| Author | Message | ||
| Pete/RTS Daytona (Pete_rtsdaytona)
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Hi All I just finished staining (MinWax deep Red Oak) all my natural Red Oak window sills (30' @ $45) and my custom carved Valances (48' @ $140) (beautiful deeply carved Greek Scroll design into 9/32" natural Red Oak stock) from http://www.customcarved.com/molding.html I can do most things mechanical and electrical and I can build / cut / formica anything in wood with my 10" radial arm saw and my router table. But I have NEVER been able to put a fine furniture finish on stained wood - Normally I like satin finish - but this time I want a high gloss clear finish - I want it to shine like a wood floor. . I've sanded all the stock first with 220 sand paper . Blow off all the dust ( I thought) . waited 3 day to make sure my oil based stain was dry - during this humid Florida weather . Use a soft brush and Solvent based Min-Wax Urethane - 1 light coat Well it looks like I got all sorts of dust / bumps / air bubbles ??? What am I doing wrong - should I be: . Using a tack rag to get all the dust off . use spray can Urethane ? . how many coats of clear ?? . Resand the pieces after the staining cause I raised the grain ? . Use steel wool after the stain and again after each Ureatane coat . Give up ?? . forget stained woood trim ?? . use tung oil finish . apply paste wax ?? . send the pieces out to be finished HELP - I've seen Bus Conversions at Arcadia Bus Rally where the wood finish looks absolutely perfect - I'll take "nice" - that's all I want - Not too much to ask for - right ?? Pete (Not the wood worker - I wish I was) Pete RTS/Daytona | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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resand...tack rag...(paint supply)spray urethane,in spray cans...home depo | ||
| Dave H
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Dust is the problem. Sand it with very fine sandpaper or 00 steel wool, so it is smooth to the touch. Use tack rags right before you put on the finish, more then 1 if getting very dirty. Do this before each coat. Use polyurethane you have, 2 or 3 more thin coats. Each coat should be smother. | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
2 or 3 coats of McCloskey's satin eggshell varnish, 0000 steel wool between coats. | ||
| philip potter
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If you use an oil varnish and use steel wool between coats, this works well... After your final coat, lightly use steal wool one more time. This takes off any rough imperfections from dust, etc. It will look like your ruining your finnish. Now finnish the project by simply rubbing down with mineral spirits. This cleans it up and you'll have a beautiful, smooth finish. Learned this from a comercial interior finnish dude. | ||
| TomNPat
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We had good luck on red oak in the house trim by using sanding sealer then steel wool and then polyurethane. The sanding sealer, as it is named, sands easily while sealing, swelling and hardening the small slivers, etc. Try some on a scrap piece since your wood seems much more expensive than ours. TomNPat | ||
| tony bare
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When I spray I get overspray,runs,saggs, or perfection.The bad thing is I never know which it will be. Brushing gives me brush marks, bubbles, runs or dripps,or perfection. I never know which. Either attracts dust because the film is thick and slow to dry. I don't have a dust free spray booth and my wood shop is naturally dusty. I have had the best luck and the most consistancy with wiping poly. Minwax and Deft are a couple of brands or you can make your own by thinning down polyurathane. Dries fast so more coats but less dust.Gloss,or satin | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
Before using a tac rag , wipe the surface with a damp sponge . Wood that has been finished by scraping or plaining has few problems , but sanded wood has many ruptured cells on the surface , that expand with any liquid. Better to expand with water and resand than have the surface raise into the finish. FAST FRED | ||
| bruce knee (Bruceknee)
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You might want to give this a try. Mix 50% denatured alcohol and 50% shellac, use a terrycloth rag and rub it on just like you would stain. It is called a French Rub finish. It will dry in 10 min. rub with fine steel wool and repeat until you are happy. This is really a pretty fool proof finish. I usually do 4 or 5 coats. | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
Shellac turns white when damp. For an RV, I would use a more stable product... Varnish or polyurethane would do a better job of protecting the surface... | ||
| DMDave Rating: N/A |
Also no varish or final finish coats in humid weather. Good luck in Florida. Also hi temps and the humidity will screw it up. Pete hang in there. Pick a nice dry morning have everything sanded and dust free, be in the shade no wind, containers are clean. We use the foam brushes.Some type of music helps.Corona w/lime also. | ||
| tony bare
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More on wipe on poly. You evidently have at least one coat of finish on the wood. I would sand it down to 320 grit untill the whole surface is dull. That means that the surface is level and smooth. Use any brand of wipe on polyurethane. Use soft absorbent material,old clean tee shirt works for me. I soak it with finish, wring it out,then wipe it on with the grain. This leaves a light coat that will be dry enough to recoat in 1/2 to 3/4 hr. 4 to 6 coats usually works for me. This works on small or narrow or irregular surfaces better than large ones like table tops. Try it on scrap wood first to see if you like it. This method stopped a lots of cussin and throwing things in my shop. | ||
