KraftKote

[comben001]

Has anyone ever tried a product called " KraftKote ". It is distributed by a company called Klockit that distributes... well, you guessed it... clock kits !
It is said to be a ..."Highly versatile liquid plastic coating that self-levels and then hardens to produce a thick, clear, durable and glossy finish " It seems to me that it is a sort of epoxy since : ..." product needs to be mixed with equal parts of Resin and Hardener in a measuring container. Sets quickly with a hard finish ".
They sell it from an 8 oz. bottle to a 4 gallons container. The description is exactly what we want as a finish except maybe for the " thick" part which we can probably play with. I like the self leveling part. They have even a product called " Eat-a-Bubble " that removes bubbles in the resin for a " totally clear, professional finish ". They have also a " Bar & Tabletop KraftKote " that is supposed to be 15% harder and durable.

 

[wdcav1952]

Benoit,

I have not used the finish mentioned. From your description, it sounds like the finishes used when decoupage was popular. To me, it would seem that the self-leveling feature would be better for flat surfaces rather than the roundness of a pen. Why not give it a try, if nothing else you could make some killer desk set bases if the product is not what you want on a pen.

Please keep us posted on this idea.

 

[comben001]

Right on ! Maybe we just found a way to a great finish on bases without all the work involved in lacquer

 

[rgundersen]

From the self leveling aspect if you want to use it on something round it would seem like the use of a rotisserie motor to keep the blank turning slowly to keep the finish evenly distributed.

Not anything I know from experience but seems like a viable option based on other things I have seen.

 

[LanceD]

For that type of finish to self level you would have to rotate the pen for as long as it would take for it to set up hard enough for it not to sag. Then it would have to cure at least 24 hours before handling it.
I have a lot of experience using self leveling epoxy finishes on thread wraps on fishing rods. These types of epoxy's are pretty thick and would be too thick to use on pens.

 

[jaywood1207]

I have seen heard of them and seen similar finishes and have to agree with Lance that if used as is they are probably too thick. If you could thin it then it might work but then you might as well use the plexi finish.

Jamie

 

[garriv777]

I have actually used this finish on cypress clock slabs in the past. It is a thick and durable finish, you'll see this finish on bars sometimes, it's very glossy and leaves a thick build up to the wood and is very impervious to liquid, abration, etc. I think that as far as pens go though, it would be similar to applying a poly finish in that it takes a long time to set up and hence there are dust nibs in the finish that need sanding and also the time factor of the finish curing would be a major drawback to using it for pens, not to mention keeping it leveled on a round item like a pen as many others have mentioned as replies to this question.

Gary