Fuzzies showing up on bowl

[paul vechart]

I finished a boxelder bowl with walnut oil and then later a walnut/wax mixture. The bowl was sanded to a very smooth 1000 grit and was dry before appling the finish. After about a week I could start to feel little "fuzzies" on the outside of the bowl and could see them in the right light. Does anyone know what would cause this or how to get rid of them? Would a fine steel wool work followed by another coat of wax?

Thanks for your help,

Paul

[Dan Forman]

I wonder if the fuzzies are tiny drops of oil that are weeping out of the wood pores as it cures? Hays Rutherford routinely dampens his bowls to encourage grain raising before the final sanding in to prevent grain raising when bowls are washed. If you have a good magnifier, maybe you can tell if the grain is raising or it's something else, like dust settling in the not quite cured oil. I suppose it could be a number of things, let's see what else is suggested.

Dan

[Greg Just]

Paul:

A picture or 2 might help diagnose the problem.

[Richard Jones]

I sometimes get the same thing when using walnut oil. I generally go back over it with 600 or 800 after a few days, depending. It really helps to put walnut oil finished items in natural/sunlight/UV for a couple of days to let it cure well. Also seems more important, at least to me, to sand in reverse every other grit, especially if you're going to use walnut oil. I don't seem to have this issue when using Danish oil.

Hope this helps.

And to sort of answer your other question, I don't know why, I just go with it.

[paul vechart]

Dan...I looked with a magnifing glass and it looks like the wood fibers raised ever so slightly in a couple of spots.

Greg...I don't think you will see the fine fibers in a picture unless it is zoomed in super close with a macro lens which I don't have.

Richard...I will try setting the bowl in the sunlight next time because I use walnut oil almost exclusivly right now. I also try to sand in reverse every other grit too.

Thanks for all your advise guys!

Paul

[Harry Robinette]

I know this sounds crazy but if you sanded up to 1000 you might have burnished the wood and it's not taking the oil. I've had sort of the same problem before and I rubbed it down with a brown paper bag,The paper will pick-up any moisture and its also about 6 or 800 grit abrasive. Like I said sounds crazy.

[paul vechart]

I know this sounds crazy but if you sanded up to 1000 you might have burnished the wood and it's not taking the oil. I've had sort of the same problem before and I rubbed it down with a brown paper bag,The paper will pick-up any moisture and its also about 6 or 800 grit abrasive. Like I said sounds crazy.

Harry...you may have something there...I heard people using paper coffee filters to do the same thing. I could probably stop at 600 grit and it would still feel very smooth.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use walnut oil on all my utility items and rarely if ever sand past 400 grit. Just don't see any real value. When I hit 400 grit I spritz with water. Let it sit for a few minutes and sand. That generally will take care of any raised grain. I generally apply 2 to 3 coats of oil. I don't sand between coats. I soak the piece then wipe off the excess. Let sit in ambient sunlight and dry for 24 hrs. I will do this 2 more times. Then it will sit in the sunlight for a week or more curing.

[Ron Rutter]

I have used a brown paper bag for years to knock down the fuzzies on the stuff I made for the wife's tole painting - with or without sanding sealer. Seems to work better than any sandpaper. Ron.