Replies

1. 
   Westchester | Jun 25, 2003 03:31am | #1

   Hey Ej61,

   The type of finish is your choice.  All have pros and cons.  Varnish, lacquer, poly, etc.

   Anyway have you considered spray cans.  Possibly shellac as a primer and then top coats of the finish of your choice.

   Good luck

   SA

2. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jun 25, 2003 04:02am | #2

   A wiping varnish would be a good choice when spraying is out of the picture. Their are a number of pre-mixed brands out there or you can make your own by thinning some varnish/poly with mineral spirits 1:1.

   Bob Flexner has a list of wiping varnishes, and the less durable danish oils, at this link - http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/finish2.html

   Wiping on the finish is quick and easy and varnish is a durable finish.

   Paul

3. 
   DougF | Jun 25, 2003 11:10pm | #3

   Ej61,

   At the recommendation of another, I recently used Minwax Wipe-on poly on a fairly large project and was very please with the outcome.  While it takes about 2 more coats than one would normally apply with a spray-on poly or lacquer, I found the resulting appearance more akin to a good hand-rubbed finish.  It is extremely easy to apply and, at least on hard maple, I found that I only needed a light 320 grit sanding after the second coat and a wet 400 before the last coat.  I did a total of 5 applications.  The entire process was finished in 2 days.

   Just a thought.

   Doug

1. 
   Buzzsaw | Apr 27, 2004 03:27pm | #4

   Doug,

     I'm in the process of using MinWax Wipe-on poly for a small table for my daughter.  This is the first time I finish anything and you said

   "I found that I only needed a light 320 grit sanding after the second coat and a wet 400 before the last coat.  I did a total of 5 applications. "

   Question #1 - Did you use tack cloth after sanding because others have recommended against using it?

   Question #2 -  What do you mean by a wet 400 before the last coat.  Obviously 400 is the grit so did you just wet the sandpaper? I was just going to use steel wool between the applications, then tack cloth and wasn't going to change grits...

   Thanks.Regards,

   Buzzsaw

1. 
   DougF | Apr 27, 2004 04:39pm | #5

   Buzzsaw,

   Normally I use Naphtha to wipe the surface before applying a finish coat.  I do not use a tack cloth.  The naphtha will not harm the top coat, will remove grit and, more importantly, quickly show you any remaining imperfections in the finish.  It flashes off extremely fast so you can apply the top coat almost immediately.

   Using sandpaper "wet" simply means that you are adding a liquid medium to enhance the cutting action of the grit.  Use only papers that are classed as "wet or dry".  The combination of the wet, the paper and the finish will produce a fine slurry.  Do not worry about that and simply wipe it off went you are finished sanding.  This method will cut very fast so be careful not go through your top coats, especially on edges.  Finishes do not adhere well to edges, particularly sharp edges. 

   Depending on the gloss that you desire, you can keep going up in grit to as fine as 2000.  For a mirror finish, rubbing compounds such as pumice and rottenstone as well as automotive rubbing and polishing compounds can be applied. 

   Mostly importantly, you've put a lot of effort into this project so do this on test pieces until you're comfortable with the cutting action and the desired finish.

   Please post pictures when you are finished.

   Doug

1. 
   Kevin | Apr 29, 2004 06:32pm | #6

   Just to add a bit to Doug's excellent response... An added benefit of wet sanding is that the liquid medium fills the low spots and help concentrate the actual sanding action on the high points where you want it to. It's quite a bit less prone to sanding thru the finish than dry sanding is. Although, the downside is that the slurry can obscure how close you might be to sanding thru. Frequently wiping the slurry away and adding a splash more lubricant helps mitigate this.

   Also, I don't know that finishes don't like to adhere to sharp corners as much as the surface tension inherent in any liquid causes the applied finish material to pull away from sharp edges while it's still a liquid, resulting in a thinner dried finish coat on the sharp edges. Thinner obviously is easier to sand thru than thicker. Plus, in my experience it's next to impossible to sand right next to a sharp edge evenly unless I'm using a hard flat sanding block of some sort. The sandpaper tends to cut more aggresively on the sharp edge when hand sanding or even when using a pliable sanding block. Typically one has to take particular care when sanding up to a sharp edge to make sure that the surface gets sanded properly without sanding thru on the edge. That's just the nature of the beast. Slightly rounding over sharp edges before starting the finish process is the best way to mitigate these inherent problems, in my experience.<P>

   <CENTER><B><A href="http://theindependentvoter.com/">The Independent Voter.com</A>

   <P>"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud" - Sophocles.</B></CENTER></P>