Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | May 05, 2010 08:08am | #1

   If you sand, you are going to make sanding dust, no way around it. If you wet sand, you will make a sanding dust paste and a big mess. With open pore species, that paste will get in and be very difficult to get out. The same can be true if you use a polishing compound, so don't do either on open pores.

   What do you do now? You'l likely have to wet the surface and try to reactivate the dust paste and wash it out. Use compressed air to blow out the pores. A little dust left behind will not be visible if you do another coat of finish.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | May 06, 2010 02:09pm | #4

   You need have no mystery about whether the dust will disappear when another coat is applied.  The naptha wipe down to help remove extra dust will reveal that pretty clearly.  If it disappears when the naptha is wet, the next finish coat will also cause it to disappear.  Basically Hammer1 hit it on the head.  

2. 
   Ed_Pirnik | May 06, 2010 09:35am | #2

   Zebrawood Finish Problem

   Hi Sean,

   I've taken the liberty of asking for opinions here at the office. One staffer immediately hooked upon the fact that perhaps it might have been a good idea to have gone the route of a grain filler before applying finish to such an open-grained wood.

   Regarding "what to do now," another staff member had this to say:

   "If it's just sanding dust, he can try blowing it out with compressed air or wiping down the panel with naptha. If he gets most of it out, my guess is that the rest will disappear once the next coat is applied."

   I hope that helps at least somewhat. For future reference, there are some great articles on using grain filler in the magazine, including an interesting one by Jeff Jewitt titled "Make Your Own Grain Fillers."

   Cheers,

   Ed

3. 
   Ed_Pirnik | May 06, 2010 12:55pm | #3

   Out of curiosity - what happens if you apply another coat of finish? I could almost see that causing the dust/paste to absorb more finish and thus darken and disappear - at least one would hope - in a perfect world. Have you tried that yet?

4. 
   seawade | May 06, 2010 08:41pm | #5

   Solved!

   Thank you guys for all the input!

   I had lot of opinions here and other forum as well and since I am absolute beginner I have tried all the things people suggested on isolated piece or on sections.

   Here's the result:

   - Blow with compressed air

   This did not work (90%+ remained in the pore)

   - Take awl and dig it out

   This worked but not really all that clean and takes LOT of time.

   - Clean with napta/mineral/paint thinner

   It worked (or at least looked ok) for 10-20 minutes and whited out again

   - Resand with napta/mineral/paint thinner

   Same as above but worse; I think I made some more whites

   - Recoat with tung oil

   Worked little bit but over 50% whites are now coated over or still there

   Now, this method worked perfectly, removed all the whites and plus the surface is now silky smooth as well.

   - Resand with tung oil as lubicant

   Not sure what the difference is with recoating with tung oil but this worked and recoating didn't.  Whites are completely gone and stayed gone (after 24+ hours and tung is dry to touch)

   I have some photos at home, I will update photos later.

   Thanks!!

   Sean

1. 
   WillGeorge | May 07, 2010 02:04pm | #6

   Sean.. A reply that is a bit late.

   I use tung oil often. I use the Rockler 'tung oil' which is suppose to be real tung oil? So it states on the container..... I like the Minwax 'fake tung oil' finishes better.

   I cannot comment on sanding to 400 grit with water.

   Try this on some scrap. It is what I do, but I have to admit that I am NOT a true 'first class wood finisher'. 

   I apply and 'sand' secondary coats using the 3M gray/grey pads. I wipe lightly against the grain in the areas that my hand can feel a 'rough' surface.  This seems to remove much of the surface (I call)  'tiny splinters' that I seem to get when using veneers. NOTE that I said LIGHTLY against the grain . I have never used zebrawood but I often use Jatoba. 'Real boards' are hardly ever a broblem but Jatoba veneers often leave those raised grain 'tiny splinters' in some areas along the grain .

   I rarely use anything other than the 3M pads, but sometimes I use automotive wet/dry papers. I use for both, the original finish (whatever oil I used) as the lubricant...... Never water!

   I only go for a smooth finish 'by finger touch' . I never go for a gloss piano finish. As in, I am not a big fan of gloss finishes. But then again, I could never do a piano finish no matter how hard I tried!