Rustins Plastic Coating straight from the horses mouth

[Goldeneagle32]

After trying this product and having problems, I noticed a lot of other people having similar problems, ie pitting, uneven surface etc.
I took the liberty of contact the rustins help line and as it happened I was put through to the gentleman that helped to formulated the product who gave me the following advice:
1. ONLY use the directions for the mixing formula (4 parts coating to 1 part activator, and health and safety advice)
2. Leave each coat as long as possiable bbefore rubbing down and applying the next coat, he recommended 3 ~ 4 hours, the reason for this is that the surface will harden very quickly however the underneath will remain soluable for approx 2 hour and can be reactivated by another coat but the surface will not. Thus leading to wrinkling, or a pitted finish.
3. Inital rubbing down should be done using 600 grit wet and dry followed by 0000 wire wool to apply a key for the next coat, only start to progress to a finer grit when you are ready to apply the final coat.
4. Try to avoid using it on a product that has been assembled using PVA or water based glue, as the coating can sometimes react against the pva glue and cause you problems later on. He said the best glue to use is Polymite (formally known as Cascimite) or any resin based gue.
5. He also stated that the critic phase is NOT reasched untill at least two days after the final coat and that he had used the product over the space of a week on the same projects a number of times and NEVER reached the critic phase.
When I told him that this is NOT what the instructions for use say he said< quote "I don't know who wrote them but they are incorrect"
After following his instructions I have obtained a finish that I have never achieved before and I will certainly continue to use this product as per his instructions.
When I have compleated the project which is and exam piece for the city and guilds deploma in cabinet making I shall post a few pictures so you can see the finish I have been able to obtain.

 

[the_g_ster]

Thanks for sharing.

Good luck for exam piece.

 

[Jamesc]

I used the flooring product on oak floors throughout a very large house. I can't remember the details now but we went on the advice given at a trade show, by the sounds of it the same man. Apart from the fumes when applying it I have tosay it has been brilliant. We lad the floors over 20 years ago and it is still going strong.

James

 

[MRob]

Hi,

I have been researching Rustins Plastic Coat and found the above info helpful, so thought I would create an account with this forum and post what infor I have gathered myself. Perhaps it will be useful for others. I have been having e-mail contact with a fellow called Peter from Rustins, I dont know if he is the one who formulated Plastic Coat but he has been very helpful and very prompt in his replies.


Q: ..whether it will bond well to epoxy? E.g. making burr goblets, holes would need to be epoxy filled, also I am interested in impregnating the wood more deeply with epoxy/acetone mixes, priod to application of plastic coat. However, would the bond be strong enough under these circumstances? Or is it best to apply straight to the unfinished wood?
A: Plastic Coating should not be applied over any other type of finish. Epoxy resin is however one of the few exceptions but because there are a wide range of Epoxy Polymers available we would highly recommend a test for adhesion

Q: I am guessing the plastic coat cannot be thinned down to a much higher degree and then used to impregnate the wood? With epoxy, the acetone evaporates off and then the epoxy reacts, is possible to do a similar thing with plastic coat?
A: Yes reaction similar with the PC. Thin to max 50% with Plastic Coating Thinners after adding the hardener. Will start to react once the thinners have evaporated.

Q: ..wondering if pc can be used as an adhesive ... would it have a comparable bond strength to epoxy?
A: It does not really work as an adhesive though it can be mixed with saw dust and used as a wood filler such as with our Plastic Floor Coating. There is no comparison to be made with Epoxy in terms of bond strength.


Happy finishing...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'm sure it's being called "plastic" does Rustins no favours. It's a great hard wearing finish - I did a couple of bar counters with it about 25yrs ago, and they are only now getting tatty. The only problem I had was slight "orange peeling", which I found out long after was caused by putting on too many coats in too short a time.

 

[MRob]

Additional:

Mix ratio by weight is:
Plastic Coating 38.2gms
Plastic Coating Hardener 8.28 gms

This calculates down to a ratio of 2.17 : 10

 

[Mike Wingate]

Has anyone used the Thinned down (oil coat) mix over a stain?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes.

 

[Mike Wingate]

Was the Plastic coating over the stain compatible? If so, what was the type of stain, water/spirit based?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sorry, I couldn't resist that answer. I believe it was spirit based, but it was a long time ago. I recall that it was a Rustin' s brand one and that it lifted quite badly on the first coat, but it didn't affect the finished colour at all. It's probably worth sticking to products by the same manufacturer.

