Replies

1. 
   Paul_Snyder | May 26, 2002 01:46am | #1

   Jason,

   I tried a tack cloth once - HATED IT. I've been using compressed air and clean t-shirt rags ever since without a single problem - the combination of air and rag is the key - neither works as well alone.

   As an alternative, you can use odorless mineral sprits or naptha and clean t-shirt rags - stay away from terrycloth - too much lint. Watch where you put those rags - there's a chance of spontaneous combustion.

   Paul

   F'burg, VA

2. 
   HowardAcheson | May 26, 2002 05:07am | #2

   Tack rags are not intended for removing heavy dust--certainly not any amount of construction dust. They are used to get the last little dust nits left after vacuuming or some other dust removal process. I would not recommend blowing it off as the last thing you want to do it put dust into the air before you finish. That guarantees that dust will fall on the wet finish. Ideally, your vacuum should be in another room and only the hose and nozzle in the finishing area. On boat interiors we would vacuum the night before with the vacuum outside. We would tape a HEPA type filter over a forward hatch and the next morning the painter would put on a full body tyvac coverall, go gently below and set up a small fan to draw air though the filter to exhaust the fumes. He would wipe down with a lightly dampened mineral spirit rag and go to work. It really cost but the finishes were impeccable.

   I gave up on tack rags years ago. I vacuum, then wipe with mineral spirits. Naphtha is faster--maybe too fast. Both dry residue free.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/25/2002 10:10:48 PM ET by Howie

3. 
   forestgirl | May 26, 2002 06:02am | #3

   Jason, I think Howie's right about the intended use for tack cloths (the little stuff, not the big stuff).  I went crazy the first time I used one, but have discovered since that they work better if I'm not trying to rub with them, but just gently glide them over the surface (Howie:  does this sound right?).

   Try vacuuming, the follow with tack cloth.  Or Paul's suggestion of Naptha.  Water might be OK if you use a t-shirt cloth and really wring it out well.

   With regard to the unfolding, I do that before I do any wiping, just to get the cloth loose.  You can make your own tack cloths with cheesecloth and the appropriate mixture (I'll have to look around to find the recipe).  But I've always thought that's be kind of a pain.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   HowardAcheson | May 26, 2002 06:52pm | #4

   Yes, pressing to hard can force some of the contents of the tack rag onto the surface you are cleaning. Most commercial tack rags contain rosin which should no cause a problem but who knows what else they contain. For me, a clean rag lightly dampened with mineral spirits is the safest. It gets all the leftover dust after vacuuming, except the dust you create by moving around the area as you paint.

1. 
   DonStephan | May 26, 2002 07:39pm | #5

   Before spraying finish, and after sanding intermediate coats of finish, I simply clean the surfaces with my shop vacuum. I also vacuum my clothes, arms, hands, ... before spraying. The result is almost nib-free coats of finish.

1. 
   HowardAcheson | May 27, 2002 01:21am | #8

   Don, keep it up. The finisher we had in the shop I was involved with did the same thing. The finisher was responsible for final sanding and he did that outside the spraying booth. The vac hose ran through the wall so its exhaust didn't stir up the air in the booth.

4. 
   Andrew | May 26, 2002 11:03pm | #6

   I haven't tried this yet, but i've heard that the swiffer cloths work quite well as tack cloths.

1. 
   HowardAcheson | May 27, 2002 01:16am | #7

   I don't know what chemical those rags use. Until you are sure they do not contain something that will contaminate the surface, I would stay away from them.

1. 
   forestgirl | May 27, 2002 08:08am | #9

   They don't contain any chemicals (as long as you get the dry ones -- I think Pledge makes one that has whatever Pledge has).  I have noticed, however, that they can scratch plexiglass.  Don't know if that could also mean they might cause a problem on wood.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   HowardAcheson | May 28, 2002 11:30pm | #10

   >>I think Pledge makes one that has whatever Pledge has)

   What Pledge has is silicone. That's the last thing you would want to wipe your project down with. If the others don't contain any chemicals, why not just use any cloth or shop rag? Why buy something?

