Wet Sand Technique?

[Russ Filtz]

Been oiling up some shelves and started building with a little oil/thinner/poly mix. Started wet sanding with 400 then 600 and wonder what the correct method is. I've been wet sanding lightly and then wiping off the finish to get any grit removed and then wiping on a new thin coat. I'm not trying to pore fill or anything, just want to build a little poly to get the "wet" oiled look. Is this correct or do I just wet sand and let it set without wiping off?

[David Klug]

I always wipe it off Russ

DK

[Dennis Peacock]

Russ,

Here's what I do:

Apply about 3 coats of poly (wipe on type), one coat every 4 hours.
Let dry for a good 24 hours.
Sand with 400 grit paper (dry) and lightly.
Wipe off the sanding dust and check the wood for any rough spots.
Wipe on 2 more coats, one every 4 hours.
Let dry for a good 24 hours.
Sand with 600 grit paper and dust off.
Wipe on another coat (or two if it needs it for the sheen you desire).
Let that dry for 7 to 10 DAYS.....
Then use some 0000 steelwool and Johnsons Paste Wax and rub it down good, let the wax begin to haze over and then buff to a nice sheen.

This ain't "law" ya know....just how I do it.

[Bob Hovde]

For the final step, you can also use automotive polishing compound instead of wax. Rubbing it out is a lot more work, but you don't have to worry about re-waxing it later.

Bob

[Alan Turner]

Russ,
I use this method also, and what I do is to apply a bunch of the oil varnish mix, sand it in with wet/dry 400 to get a light slurry, then wipe off and let dry. Then I only sand between coats thereafter if it is needed, which it usually is not.
Alan