Crokinole finish???

Michael Tulak

Member
Messages
83
Location
North Okanagan
So I am in the process of making a few Crokinole boards and I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the best finishes to use on Crokinole boards? I was thinking polyurethane or lacquer? The deck is made from 1/2" baltic birch plywood.
 
Hmm, now I was *sure* that crokinole was a Canadian-only thing...
And I have no idea about "officially approved" finish. I would just treat it like a table and put on 3 or so coats of poly (or laquer) and buff it up. Might actually be TOO slippery!
 
i would agree with art on this and tend to go to lacquer as that is my go to finish these days.. another good choice would be wipe on poly if you dont have spray equipment..
 
Huh, first I'd heard of this game - looks amusing.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crokinole Powder..
"The use of any lubricating powder in crokinole is controversial, with some purists reviling the practice."
"Boric acid powder is mostly used for this purpose." Umm, ok.. I do realize that its not THAT toxic but still..

http://www.crokinole.com/faq.asp#15
". The best tournament crokinole boards are generally finished with fine-quality lacquers"

Naively I'd think that poly would be to sticky, but maybe with a sufficient wax coat.. lacquer does sound like the best idea.
 
Never heard of Crokinole, but played Carrum all the time when I was younger. We used boric acid powder for lubrication...
 
Ok, so I have decided to go with Lacquer and here is where some more advice is needed. I don't have any spray equipment/experience with using lacquer. What do you guys think? Should I get a sprayer to use with the air compressor or use lacquer from an aerosol can? I am making four boards (though I will only make one the first try) with approximately 5 sq' surface area on each board and of course there will be several coats on a board. I am pretty sure I am not going to use brushing lacquer, any objections? Advice, tips, concerns, and suggestions are welcomed thanks!
 
I'd suggest using spray can lacquer, and applying 4 or more light coats. If you want a really smooth, glossy finish, put about a dozen light coats on the board, then lightly wet sand it with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a sanding block. The idea behind the wet sanding is to remove the "orange peel" and level the surface without sanding all the way down to the bare wood. Follow that up with automotive polishing compound to bring back the glossy look (just follow the directions on the can) and you should have a very smooth surface. Here's an example of how that can look when it's done:

Cue%20Case%205%20800.jpg
 
What about this stuff , i have used this lacquer with Larrys help spraying it via a pancake compressor and a small HF gun. http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=45092&cat=1,190,42942
However its also claimed to be a brush on type.

One thing i notice if the country flag on Lee Valley site is set for USA you dont get this option to order so it may have to do with the shipping of it to the USA. It is however a made in USA product so there should be places you can find it in the USA.

Just make sure to use the right thinners. I nearly got caught there thanks to Larry i was saved and taught.
 
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