Prashun Patel
05-19-2015, 4:05 PM
I did not make this cherry table. We purchased it in 2003. It was fairly scratched up due to sharp pencils and kids who like to draw. I decided to try my hand at refinishing it.
I used a hot iron and spray bottle over a sheet, and steamed a good portion of the minor dents out. This also softened the finish which I believe was lacquer. It did not however, harm the underlying color; the table was dyed when we got it. I found that repeating the process a couple times had a remarkable effect on popping dents and scratches out.
Next, I sanded the whole thing with 600 grit. This removed more scratches. It turned out to be a nice grit to work with; not too aggressive so as to burn through the color. I had to leave a couple of the deepest scratches.
I then sprayed the top with Enduro Clear Poly. It went on easy, but you can see I got some orange peel. I really like spraying a water-based finish. I was able to do it in my garage with a fan. More importantly for me, the clean up was a snap. Soap and water. I feel like I can really get the gun so much cleaner without damaging parts vis-a-vis solvent spraying. This is my first time using it, so I'm not sure how durable it will be. We'll find out soon... I definitely see a color difference between this and the oil based finishes I normally use. The finish does appear to have less life and depth. However, on this surface, it just doesn't matter that much to me.
I sprayed this with my my Fuji Semi-pro HVLP. I really like many things about it. I'm graduating from the Rockler model, so there's lots of nice bells and whistles on this.
I was counselled by the manual to open up the air valve from the hose to the gun all the way, and then to close the liquid valve completely and slowly open it until I reach the desired coat wetness. I'm reading Charon's Spray Finishing book, and he suggests keeping the air fairly closed, and then opening the air and the fluid together to achieve the right level.
However, I notice when I do that, the visible mist seems to bounce way out of the intended fan area. I'm used to a little bit of this from my previous cheap unit, but I just learned to live with a slightly micro-gritty finish. On this, though, I suspect it's curable. How?
I've never watched anyone spray before, so I don't now how much overspray to 'shoot' for.
I believe my orange peel is because I went over the same surface several times during each session. I just wasn't patient enough. My theory is that since my air was too high, I dialed back the amount of finish being sprayed. Then, because barely any was being deposited, I sprayed and sprayed 2-3-4 times, which deposited too much finish ultimately, and filled the room with overspray. My instinct is that I should be able to put down more finish on a single pass, with less overspray, and then I should stop. Any guidance appreciated
I used a hot iron and spray bottle over a sheet, and steamed a good portion of the minor dents out. This also softened the finish which I believe was lacquer. It did not however, harm the underlying color; the table was dyed when we got it. I found that repeating the process a couple times had a remarkable effect on popping dents and scratches out.
Next, I sanded the whole thing with 600 grit. This removed more scratches. It turned out to be a nice grit to work with; not too aggressive so as to burn through the color. I had to leave a couple of the deepest scratches.
I then sprayed the top with Enduro Clear Poly. It went on easy, but you can see I got some orange peel. I really like spraying a water-based finish. I was able to do it in my garage with a fan. More importantly for me, the clean up was a snap. Soap and water. I feel like I can really get the gun so much cleaner without damaging parts vis-a-vis solvent spraying. This is my first time using it, so I'm not sure how durable it will be. We'll find out soon... I definitely see a color difference between this and the oil based finishes I normally use. The finish does appear to have less life and depth. However, on this surface, it just doesn't matter that much to me.
I sprayed this with my my Fuji Semi-pro HVLP. I really like many things about it. I'm graduating from the Rockler model, so there's lots of nice bells and whistles on this.
I was counselled by the manual to open up the air valve from the hose to the gun all the way, and then to close the liquid valve completely and slowly open it until I reach the desired coat wetness. I'm reading Charon's Spray Finishing book, and he suggests keeping the air fairly closed, and then opening the air and the fluid together to achieve the right level.
However, I notice when I do that, the visible mist seems to bounce way out of the intended fan area. I'm used to a little bit of this from my previous cheap unit, but I just learned to live with a slightly micro-gritty finish. On this, though, I suspect it's curable. How?
I've never watched anyone spray before, so I don't now how much overspray to 'shoot' for.
I believe my orange peel is because I went over the same surface several times during each session. I just wasn't patient enough. My theory is that since my air was too high, I dialed back the amount of finish being sprayed. Then, because barely any was being deposited, I sprayed and sprayed 2-3-4 times, which deposited too much finish ultimately, and filled the room with overspray. My instinct is that I should be able to put down more finish on a single pass, with less overspray, and then I should stop. Any guidance appreciated