| tony bare
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Phillip potter's method works good and you can take it one step further. The final sanding or steel woolling will take out dust,overspray, brushmarks or orangepeal. The mineral spirits will clean it up and then you are left with a smooth, even, satin finish. To get it back to gloss use johnsons paste furniture wax. Rub it on with a soft rag. Let dry to a haze then buff. that makes a nice finish. Take some time- experiment see which one works for you on some scrap. I hate messing up a pretty project with a bad finish.( voice of expreience speaking) Good luck | ||
| Rob King Rating: N/A |
Hi Pete Here is how I have been finishing and refinishing wood for 30 years with good success. However, it took a few years to learn all the tricks. 1. make sure everything is well sanded down to 220 2. if it is pine, must wipe with a paint thinner rag to stop those ugly blotches, all other woods use a tack cloth made with soaking a cotton, lint free cloth(old mens teeshirts work well) with either paint thinner or lacquer thinner per finish manufactures clean up material. At any rate wipe the wood well to remove your dust. 3. Dilute your finish to half strength and place your first coat 4. Sand the surface till smooth down to 220 and tack off as above. Each sanding should be down to flat or dull finish. 5. Place second coat of half strength finish, then sand down to 220 and tack off. 6. Place third coat of 3/4 strength finish, sand tack off 7. Place forth coat of full strength finish, sand down to 220, and tack off. 8. Place fifth coat of full strength finsh, steel wool down to 0000, tack off, polish with paste wax. If you're using poly only three coats are necessary. If lacquer, my favorite, use 5 coats. I like lacquer because it drys quickly and you can use lacquer thinner to wipe it down after each sanding. It liqufies just enough to flow smooth again, letting you start with a smooth finish. You can mix finish sheens if you want. For example, to get a rich depth of finish and moderate sheen, start with 2 or 3 coats of gloss and cover with satin or semi-gloss. An all high gloss finsih is definately the most difficult and time consuming Finally, some does and don't 1. don't ever shake the finsih, gently stir and be careful not to fold in air 2. minimize movement inside the coach while applying finish, especially don't shake out rages, etc. 3. use with proper ventilation but don't set up a fan unless you set it to exhaust the coach 4. do take your time, allow proper drying time, take your time sanding and a trick. like above, except for the last coat, you need to sand until the finish is flat or dull. 5. place enough finish that it flows together removing brush marks but don't "pond it" and don't rebrush, expecially lacquer. 6. Finish when humidity is 40% or less if at all possible. Good Luck Rob PS the music and wine/beer help if kept in check | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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I think 220 grit is toooo rough...more like 400 in the 'finish' mode | ||
| tony bare
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You have got a bunch of choices and to my way of thinking, none of them fun. I HATE SANDING AND FINISHING. THE "FOOL PROOF FINISH" IS A MYTH. I would rather build a dozen projects than to have to finish one of them. Rob King's idea sounds interesting. Brushing on the thin coats would probably be better on large surfaces than wiping with a rag. I'll have to try it. I am still trying to find the "fool proof finish". Try a few of the methods mentioned and see which one works for you. Good weather,and cold beer are helpful. Good luck | ||
| s'COOLbus nut Rating: N/A |
what do you guys think about tounge oil finishes? Very easy to apply and looks good... Just wipe on with a clean rag, wait a while, wipe off excess. Repeat this process several more times. The more applications, the more depth to the gloss. I did my kitchen cabinets this way about 12 years ago. Seemed to hold up well. Mark 75 gillig | ||
| Macgyver (91flyer)
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Fool proof finish: Let an expert craftsman that's been doing it for years do it for you for a price.  Fools finish: Thinking you can do it quickly in half the time with half the tools and half the cash. Woodcraft is as much art as it is skill... -Mac | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
Hey Two Dogs? How you like finishing with tongue oil? (why oh why did I ask this?) | ||
| Pete/RTS Daytona (Pete_rtsdaytona)
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Thanks Guys - For the first time I've got a furiture grade gloss finish on my stained wood. As much as it pains me to do this - I have to thank "Fast Fred" - He was the first to post on the Yahoo RTS Board about - "wiping Finishes" Thanks also to "Tony Bare and Rob King" who posted here about the same technique. The trick was cutting the Minwax Silver can Poly-urethane clear gloss with the same amount of thinner. - this thinned out solution was applied with an old tee-shirt on flat surfaces (just wiped on in the direction of the grain) - fast and easy - dried fast - little dust - I used a soft brush on the deeply carved wood to gently get into the deep spaces - went slow I also used "Scotch-Brite" white pads between coats - this removed any dust or crap on the surface - then I used a wrung out thinner soaked rag as the tack cloth. I could do 3- 4 coats per day here in humid Florida - The 1st 3 coats gave me a excellent satin finish (low gloss) the next coats then appied the deep shine. Thanks again- Pete RTS/Daytona | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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jtng...ask Lola how she liked it |