Replies

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Mar 28, 2005 06:51pm | #1

   It is always best to not use a tack cloth whether home made or purchased.  The purchased ones can have chemicals that can contaminate the surface.  Both can pick up contaminates and spread them to other projects.

   It's best to use just a clean rag or paper towel dampened with mineral spiritss (for solvent based finishes) or water (for waterborne finishes).  In addition to cleaning the surfacae, mineral spirits will preview the color of the wood and highlight any glue blobs or sanding marks you missed.

   Let my also caution about using compressed air.  One thing you want to do when finishing is to minimize dust floating in the air.  Compressed air just puts the dust into the air where it will gently land on you finished surface causing all sorts of little buggers.  If you don't have a separate dust free finishing area, you want to vacuum off the dust, wipe with the mineral spirits, turn on your air cleaner and get out of the area for a couple of hours.  Change your clothes before you go back to the shop and again wipe down with the mineral spirits and then get to finishing.

   Howie.........
2. 
   MarkRD | Mar 28, 2005 07:28pm | #2

   I have found that since mineral spirits takes some time to evaporate, I will use lacquer thinner on a clean, lint free cloth to wipe down just sanded projects. It evaporates about as fast as rubbing alcohol and leaves no residue behind.

   Plus it make you feel a funny inside :-) (be careful the fumes are strong).

   Mark

   Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.

3. 
   nikkiwood | Mar 29, 2005 01:53am | #3

   I vacuum, wipe the surface with paint thinner (turning the rag frequently, so you don't just spread the residual dust).

   After the thinner has dried, I use a tack cloth. I unfurl it completely, keep turning the cloth to find a new surface, and use a very light touch (remember you are lifting the remaining dust).

   I want to say that claiming that a tack cloth will contaminate a surface is nonsense. Howie often has strong opinions that run counter to common practice -- sometimes he's right, and sometimes he is wrong. I have never, ever had a problem using a tack cloth.

1. 
   MarkRD | Mar 29, 2005 02:09am | #4

   I've used finishes (and I don't remember which ones they were) that, on the can, said do not use a tack cloth... I suspect that whatever is on the tack cloth can affect some finishes...Mark

   Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.

2. 
   joinerswork | Mar 29, 2005 03:21pm | #5

   nikki,

   If you can feel the tack cloth goo on your hand after using it, it seems to me that some small amount of the stuff would be left behind on the surface of the wood, possibly interfering with adhesion or curing of the finish.  I don't like to use 'em, but have done so working with others who thought they were necessary. 

   There wouldn't be a market for the things if they were totally worthless;  they'd be included with every can of finish if they were necessary.

   Regards,

   Ray

1. 
   nikkiwood | Mar 29, 2005 04:13pm | #6

   Somewhere in the dim reaches of my memory, I recall that tack cloths are made by impregnating a small amount of varnish in cheese cloth. As I mentioned before, I have never had a contamination problem when using a tack cloth. But if others have, I certainly want to know the particulars, since a tack cloth is an indispensible tool in my finishing arsenal. Ray, I am specifically not including you in this observation, but it seems to me that one of the general problems of these wwing forums is that opinion is often passed along as fact -- without any documentation or supporting evidence. Let me hasten to say too that I am fine with expressed opinions, as long as they are couched as such --"from my experience", "in my opinion" etc.

1. 
   Dave45 | Mar 29, 2005 04:46pm | #7

   I believe that most tack cloths are impregnated with beeswax.  I'll check the next time I get some.

1. 
   steelheader | Mar 29, 2005 06:28pm | #8

   From generalfinishes.com

    

   Surface Preparation

   All surfaces should be clean and free from all dirt and oils. Sand raw wood in the direction of the grain starting with a coarser grit sand paper such #120, and finish the final sanding with a finer grit sandpaper such as #220.  Water base finishes need a smoother surface than oil base finishes. Do not use tack cloths when using water based finish. Tack cloths contain oil and will contaminate the surface. On certain woods such as oak and ash, pre-wet the wood with a damp cloth to raise the grain before final sanding. Allow the dampened wood to dry 30 minutes before the final sanding. This will provide a smoother final finish.m :

   Edited 3/29/2005 11:36 am ET by steelheader

2. 
   zombeerose | Mar 29, 2005 09:17pm | #10

   Thanks Steelheader for the lookup. Let me be clear that I am not using a water based finish. Instead, I am using Arm-R-Seal, which is a urethane resin. Therefore, the following quote would apply:"General Finishes Wipe-on Liquid Oil Base Application Guide
   1. Surface PreparationAll surfaces should be clean and free from all dirt and oils. Fill all nail holes with putty before sanding. If wood fill has been used to cover nicks or holes, be sure the residue has been sanded well. If not, the area around the fill will not stain properly and may have a blotchy look. Sand surface using #150-#180 grade fine-grit sandpaper. If you are finishing a piece made of closed grained hardwood, such as Maple or Birch, use #120 grade sandpaper. The coarser paper will open up the hard surface to more easily accept stain. Remove all the dust by vacuuming or wiping with a lint-free cloth or tack cloths."----------------------------------------Thanks for everyone's feedback. From the crowd, it sounds as though tack cloths are useful for oil finishes although caution should always be exercised to avoid contamination. As for water-bourne, avoid them like the plague!So far, my personal findings after using a tack cloth between initial and second coats are that the finish appears to be adhering well.Thanks again!Z

3. 
   SgianDubh | Mar 29, 2005 06:34pm | #9

   nikkiwood, I've never had problems with using tack cloths between coats of polish either, but I think it's wise to be cautious regarding contaminants.

   Water based polishes can be particularly sensitive to impurities-- the manufacturers say so right on the can, so it's recommended that rubbing down between coats is done with non-stearated papers. I can't recall exactly what's in tack rags right now-- rosin and oil based varnish constituents seem to ring a bell, but whatever's in them I'd be wary of using them between coats of water based polishes.

   I've never had a problem using tack rags between coats of the nitro-cellulose family of polishes, nor oil based varnishes or shellacs-- they're all relatively tolerant of impurities anyway, with shellacs being the most tolerant of the lot.

   However, most of the time I don't have any tack rags handy-- I forget to buy them, so I'll quite commonly just grab a lint free cloth, wet it in water or white spirits (mineral spirits) wring out thoroughly and wipe down. I'll sometimes go over a few minutes later with a dry cloth. I almost always use an air nozzle for a final blow off with the piece to be polished in the spray booth and then on to the next coat of polish-- The use of a spray booth means I don't worry about dust floating in the air due to blowing off at the last minute.

   This technique has worked fine for me for many years and because I don't really need tack rags because of the methodology I use it probably explains why I've almost never got any 'official' tack rags to hand, ha, ha. Slainte.RJFurniture

1. 
   nikkiwood | Mar 30, 2005 02:06am | #11

   Thanks for the info on your cleaning techniques. I always appreciate learning more about what you do and how you do it. It is true that I have used a tack cloth on WB finishes; I am a pretty dedicated label reader, and I can't recall ever reading a warning against them. However, I have a lot of respect for the people at General Finishes, and if they advise against them, I would certainly like to know why.Perhaps I have not had a problem, since I use the tack cloth completely unfurled, and with the lightest strokes I can manage.If there is something in a typical commercial tack cloth that might "contaminate" a WB finish, do you have any idea how the problem would manifest itself?