How to Rub Out Behlen's Rockhard tabletop?

[drew hutchinson]

I am nearly ready to rub out a Walnut Slab table top (see thread "Is it done Yet" for photos). I have 8 coats of Behlens on it. I would like to get something between satin and mirror finish.

Can anyone give me a brief primer into the process of rubbing out? I plan on using wet/dry sandpaper - here is what I think I should do?

Wait 3 weeks before starting-

Start with 800 grit - wet sand using water, sand lightly with grain.
Questions: do I soak paper first?
how much water on the table top?
Do I use a sanding block or just folded paper?
Sand again with 1200 or 1500
Finish with 2000?

Any details will be appreciated, I did search the forums for this info, if there is a link, feel free to supply it.

Thanks.

[Scott Holmes]

Instead of water I would suggest mineral spirits (MS). Don't skip grits. 800 then 1000, 1200, etc. 2000 you will still be closer to satin than gloss.

Depending on the amount of sanding needed, you may be able to buff-it-out instead of rub-it-out.

To buff-it-out there are many schools of thought... I'll give you two.

1. Get a large piece of brown paperbag (yes, grocery store bag) Crumple it up a few times and soak it with MS, use it to buff you table. There is just enough clay in a paperbag to buff it and this will knock all the dust bunnies, and small imperfections off without killing the shine. You can use your high grits to polish it starting at 6000 or so for a semi gloss.

2. For a satin finish you may be able to buff-it-out with steelwool and skip the progression of sandpaper altogether.

[Todd Carpenter]

Hi Drew,

I agree with Scott, especially the steel wool. When rub a finish with steel wool, I usually use Murphy's oil soap and water 50/50 to get a slightly shiner satin finish, followed by wax. I didn't know about the grocery bag, I'll have to try that one, one of these days...

I personally don't use mineral spirits when I sand, don't like the smell or the cost. I usually go dry and depending on how flat the surface is (ie no brush marks, drips, etc) I may start with a 1000 grit dry. I usually go dry because it's easier to see what's happening. I work all the way up to 2000 grit. I always wipe the piece down with a damp cloth to collect all the grit left behind before moving on to the next grit. Once I get to a 2000 grit, I usually switch to wet sanding. I use water with just a drop or two of dish soap. Dunk your paper in the soapy solution (you don't need to soak it), pull it out dripping wet, don't shake off the excess, and start sanding. Stop often, wipe everything down, let it dry, (or blow it off) and inspect. You'll get a feel pretty quickly for how much more you'll need. Keep this up until your happy with the look. At this point, you'll probably be at a satin finish - depending on your definition of satin, gloss etc. If you want a mirror finish, it's now time to move on to polishing compounds. I'm an automotive guy and use 3M finese it for the initial rub, followed by Mequires fine cut cleaner, then their deep gloss polish.

As for the sanding block, I almost always use one, especially if I'm going for a mirror finish, other wise, the "mirror" may have lots of waves in it, taking away fromt the fine finished look.

HTH
Todd

[Howard Acheson]

See if you can still find a copy of the July/August edition of Fine Woodworking. There is a great article in there about getting a high gloss finish. All you need to do is stop at the wet sanding step for a satin finish.

Your library may have it or you can go to the Fine Woodworking site and take a look at a video that goes through the process. You'll need to be a member to get into the video section.