I stripped a thrift store dresser. Put on a thin coat of water based stain. (H.D. in Tennesse doesn’t carry dye) 1 lb. cut of shellac over that. Minwax dark walnut stain then brush on gloss poly. Light sand w/220 (which left scratches!) then another coat of poly. I had some small fisheyes which I sanded again & rubbed down well with thinner, then appield a coat of wipe on poly. Now I have a huge 1×2″ fisheye. More like fishbody. Can I shellac that & go over with more poly? Or any other suggestions? It’s the top so it’s a pretty glaring mistake.
Thanks, Jerry
ps, after this, I’ll go to resin varnish!
Replies
Are you sure the waterbased stain was absolutely dry? That'll get you.
Otherwise, I'm betting that the dresser was maintained with a spray silicone furniture polish in a previous life. You could try wiping the whole thing down with naptha a few times. If that doesn't work, burning it is the only solution. ;-)
Pete
I'd get the Zinsser aerosol shellac so you can seal in the silicone rather than spreading it around with a brush--it is dewaxed. I would not use the liquid Zinsser carried by HD--at least around here they only carry Clear and Amber. Both of these contain wax, and poly does not adhere well to shellac with wax, only to dewaxed shellac. Zinsser's dewaxed shellac is called Seal Coat. It ought to be available in some local paint store, but call around rather than driving. And ask for SealCoat--the clerks may not have a clue about dewaxed shellac.
Then, consider making shellac your top coat. It's not bullet proof, but is a lot more durable than most people give it credit. If you must have varnish, use a traditional resin varnish. The borg doesn't sell that either. But there must be a decent paint store around.
Then I would carefully clean your entire finishing area. You may have contaminated surfaces by sanding the contaminated surface.
Thanks Steve. I'll give the spray Zinsser a try. If I go with shellac top coat, will it stand up to iced drink glasses with their condensation? Should I be concerned with those white water marks?
Jerry
In my opinion, yes--you will get white rings on shellac with what you describe.Gretchen
Yes, Gretchen is right, if you leave iced glasses on the top you will get white rings. It will require leaving the glasses there for a while, it would likely survive an hour or two without mishap. But longer periods would put it at risk. You have to evaluate your lifestyle.
Coasters, once a standard item under glasses, would prevent any problem.
If, after using the aerosol shellac, you still get fisheye when you brush on a coat of traditional resin varnish, you probably should consider going the coaster route since even stripping and starting over might not cure the problem.
By the way if you see this happening as you apply the varnish, stop and quickly wipe off the varnish with a rag and paint thinner, don't let it get cured so that you have to strip it off.
Re-reading the original post I wonder if the problem could be not getting all the stripper off in the first place. I agree that silicone could be the culprit also, but if all the wax from the stripper hasn't been removed, it will be the gift that keeps on giving in making the finish compromised.Gretchen
Thanks Gretchen. What is the final process in stripping? I make two passes with a putty knife then one with a 3m pad. After going over the piece with the pad (or a part), I hose with water & 3m till all the stripper is gone. Then sand 120, 220. Then stain.Thanks again, Jerry
I use mineral spirits to clean stripper off. SAves a LOT of sanding since it doesn't raise the grain as much.Gretchen
PS, I have sanding marks showing through between coats. I used gloss poly & sanded with 220 in between. I'm starting to think there is a WHOLE other art there too!
tnx J
220 is pretty course for between-coat sanding. I sand my shellac (Zinzzer Seal Coat) base coat with 400 before spraying the finish coats. I also have a very bright light at a low angle to make sure I've gotten all the bad scratches, shellac overspray build-up, etc. when I'm sanding.
400 it is then. Would that be with a sanding block of some kind or without? Thanks again, Jerry
1/4 sheets, folded into thirds, hand sand; be very careful on the edges!
Steve, went with the dewaxed spray on then a coat of poly. (Trying to use up what I bought!) It worked great. Fisheye gone.
Thanks, Jerry
Strip it clean and pick one or the other - poly or shellac. There is no need for both.
A high-carnauba content wax is all that really should go on top of shellac. Poly over shellac really seems like an aesthetic abomination to me.
Well, the top of a dresser may get a good bit of wear, even a glass or so left on it. This would not be good for shellac/wax finish=rings. It may be true that both are not needed and there is even the possibility of having a very durable finish on the entire dresser using a non-poly varnish.Gretchen
Agree with the non-poly varnish instead of a poly formulation.
You and I do often disagree about whether we're building Romper Room or fine furniture here, but I know where you stand - everything needs 'protection' and evidence of use and wear is to be avoided at all costs, dishes end up on every conceivable piece of furniture, etc. etc.
I sometimes wonder if I'm singlehandedly keeping coaster manufacturers in business.
I'm not sure what happened in your formative years in woodworking that made you so damn scared of the medium. Relax and let the wood be the wood. Everything that rolls out of your shop doesn't need a slathering of varnish.
Varnish has its place and is probably a good solution for this project. I'll throw you that one bone.
As I've pointed out before, it's usually a finish that wears poorly. Wood itself ages extraordinarily gracefully. Unfortunately, film finishes do not.
You would do well to read an old Gene Landon article (from the black and white days) when he talks about how delighted he is when a piece develops cracks. Granted, he builds period reproductions but you get my drift.... I hope.....
Cheers.
Edited 5/8/2006 1:51 pm ET by BossCrunk
Hey Boss, I was just looking for a fisheye solution which I have worked out. I used some aerosol dewaxed shellac. As I had already finished the rest of the dresser, I went with the poly on top of the shellac to achieve the sameness throughout.Thanks for your & everyones input for making me a better craftsman.Jerry
Nothing succeeds like success. Next time maybe it will be a "one or the other" situation.
Actually, I don't build anything. I refinish. I have furniture that withstood my kids and now my grandkids.
Keep the coaster manufacturers in business. I have no problem with YOU doing that. I personally would rather be able to put a glass down wherever I well please and not worry about it--and have managed to do that for about 40 years of finishing.
I think it is fine for you to offer your opinion. I will also offer mine--thank you.
AND wood with no finish, or only wax, will put BIG white rings if subjected to glasses that sweat. People need to know that.
I have LOTS of pieces with lots of cracks, character marks, dents. I collect American primitive. I don't need to read Landon at all. I have the real thing.
Gretchen
Edited 5/9/2006 7:46 am ET by Gretchen
Well, I don't guess somebody can be in the refinishing business and not have a predispostion to film finishes.
Not even in the business. But for my own use I prefer not to have to do it again sooner than 30 or 40 years, if then.
Gretchen
Edited 5/9/2006 7:45 am ET by Gretchen
Tennesse doesn't carry dye... LOL
Corn and Grain Hooch! makes a difference!
Hey WillGeorge, will that mixture give me nice yellow??? Er just make my work look better later?
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