I’m trying to get a good general surface on furniture without spraying. I have a wood heated shop and laquer would be a most interesting, but fatal, way to start the weekend!!!!!! I like the polyurethane /varsol finish because it is very friendly to the touch. After 3 or 4 coats on a vertical surface with 400 wet/dry paper between, people tend to keep rubbing their hands on the surface without really knowing why. Tried the Maaloof finish on one project, but wondered about the build for a table/desk/dresser top.
Took the current project (a table top) down to 240 grit; then tack cloth. I like to thin the varathane to about 25%. It seems to flow best, but I have to watch for runs with a good light especially on the edges. 400 grit between coats after about 3 or 4 days to cure so the finish can harden. But I’ve got all these cooties in the finish!!!!! It’s not from a dusty finishing room. I’m thinking perhaps it’s from the varathane “coagulating” between coats in my rinse jug and leaving these little surprises for me later because they show up almost immediately on applying the fresh coat. I buy really good “dead pig” hair brushes and treat them like my ex (kid gloves!) Mostly I rinse in solvent, then spin the brush and dry it. Otherwise I just keep the brush suspended in the solvent without touching the sides or bottom of the container. Before another coat, I dip in clean solvent again and shake to remove excess.
Got really !#$%^%^ with the last project and it’s cooties and bought an automobile buffing wheel and pumice. Brought the desktop to a “Piano” finish. Great, but wayyyy too plasticky for me. I’m looking for something much more tactile.
If anyone has suggestions on improving my technique, please e-mail my girlfriend. If you can improve my polyurethane skills, then this would be the forum.
Thanks for every comment in this forum. I’ve laughed; got angry; and learned a whole bunch.
Greg.
Replies
I recently used polyurethane for the first time in years. I normally use Behlen varnish, but the method works just as well with poly, with only real difference being the cure time . Use only gloss polyurethane, the satin and semi gloss, have flatteners in them, that result in a cloudy look. I never thin the poly. Doing so may make the film smoother, but any sanding is more likely to result in witness lines, the worst malady associated with non fusing film finishes. The nibs in your finish maybe from what you think, but they may also be from dust on your clothing, for this reason when applying varnish, I always wear clean clothes ( I don't even do this when I go out) . After the coating has had time to cure, sand up to 800-1000 grit using some sort of lubricant. I too dislike the high gloss left by a buffer, but I still use it for the time savings. After the buffer, you can get a better feeling finish, by using Liberon fine steel wool, dipped in a mixture of 4f pumice and mineral oil. A slightly higher sheen can be had with rottenstone, but I found with the poly it was difficult to get an even sheen. It seems like one step forward and two back, to obtain a high gloss finish only to dull it down with the steel wool/pumice mixture, but it results in a very nice finish, without the cloudiness from just sanding and steel wool.
Rob Millard
Edited 4/19/2005 8:55 pm ET by RMillard
Rob: Thanks much for your reply. I'll try some scrap pieces to get a feel for the product unthinned. And I'll pay extra close attention to all sources of dust (I had been cleaning the shop the night before finishing, then doing nothing but applying finish the next day and leaving, but the clean clothes raises it to a new level!) There was a previous thread that I didn't read before posting the first time that had some great discussion as well.Thanks again
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