First post - First project - First Pictures

[Vivek Deshmukh]

Hello All. Been reading posts passively for the past 6 months or so. Thanks for the inspiration and the advice via various posts.

Wanted to share my first piece of work - 2 end tables - 6/4 walnut, wet sanded with BLO and then 4 coats of Waterlox so far. I see tiny bubbles/dust nibs all over the surface when seen from an angle (doesn't show-up in the pictures). Tried sanding with 400 grit in one of my previous attempts, but significant sanding marks showed up after the next coat of waterlox (had to sand down completely and restart the finish process :-)).

I'd appreciate any suggestions/comments. Pictures attached.

Thanks.

Vivek
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[Bruce Page]

Those are lovely, well done!

Welcome to SMC!

[Jebediah Eckert]

Nice, great shine to the top!

[John TenEyck]

Those look very nice. Dust nibs come from, uhh, dust. To eliminate dust you have to meticulously clean the work before applying a new coat of finish, and make sure both you and the room don't put fresh dust onto the finish after a new coat is applied. I usually vacuum after sanding, then wipe with a micro fiber cloth, then blow off with compressed air before applying a new coat of finish. I also run the HEPA filter in my shop for an hour or two and change my shirt before applying a new coat of finish if I'm applying a slow setting varnish. After I apply a fresh coat I sneak out of the shop and don't go back until the finish has set. It's a pain for slow setting varnishes - but there's no alternative.

Bubbles? I'm not sure. I've never had bubbles when wiping on varnish. Are you using a brush? If so, trying wiping it on and see if that gets rid of them.

John

[Vivek Deshmukh]

Thanks John. I unfortunately have no option but to finish in my garage, so all I can do is to minimize stirring up dust, which I did. As you rightly asked, I did brush on. What is my recourse now? Do I wait for the finish to cure to sand out the bubbles, or are there any other options?

[Yonak Hawkins]

Wow ! That finish really jumps.

Is there a special purpose for the design ? I mean, does a floor lamp go in the concave areas between the tables, or something ?

Good job on the tables.

[Mike Wilkins]

Really nice tables. I would not stress too much about the finish. We and I can sometimes be our own worst critics.
By the way; is that a Monster on the right in the first photo. I am waiting for a new battery so I can get mine out of the storage building soon and take advantage of some nice weather.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Thanks John. I unfortunately have no option but to finish in my garage, so all I can do is to minimize stirring up dust, which I did. As you rightly asked, I did brush on. What is my recourse now? Do I wait for the finish to cure to sand out the bubbles, or are there any other options?

Yes - wait at least 4 weeks before going after the dust nibs. THat is how long it takes to reach full cure.

Then - you have many options on how to proceed.


Easiest to try, at least is rubbing with brown paper bag. Really, No foolin'. Apparently there is enough clay in the paper to provide the teensiest bit of abrasion. I have heard people say "dry bag" and others say "use a little MS for a lubricant". I haven't tried this yet, but hear it a lot from the "talent", and I will be trying it next month.

Next option is to rub it out. see this thread for an overview: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?161652-Will-rubbing-out-with-rottenstone-give-a-GLOSS-finish

Basically, you use an abrasive to smooth it out, then work through successively finer abrasives to return to the gloss. One advantage of this is that you can stop at whatever gloss level you want - you don't have to go all the way back to the look of the original varnish if you don't want to.

EDIT: Vivek - back again - had to rush off earlier.

On the dust - J-10 is right - I vacuum the shop, wait for the airborne dust to settle, put on a clean shirt, put down the varnish and sneak out. THe basement is closed to other traffic - I give advance notice to others to keep the heck away. That does not stop the dust nibs. but it minimizes it

ON the application: Are you brushing on? If you really are getting bubbles, then you need to thin it down. I thin it to 85% +/-. I never measure the MS going in, I just stir it up and check how it flows off the loaded brush - at some point I lay down a couple brush loads, and if I need to thin it a bit more, I will.

On the sanding - not normal to sand between coats with 400g and still be able to see the sanding scratches AFTER then next coat. Not sure what is going on, but - you want to just scuff sand it - you are putting almost zero pressure on the sandpaper - you just want to evenly scuff up the surface. I suggest you try 3M 216U or Norton 3X 400g - those papers work very well for me in this application. You could also go to 600g, but the most important thing is a very light touch.

