US the cheapest black foam rollers from a Sherwin Williams store is perfect.

For little prints the videos are OK. But honestly for the big, big prints you can make on the 9900 you should either use the pouring technique or spray. Trying to coat a 44 x 60 like they show in the video would be a disaster.

I spray Glamour II with a very strong Fuji HVLP gun. 40% distilled water, 60% Glamour II. I spray the prints taped up on foamcore in the vertical position. Fairly heavy coats, if they were just a little heavier the coating would start to run. Takes practice, try light coats until you get a feel for it.

You have to be careful with the tape, it doesn't absorb paint like the canvas and you can get drips starting on the tape and moving down onto the image. Wipe the tape with towel after the first coat which is the most drip prone coat (for the tape).

Three or four coats total.

Don't bother with the Matte version of Glamour II, properly applied Gloss will have a satin finish that looks very much like oil painting varnish. The matte stuff has something in it that quickly precipitates to the bottom of the container and is a pain to keep stirred up, otherwise you get an uneven finish.

Spraying goes very fast, I am coating two 4x8 taped up panels of prints right now, takes about 3 minutes to lay down a coat down on both panels together, about 15 to 30 minutes between coats. Also for some reason I almost never get trapped dust and dirt particles with spraying, but I ALWAYS get them with rolling!
 
Create a Post
Back
Top