Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jun 10, 2009 11:55pm | #1

   Your schedule will work, though I have a few comments.  First, a small amount of thinning--5% or 10% will help varnish flow out and make it easier to apply a good thin coating, without reducing the build by a significant amount.  I'd also suggest that using fine sand paper (320 or 400 grit) on a padded block will do a better job of removing defects than steel wool, and will make it easier to clean up before applying your final coat.  It is a bit of a trick timing your "towel off" while the varnish is still far from fully cured.  The varnish will likely shrink quite a bit more, though that isn't much of a problem with closed pore woods. 

1. 
   whitedogstr8leg | Jun 11, 2009 08:01am | #2

    The steel wool comes right off with a tack rag.  The trick for the tack rag is to LIGHTLY wipe and then change to a new area on the tack rag.  If I run out of "new areas", I grab a new tack rag.   The "finest" grit I use is 220.   As for the "towel trick", yes the timing has to be right, but, once it's ready to "buff out", there is no other "clean up" involved, no mess.   It DOES take a bit of "elbow grease" , but the results are worth it.  As for "flow out" of the varnish, some varnishes MIGHT need a little bit,  the brand I use does not.   It's thin enough, right out of the "can".

2. 
   integrity_woodworks | Jun 25, 2009 10:47am | #3

   whitedogstr8leg, I am not sure i follow but did you say that you sand your stain? and really you should thin at least your first coat, actually all but the final coat. are you saying that 3 coats is always enough on any wood? because every piece of wood accepts finish differently, much less different species. I have been finishing for a long time and people always ask for a magic set # like this,it simply does not exists. If it works for you then great,but I am still stumped on why you would sand the stain?

   Dan

1. 
   whitedogstr8leg | Jun 25, 2009 07:04pm | #4

    I do not sand the stain, I do sand the first coat of varnish that goes over the stain with 220 grit HAND Sanding.  The second coat is then applied AFTER all the dust and such have been cleaned up.  After the second coat has dried, a "rub-out" with either 0000 steel wool OR a "scratchy-pad" is used.   After that has been cleaned off, the third coat is put on and allowed to dry until it is no longer "tacky" to the touch.  Then I grab a cloth and hand rub( HARD) until I reach the sheen I want.  And, no, I do not thin any of the coats.  I do use thin coats and brush the varnish on.  The varnish I use is "thin" enough without adding an "unknown" factor like how long the thinner will dry with the varnish.  With "Poly..", too many coats result in the project looking encased in plastic.   I' sitting next to a white oak end table that has this "schedule" applied to it.  The finish was done 10 years ago, still looks like new. 

1. 
   Rich14 | Jun 26, 2009 05:13am | #5

   "stain as needed and allow to dry for a day( go work on the next project) and then LIGHTLY sand.""I do not sand the stain"Ok, which is it?And which brand of varnish do you use? Because your technique is extremely dependent on critical timing and the characteristics unique to a particular varnish's chemistry. Miss the "window" necessary to catch the varnish at the right point in its hardening and the technique will not work. That problem can happen on a large project right in the middle of the effort. Fail to rub properly and one can have a mess of a ruined varnish film.It's not a technique that allows room for error or any kind of reasonable production schedule, even on a small scale. It's much less predictable than standard leveling and rub-out methods.Rich

1. 
   whitedogstr8leg | Jun 26, 2009 08:21am | #6

   I rarely sand stain, only IF the grain had been "raised" do I sand stain.  I DO sand the first coat of varnish, though.   As for that "window" between the last coat and the "rubbing out", I use that time to clean up the brush, put away the supplies and things like that.  Then I grab the towels I'll need and get them ready to go (and ME too, need a Mountain Dew or two to recharge) so when the "window opens" I'm ready to go.   This "schedule may not be the "ticket" for "Pro Shops", but it works just fine for a one person, HOBBY shop.  My dad would use this schedule on all his interior doors, and you can see yourself in the finish.  No brush marks were left behind.

1. 
   Mahoganaholic | Jun 27, 2009 01:00am | #7

   "stain as needed and allow to dry for a day( go work on the next project) and then LIGHTLY sand."

   "I do not sand the stain"

   "I rarely sand stain"

   My head hurts... I rarely stand sain [sane].

2. 
   whitedogstr8leg | Jun 27, 2009 05:32am | #8

    Whether I sand the stain will depend on what's being stained.   IF it doesn't NEED sanding, then it won't be sanded.   Sometimes "dust-bunnies" collect on the stain, then I lightly sand to get rid of the furry little pests before the first coat of varnish goes on.   Common sense: If it needs it, it will get it.   Bear in mind, in my shop, I'm under no deadlines with finishing.  If YOUR shop has such deadlines, do as YOU think best.  

3. 
   whitedogstr8leg | Jul 01, 2009 08:56am | #9

   This "different" schedule may not be for those "production" type of shops out there, but for a "Hobbiest" type of shop, it might just work quite well.   Like I said, I'm in no "real" hurry to put a "finish" on what I make.   I do, however, make very sure that after each "step" in the schedule, I CLEAN off any residue from the last step.  This part is what helps the most.   When the project has been sanded down and ready for a "finish", all other work stops.  I concentrate on just the finish.   No work means no  #### making a "home" in my finish.  I don't "rush" in the building of a project ( mistakes have a way of getting involved) and I don't rush with the finish. 

   Edited 7/1/2009 1:57 am ET by whitedogstr8leg