Luthiers Mercantile International, Inc.

Water-Based Finish Update!

by Chris Herrod
LMI Sales Manager

LMI has been a leading supplier of water-based finishes for over 20 years. In fact, we had faith in water-based finishes before many others -and perhaps before it was entirely warranted! In those days, water-based finishes were definitely a compromise in comparison to nitrocellulose lacquers.  We featured products that were thin enough for instruments (so as not to inhibit vibration) but they often had a subtle blue cast, were finicky to apply and only marginally hard enough. But they were welcomed by the burgeoning hobbyist market as they did not require the utilization of an expensive and space-consuming spray booth and were also received by professionals eager to avoid the health and safety concerns that came with using nitrocellulose finishes.

Before too long LMI moved on to the KTM9 waterbased finish. We carried it enthusiastically for many years. It was clearer and harder than other water-based finishes, marking a clear advance in water-based formulas. It appeared on many professional, high-end instruments (please don't ask us for a customer list, for many it was a trade
secret!!). Sadly, the manufacturer suffered a fire in their plant. They continued for a little while,  outsourcing the manufacture of the product, but eventually, they went out of business.

The task of replacing the popular KTM9 finish was one we took very seriously, and we took our time. The silver lining, of course, was that we might find a product that had advanced the water-based
technology further than KTM9. Our new CrystaLac waterbased finish is just such a product, and we couldn't be more pleased to offer it to you now. Among our testers were die-hard lacquer users who are now very tempted to switch. Find out for yourself and please let us know what you think!

   Due to the new CITES rulings on Rosewood, LMI now offers 
   Select Rosewood parts in Canada with no extra cost.  

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