Last - wipe-on. Do you do any wipe-on coats? If not, I recommend you consider it - at least for the last 1-2 coats. It is thinned 50/50, so it flashes off very quickly, limiting the time for dust to settle in, and it is so thin that I have never seen any bubbles. Wipe it on using Scott Blue Paper Towels. Let it sit an hour, and you can apply another coat without sanding.

[John TenEyck]

What Kent said, except you don't need to wait 4 weeks before attacking the bubbles or dust nibs. You should be able to sand w/o it loading up your sand paper in 7 days or less. Get it back to flat, finishing with 400 or 600 grit, and then wipe on a couple of thin coats. It would be very helpful to bring it inside where it's warm so that it sets up and cures more quickly. Just put up with the smell for a day or two - it stinks but so do sauerkraut and fish. Once you've got those final coats on and the bubbles are gone, then wait as long as possible before rubbing it with a piece of brown paper bag (or some really fine Abranet, or similar product) to round over any dust nibs.

John

[Kent A Bathurst]

Annnd............ J-10 once again adds to my knowledge base. I am confident that he knows his stuff, from a pragmatic, real-life experience, viewpoint.

Except dissing sauerkraut and fish - that simply ain't right. Beets stink. Tofu is odorless, but just the sight of it makes me want to gag. The smell of sauerkraut only makes me think we are missing the smells of onions, mustard, and kielbasa. I have hauled 25 lb bluefish and striped bass out of the surf in the Atlantic, and nothing smells sweeter than that.

[Joseph Valsi]

Very nice !! I like the style

[Jim Matthews]

If you intend to use these, the finish is fine as it is.

Do try to resist criticism of your own work.
Let your friends and family admire it.

You've earned that much.

Now, about your motorcycle in the same space.
It clearly cramps your style.

Let me know where to send the trailer, so I may
remove it at your convenience.

Real Neanderthals reject the Infernal combustion machine.

[Prashun Patel]

These are nice (no 'for a first project' qualifier needed). The finish looks great to me. Keep practicing on the varnish. You'll get your own method by practice. Try not to overcomplicate the finishing regimen. BLO was not needed here because Waterlox is dark enough to impart the same color, and 4 coats is enough to fill the pores.

You might try applying Waterlox (is the Original Sealer Finish?) as a wipe-on varnish for your first few projects. I only wipe on because I don't like brushing, and I like the look of thin finishes.

Unlike many 'first' projects, this design seems well developed to me. I like your eye. Can you snap a pic of the joinery on the bottom? I'm working on some stools right now, and splayed legs are top of mind. Did you turn those legs? The curves on the top also appeal to me. I'm no student or teacher of design; i only know what appeals to me. I like designs that appear elegant and simple, but have sophisticated or involved or tricky elements that reveal themselves when you start to think about how you'd do it yourself.

[Vivek Deshmukh]

Thanks all for the encouraging words and suggestions.

@Yonak: I wanted organic looking end tables to flank the sofa in the living room and thought that this concept - 2 straight edges (one parallel to the sofa hand and the other to the wall) and 2 curved (on the open sides in the room) might be an interesting visual.

@Kent: I'll follow your regimen - sand 400 to 600 grit and then wipe on in the basement (and bear the smell:-)). I have abralon pads and also the Mirka gold sandpapers. I assume that I should dry-sand.

@John: Will try on a test board in 2 weeks, if not will wait longer to sand and then wipe-on.

@Mike & Jim: Yes, that's a Monster 796 in the background. Waiting for the thaw in NJ to bring it out. The wife will be most happy if I ditch the IC engine, but she hasn't been able to make any argument stick in my pea sized brain yet :-)

@Prashun: I will try the wipe-on way going forward. Thought that I would save some time and elbow grease by doing a brush-on coat :-(. I also took the easy way out for the joinery of the legs - used the angled leg plates from Lee Valley. Am not confident about joinery yet (the butt joints on these tables are the farthest I've gone with joinery), but hopefully will get there as I do more. For the legs: I don't have a lathe nor do I know how to use one but wanted to make them look a little 'mid-century modern'. Made them on the tools I had - table saw and router table - they're tapered 1&1/4" stock with with a 5/8" roundover on all edges. So they're round at the bottom and oval at the top.