Replies

1. 
   Westchester | Jan 23, 2010 11:04am | #1

   did you use the finest steel wool available ?

   SA

2. 
   HowardAcheson | Jan 23, 2010 11:12am | #2

   4/0 steel wool will leave visible scratches if you are using a rotary power tool. To minimize scratches, the steel wool should be used by hand rubbing in the direction of the grain. Some cheap steel wood also can have inconsistent sized filings which can cause problems.

   I assume you know that 4/0 steel wool will remove the high gloss of shellac leaving you with a satin finish.

1. 
   rshelly | Jan 23, 2010 11:17am | #3

   I was hand rubbing it, and a satin finish is what I am going for. Maybe I have cheap steel wool.

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 23, 2010 02:27pm | #4

   I'm going to be doing this in
   I'm going to be doing this in a matter of days - the same thing. I was told that used dry, even 0000 steel wool, good quality, can leave visible scratches. However, used with paste was, it is supposed to work well.

1. 
   rshelly | Jan 23, 2010 02:43pm | #5

   Thanks Chris, I tried that this afternoon also. It did work quite a bit better with paste wax, but you can still see scratches.

   Randy.

1. 
   Westchester | Jan 23, 2010 04:19pm | #6

   Randy -
   you didn't give a lot
   Randy -

   you didn't give a lot of info regarding all the steps you took so it's hard to advise you. Can you be a little more detailed regarding all the steps and products and I'm sure you will get many more finshers to help you along.

   SA

2. 
   danmart | Jan 23, 2010 04:40pm | #7

   Wondering about rubbing out shellac scratches you put in with steel wool? More steel wool is not the answer. You can get super fine polishing compound in bottles at any auto painting shop. There are several abrasive levels you can choose from. I use the 3M stuff. It is good stuff. In my case, I have polished out aircraft wings and car bodies with the stuff so I have a slow speed buffer. Its amazing what you can do if you go SLOWLY.

   Shellac is soft when compared to catalyzed paints. You don't need a buffing polisher. Do it by hand with a soft rag. Its water based so it cleans up easily with a clean rag. I think this will work well and you will have plenty of polishing compound for the future.

   dan

2. 
   joinerswork | Jan 24, 2010 11:20am | #8

   shelly,

   Making a gloss finish, like shellac, into a satin , you have to break up its slick surface, by adding a fine network of scratches with an abrasive like your steel wool. Polishing out the scratches with a finer abrasive will make them less noticeable, but will unfortunately bring up the gloss again. Of course, a rubbed out gloss does look better than the glare of an unrubbed surface.

   Ray

3. 
   RMillard | Jan 24, 2010 01:08pm | #9

   I use the Liberon fine steel wool and use mineral oil as a lubricant. This results in a fairly dull sheen, but one with no noticeable scratches. For a deeper sheen, I charge the steel wool/ mineral oil with 4f pumice. You can view a video of the process at the following link.

   Rob Millard

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPtGu5scc7A

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 24, 2010 02:02pm | #10

   Best 10 minutes spent so far today, Rob. Thanks.