Replies

1. 
   9619 | Nov 23, 2007 05:51pm | #1

   Frank,
   Just use 0000 steel wool to rub it down. Then vacuum it off and use a tack rag to remove all dust. Then take an old tee shirt or other piece of clean cotton cloth and rub it down well. That is what I do. I like the look and feel of the finish when finally rubbed out with a piece of cotton cloth.

   Generally I put a final coat of satin over the gloss. The reason is that when rubbing it down, it is sometimes difficult to get into cracks and crannies with the steel wool and you see some shiny spots. But if you don't want to use satin as a last coat, you can go directly to the 0000 steel wool.

   Hope that works for you. This is not brain surgery. Just woodworking. Try things out and see what works. If you rub it with steel wool and you don't like what you got, just put another coat of finish on, and then try something else.

   Enjoy.
   Mel

   Measure your output in smiles per board foot. 

2. 
   Rich14 | Nov 23, 2007 05:54pm | #2

   The single most important thing to do is to let the present finish cure for AT LEAST a month before you try anything. It takes every bit that amount of time for the finish to harden to a degree that further significant changes are not going to happen. If your varnish is spar varnish, it will never harden sufficiently to make this work.

   There is no magic formula to use. various methods and abrasives will give subtle differences. Only you can decide on the final appearance. Use 320 wet-or-dry paper with lubricant, 4-0 steel wool. 3-0 steel wool. Either with or without a lubricant such as mineral oil, mineral spirits, wax, naphtha (if using wax, and you don't want it to remain, remove it with mineral spirits or naphtha afterwards). You can use automotive rubbing compound (red), not polishing compound.

   Experiment on a scrap, finished just like the actual piece. Or, if you want to change the look, slightly, just change the method of rubbing out and just re-do whatever you've already done.

   Rich

   
   

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   Edited 11/23/2007 9:56 am ET by Rich14