Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Apr 25, 2011 01:03pm | #1

   No, you can't. You can get dust nibs and goobers in any finish. Typically, these are sanded out and the finish polished with finer abrasives until you have the sheen you desire. Is there a reason you can't do this?

1. 
   raylin | Apr 25, 2011 01:42pm | #2

   finish?

   No reason I can't do that.  I have tried 4/0 & 400grit. could you be a little more specific? 

1. 
   Westchester | Apr 25, 2011 02:18pm | #3

   Finish

   I would suggest sanding the finished surface smooth and recoating with a varnish that can be rubbed -

   SA

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 25, 2011 05:22pm | #4

   The reason you can't spray lacquer over spar varnish is that the solvents in the lacquer are relatively strong and have a good chance of damaging the varnish. 

   Spar varnis is relatiively soft which makes it harder to rub out than harder finishes such as lacquer.  But wile you may not get it to a super shine gloss, you can get it free of nibs and generally smooth and glossy.  Ffirst you should let it cure fully--a month is about right.  Then sand starting with about 600 grit paper.  When the nibs and defects are gone then shift to about 1200 grit paper and sand away the scratches from the 600 grit.  To go to a gloss finish use a polishiing compound (or rottenstone lubricated with paraffin oil) to buff in the shine.  For satin use a rubbing compound or fine pumice also lubricated with paraffin oil.  . 

3. 
   HowardAcheson | Apr 25, 2011 05:42pm | #5

   In general it's highly risky to spray lacquer on top of an oil finish less than a year old.  Oil based finish takes months to fully cure.  Before it's cured, the aggressive solvents in lacquer are very likely to damage the finish.  You will end up with a wrinkled finish.

   In addition, It's never a good idea to apply a hard finish like shellac and lacquer over soft finish like oil based varnish.

   What is the item you are finishing and what will it be used for?

4. 
   raylin | Apr 25, 2011 06:31pm | #6

   finish fore desk.

   the finish is on a computer desk  that  I made.I have been  sanding and staining  the past few days. Just so hapened I had a gallon of spar-urethane semi gloss. when all was smooth ,very smooth I started spraying the urethane. It 's turning out great ,except for the tiny partacales in the finish..SO thats were I'm at now.THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY AND ALL TIPS...RAY

1. 
   hammer1 | Apr 26, 2011 08:35am | #7

   I'm at a loss to understand what you mean by tiny particles in the finish. Sounds different than some dust nibs. Did you strain the product before loading the gun? I would think any junk in the liquid would clog the tip or be noticable spitting out. Could be something wrong with the varnish, got frozen, had something incompatible added, contaminents in the air line. This would be a different issue than some dust.

1. 
   raylin | Apr 27, 2011 08:35am | #8

   finish for desk.

    H1,  its a poor choise of words on my behalf. Dust nibs would be the correct term, my problem is the varnish takes to long to set/dry there is plenty of time for dust nibs to collect out of the air......again thanks for any tips.....Ray    

1. 
   GretchenTHE FIRST | Apr 27, 2011 08:41am | #9

   You can sand them out and apply several coats of a wipe on diluted varnish for the final finish. A wipe on application dries quickly and keeps the dust nibs from affecting the finish.  It sounds like your area is very dusty.

1. 
   raylin | Apr 27, 2011 11:57am | #10

   sanding finish

   Thanks very much.  gonna try the wipe on........ Ray.

2. 
   hammer1 | Apr 27, 2011 02:53pm | #11

   If it's just junk in the finish, sand very lightly by hand with 220 to cut the nibs down. buff with #0000 steel wool, I prefer Liberon. Apply a very light coat of furniture paste wax, allow to haze and buff to a shine. Don't let the worry warts that warn about wax being a problem when you refinish get to you. You won't be refinishing for a long, long time, maybe never and wax is not likely to be a problem. You will like the results.

1. 
   GretchenTHE FIRST | Apr 27, 2011 06:03pm | #12

   Truth be told, wipe on varnish would probably be easier than waxing and buffing!!  ;o)

2. 
   hammer1 | Apr 27, 2011 10:41pm | #13

   You would still have to sand before wiping on for adhesion and the wipe on won't guarantee the surface will be even and dust free, unless you did it, Gretchen! The OP already has many coats on which can make it  more difficult to avoid mouse marks for us mortals, particularly on large flat surfaces. Nothing gives that glass smooth, silky touch like a buff and wax. Which I would do after wiping on a finish, anyway. Have you tried it? It really does finish the finish and can take a so so one to another level.

3. 
   GretchenTHE FIRST | Apr 28, 2011 09:00am | #14

   YUP, most definitely HAVE done it often and often, and am not really saying that wax wouldn't work in this case. But from experience, I stand by what I said--it might be easier to wipe on a couple of coats!!

   I used to clean and wax ALL my 'antique' furniture every spring.  I also often wax after finishing. I have a LOT of experience with wax.