 

[Setch]

I've finished several guitars using Rustins PC, and got outstanding results. IMO the finish is far more compatible than the instructions would have you believe, I've had good results mixing it with alcohol based dyes to create timed lacquer, and applied over water based strains too.

 

[Mike Wingate]

Many thanks. My use is for staining guitar bodies and headstocks. I find the Thinned Down PC excellent. 3 coats in a day, leave for 7-10 days then flatten and buff.

 

[Rhossydd]

Another footnote to add to the Plastic Coating options is the ability to colour it.

PC used to be available as both a clear and white product. In recent years the white option was dropped due to lack of popularity.
When I needed some a couple of years ago I spoke to Rustins and they suggested using powdered pure pigment in clear PC. Not the easiest thing to get hold of, but a really good artist supplier should be able to help. For white I used Titanium dioxide (Titanium white) and got it from Cornelissen* who were very helpful.
I'm guessing that other inert pigments will work in a similar fashion.
It takes a degree of trial and error to work out the correct amount to add and it needs thorough and careful mixing to avoid both lumps and creating air bubbles. However the final results were pretty good and worth the effort. I don't know of a more durable DIY finish.

*www.cornelissen.com
An amazing old shop in central London off Tottenham court road, well worth a visit if you're anywhere near.

 

[mccreadie]

Hi There

Hope someone can offer some help!
I have a question regarding the Rustins Plastic Coating product....

Stupidly, I have managed to get some rather powerful oven cleaner on my worktop which has either taken off the plastic or its left a white residue which I cannot remove. I have tried hot soapy water to remove it unsuccessfully. I was wondering if anyone would recommend using the Rustins Plastic Coating product to either take the mark off or to disguise it somehow? I don't want to make it worse either! I am so annoyed with myself! Its a rented property so I need to fix it somehow!!

Thanks for your reply !

 

[Jamesc]

Can you upload a photo so we can have a look, it is hard to gauge what to do without seeing it

 

[Grahamshed]

Thanks for sharing.

Good luck for exam piece.

+1

 

[carlb40]

Hi There

Hope someone can offer some help!
I have a question regarding the Rustins Plastic Coating product....

Stupidly, I have managed to get some rather powerful oven cleaner on my worktop which has either taken off the plastic or its left a white residue which I cannot remove. I have tried hot soapy water to remove it unsuccessfully. I was wondering if anyone would recommend using the Rustins Plastic Coating product to either take the mark off or to disguise it somehow? I don't want to make it worse either! I am so annoyed with myself! Its a rented property so I need to fix it somehow!!

Thanks for your reply !

When you say worktop - do you mean the chipboard / laminate type or real wood? If it is the former i doubt it can be repaired easily.

 

[ph2014]

Thanks for the comments here. I found them very useful. I have used "Plastic Coating" many times on many types of furniture but had not used it for about ten years so wanted to check the best methods. I agree that the instructions that Goldeneagle32 describes have served me very well. I have left anything from 3 and 10 hours between coats and applied 4 coats to a kitchen table in a room heated to about 20 degrees C and achieved a very good finish. I use 600 to 1000 grit wet and dry and/or 0000+ grade wire wool between coats to flatten any minor blemishes and give a key to the next coat. I only once had a problem when I was in a hurry and tried to sand the finish after about 2 hours. It seemed to be hard but turned out to be soft beneath the surface and the wet & dry paper tore the surface. More haste less speed! I have never had any problem with the surface becoming wrinkled so can assume that the surface has never reached the "critical" stage in the up to 2 days that I have spent coating and re-coating an item.
As an aside, I invariably finish the item by leaving the final coat for several days and then cutting back the surface with 0000+ wire wool and wax. This gives a pleasant soft sheen and a very durable surface.
Regards
Patrick

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Welcome. You're welcome.

 

[Jas diy]

Hi I got oak wood worktops a year ago and the kitchen fitters oiled them! Which after a year looks horrid there is a chemical barn from oven cleaner which I can't get off!. My sister has just had wood worktops fitted and they used rustins plastic coating and hers look fab! My question is if a sand back my worktops could I still use this product?
Thanks Jasmine