Looking for an advanced finishing class that goes beyond basics — color matching on maple, pore filling on rift white oak, and consistent film build with waterborne conversion varnish. Evening or weekend near Boston/Providence, HVLP setup specifics (1.3–1.8 tip, 2–3 mil WFT) preferred; bonus if it counts toward MA CSL CEUs.
For WB CV, I’ve had the most consistent 2–3 mil WFT using a 1.4 tip and a slow cross‑coat — spray a light pass, check with a wet‑film gauge, then a second pass after a 10–12 minute flash to avoid orange peel. If you want a class, Mohawk’s pro workshop covered that HVLP setup near Providence, but it didn’t count toward my MA CSL; schedules pop up here: https://www.mohawk-finishing.com/training.
I’ve had good luck hitting a consistent about 2.5 mil WFT with a 1.5 tip at about 20–22 psi, fan mid‑width, warming the WB CV to about 72°F and straining 100 µm, plus a super light “mist tack” pass to keep dry spray in check. If you want CEUs, JLC Live New England in Providence usually has MA CSL‑approved sessions and HVLP clinics: https://www.jlclive.com/new-england. Small caveat: on rift oak I get cleaner pores by tinting AquaCoat with a drop of dye instead of using it neutral — less ghosting and fewer “why did I do that” moments.
Try NBSS Saturday labs, @OP; for ‘pore filling rift white oak,’ tint Aquacoat with burnt umber UTC. CEU credit varies.
@pBaxter1991 nailed the Aquacoat idea; I tint it just a touch, squeegee across the rift, then lock it with a whisper coat of the system’s WB sealer before CV — prevents halos and still levels clean in two light passes. For weekends near Boston/Prov, Atlantic Plywood (Woburn) runs M.L. Campbell evenings and my last one issued CEU paperwork.
And woodcraft Woburn runs occasional advanced spray weekends with a manufacturer rep; evenings pop up too, and they’ll have you measure wet thickness with a gauge on panels. On the maple match, I “sneak up on it with a toner” by adding a couple drops of dye per ounce to the first clear and testing on a card under the same lights — like dialing in espresso. Small caveat: call ahead about license-credit paperwork, since it can be hit-or-miss.
For hitting a consistent “2–3 mil WFT” with WB CV, I weigh a 12x12 test panel before/after and aim for roughly 6 g/ft² per coat; it’s more repeatable for me than just a wet gauge when humidity jumps. If evenings work, @OP, National Lumber (Mansfield) does occasional M.L. Campbell waterborne nights — last one counted for a couple MA CSL hours after the sponsor submitted: Events & Training | National Lumber | Division of Builders FirstSource.
I got the most useful practice with WB CV at a Renner dealer clinic north of Boston — color-matching maple with a 0.5–1% dye toner in the sealer, checking viscosity (Ford #4 about 32 sec), and running an LPH400 1.4 about 6–7 in. off so the film lays without sags; if you push it colder or thicker it’ll orange-peel fast. Can’t promise CSL credit, but JLC Live in Providence usually posts sessions with MA CEUs: https://www.jlclive.com.