   Not trying to be a pain in the a......, but it is too easy to mess up a project by doing something wrong at the finishing stage. Stay with the proven and simple seems like the best advise.

1. 
   sschefer | May 28, 2002 11:47pm | #11

   Seems like I just read something about making a tack rag using cheese cloth and either shelac or varnish. You soak the cheese cloth in the stuff then wring it out, let it sit for awhile until it gets tacky then lightly wipe down the work piece to remove dust and lint particles. I'll look around and see if there was anything more to it but I think that was all.

   Steve - in Northern California

   Edited 5/28/2002 4:57:23 PM ET by Steve Schefer

2. 
   SgianDubh | May 29, 2002 01:29am | #12

   Well, I don't know about this question. I've always lacked tact, by prefering, for example, to call an earth moving implement a spade. Still a tack rag wiped gently over a surface just picks up bits of dust, and a damp cloth will do the same thing, and so will a hairy forearm--- but not all hairy forearms are adept at getting into some of those tight corners like a tack rag will. <g>  Slainte, RJ.Link to RJFurniture site.

3. 
   forestgirl | May 29, 2002 04:29am | #13

   Yep, Steve, that's the "recipe" I'm supposed to be looking for.  Can't remember which book I saw it in, as I always thought it was way more trouble than it was worth.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

4. 
   HowardAcheson | May 29, 2002 07:51pm | #15

   Steve, here's a recipe and process I use to use. Take a 12" square of cotton, wet it an ring it out as much as possible. Drizzle a teaspoon or so of turpentine or mineral spirits on it and rub it in. Now paint a little bit of varnish on the cloth. (Use a paint brush that has had almost all the varnish brushed out). Wring the rag tightly a few times to distribute the mixture and then open it up and hang it on a line for 1/2 an hour or so until it gets tacky. Keep it in an airtight Hellman's mayonaisse jar. Every so often, add a couple of drops of water as you store it. The water adds humidity to keep the chemicals from fully drying. It will ultimately harden but you should get a few months of use from it.

   That said, dampening a rag with mineral spirits is a lot faster and just as good.

5. 
   JasonMI | May 30, 2002 03:16pm | #16

   Thank you all for your replies. I'll try a couple of them out this weekend!

   Jason

6. 
   forestgirl | May 29, 2002 05:02am | #14

   What Pledge has is silicone. That's the last thing you would want to wipe your project down with. -- Which is why I specified not to get them.

   . . .why not just use any cloth or shop rag?   They have an electrostatic charge to them.  I'm not saying that I think they'd do as well as tack cloths, but I use them to dust with and they're very, very effective (much more effective than just a regular cloth is).  They catch and trap the dust, not leaving much behind.

   All that said, however, they'd get pretty expensive in a shop.  Obviously, people have a variety of ways they've tackled this problem.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

5. 
   Herebrooks | May 30, 2002 03:59pm | #17

   Hi Jason: First, I'm assuming you are trying to apply a clear finish. I would suggest a different approach than a tack cloth. Try getting up all the dust you can with a vacuum. Mix up a quart or so of  thinned sanding sealer( like Zar urathane sealer) with a couple of capfulls of japan dryer to help it kick faster and more thoroughly. Apply it with a brush a couple feet at a time and follow quickly with a rag so you don't have any excess on the surface. This will freeze the fibres and make it quite smooth(dust doesn't stick to smooth surfaces) Come back the next day and sand(320 grit) only where necessary. I think the open time of the finish is the real problem. In other words, the longer it takes to set up, the more dust you'll get in the finish. I use a quick dry final coat again with a couple of capfulls of japan dryer. Make sure you don't overcoat a finish that's "not quite dry". Voodoo also helps...chanting,snake bones...you know. Bill

1. 
   Gretchen | May 30, 2002 08:15pm | #18

   . This will freeze the fibres and make it quite smooth(dust doesn't stick to smooth surfaces)

   Not to nit pick but there is really something wrong with this statement as any householder knows!!  Dust settles whereas and whenas it wants.  A rag moist with mineral spirits will remove it.Gretchen

1. 
   Herebrooks | May 31, 2002 04:36pm | #19

   Fair enough Gretchen....I retract my advice. Bill