Well, I'm having some bothersome issues with some water-based Stew-Mac Color Tone water-based lacquer that I bought a little over a year ago (14 mos). I had heard that this stuff has a limited shelf life, but I tried to spray it yesterday, and after getting strange splotching, leveled back to ground zero, and tried to brush on some today to see if it's the product, or my spray equipment. Both methods produced a splotchy finish. The spray left thousands of tiny round indentations (lack of adherance?). Brushing today did pretty much the same. I'm concuding that it's NOT oil or contaminants in my spray equipment, but that the product has reached it's shelf life.
Strangely enough, I had no problem using the seal coat that was purchased at the same time (if I recall correctly), and I got a good 12-coat base established with it. But I'm working backwards on the finish coat, and am going to have to sand back through this material a second time - double bummer
Does it sound like my diagnosis of spoiled milk (what the stuff looks like, actually) is indeed correct?
Thanks for any advice, suggestions, support, empathy...