Which shop towel for a variety of finishes?

[Brian Kent]

I am about half way through an order for 180 communion sets. I have used up all of my old t-shirts and a bag of Home Depot towels. Half were lint-free. Half were fuzzy. What do you use for applying wipe-on finishes: WTF, Shellac, WOP, Water-based poly, and waxes?

I just don't want to buy another container of fuzzy towels.

Blue shop towels? Lint free rag source? (Tried Goodwill and Salvation Army, and they don't sell their t-shirts cheap).

Thanks. Small question but it will save me a lot of fuzz hassles.

[Scott DelPorte]

I have used the blue scott "shop" paper towels with poly and waterlox and had good results

[David Walser]

I use whichever paper towels we have stocked for use in the kitchen. I've not noticed any difference between brands (from a finish applying perspective). I've grown attached to my fingers, so I don't use cloth rags for applying finish on the lathe.

[Sid Matheny]

The blue shop paper towels work best for me.

[Thomas Canfield]

My shop towels are the white select size Bounty. The towels hold up well applying Danish oil type finishes, friction polishes, and is pretty much lint free. Viva is another standard "paper towel" often suggested, but the Bounty hold up better for me. I have a couple of rolls of blue towels that have been around for about 5 years and have not seen the reason to open other that use them up.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Blue Costco paper shop towels. Use that for everything. I used to use gun cleaning patches, but the blue towels are way cheaper. If you have a lot of gun cleaning patches that works well too. The only trouble with them is they small, excellent for pens, bottle stoppers and small boxes. They polish well too. Not the blue paper towels.

[Len Mullin]

Brian, I use the blue Shop towels also, they seem to do a better job for me. I tried the regular paper towels, and they wear through easier then the blue shop towels do. And as for cloth materials around my lathe, that doesn't happen, it's just to dangerous.
Len

[Jeff Grantham]

I picked up a 'Box of Rags' from the big box awhile ago, and found them so useful I've gone through several more boxes since. They call them disposable rags, but they're really just heavy-duty paper towels. They're what I use for applying most finishes on the lathe, and I've been happy with them.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Scott-200-ct-Rags-in-a-Box-75260/202767257

[Bruce Pratt]

Tear up an old cotton bed sheet. It should have been washed enough times to be completely delinted and will give you a lot of surface area for small applicator rags.

[Barry McFadden]

For WOP I use cheese cloth. I buy it in a big roll at the hardware store and just cut of a strip anytime I need it. No lint or fuzzy things ... works great.

[Matt Krusen]

+1 for Blue Shop Towels. Box of Rags works as well.

[Mark Greenbaum]

I've been warned about using cloth - I have saved old t-shirts and socks. So, now I mainly use the cheapest paper towels on the shelf. Be careful, though, if you use CA glue as a finish: some paper towels will catch fire with CA.

[John Beaver]

Whichever you use it's always a good idea to remember to dispose of the towels properly. Oily rags can spontaneously combust and burn a shop down.

[Brian Kent]

Yes, I am looking for a foot-operated metal can for oily rags and paper towels.

[Thom Sturgill]

Yes, I am looking for a foot-operated metal can for oily rags and paper towels.

If you find one let me know! If you use cloth make sure that you fold into a pad and DO NOT let it wrap around a finger. I asked the same question a couple of years ago and got blank stares at the club meeting and several months ago during a demo the demonstrator made a point of recommending Viva towels. I have had problems with some towels coming apart when applying wipe on finishes which required sanding the finish back to bare wood.

[John Beaver]

Yes, I am looking for a foot-operated metal can for oily rags and paper towels.

Got this one on Amazon for around $50. It's designed for oily rags. Pretty good insurance.

Justrite 9100 Galvanized Steel Oily Waste Safety Can with Foot Lever, 6 Gallons Capacity, Red

[Doug Ladendorf]

Good tip John. I will check it out too.

When I asked this last year I have to admit I was surprised at all the recommendations for blue shop towels. Now that I have been using them a while I'm sold. They do work very well for everything from cleaning grime to applying Danish oil.

[Ricc Havens]

okay - maybe it's a dumb question, but once you put the oily or finish soaked rags in the can for protection against spontaneous combustion, just when is it safe to transfer them to the regular trash so the can doesn't get overloaded and so the wet rags don't cause spontaneous combustion in the trash truck on the way to the landfill? I checked the manufacturer's website and can't find any instruction/owner's manual for this safety can.

Ricc


Got this one on Amazon for around $50. It's designed for oily rags. Pretty good insurance.

Justrite 9100 Galvanized Steel Oily Waste Safety Can with Foot Lever, 6 Gallons Capacity, Red

[Tim Leiter]

I thought I read that one time that Viva paper towels worked best for applying finishes. It seems to be soft and lint free. I know it was popular on some forum just can't remember where or when. Just my 2 cents worth.
Tim.

[Brian Kent]

I bought a couple of rolls of Blue shop towels, and at $2 per roll, it will be simple to try others too.

[David Walser]

I thought I read that one time that Viva paper towels worked best for applying finishes. It seems to be soft and lint free. I know it was popular on some forum just can't remember where or when. Just my 2 cents worth.
Tim.

Many pen turners use Viva paper towels for applying CA glue as a finish to their pens. Others prefer other brands, but I think Viva is the overall favorite.

[David Walser]

When the rags/towels are completely dry, it's safe to put them in the trash. Another way of dealing with this issue is to lay the rags out on a concrete floor until they're dry. Again, once dry, they can be disposed of in the usual manner.

[Joe Herrmann]

I'm partial to the older Viva towels, not the newer type they just came out with.

[carl mesaros]

I'm partial to the older Viva towels, not the newer type they just came out with.

I agree Joe. I always preffered the older Viva towels.
I now use the blue shop towels.

[Brian Kent]

Right now I am turning some white curly maple. The blue shop towels occasionally leave blue remnants on edges. I am using the Viva towels on these without a problem. I assume this is a non-issue for darker wood or smooth grain wood.

[Rick Gibson]

okay - maybe it's a dumb question, but once you put the oily or finish soaked rags in the can for protection against spontaneous combustion, just when is it safe to transfer them to the regular trash so the can doesn't get overloaded and so the wet rags don't cause spontaneous combustion in the trash truck on the way to the landfill? I checked the manufacturer's website and can't find any instruction/owner's manual for this safety can.

Ricc

I just use one of those large metal cookie/candy cans that seem to show up around Christmas every year. I never measured but I'm guessing it holds 3 or 4 gallons. Drop all my oily sandpaper and rags in it, put the lid on and set it outside at the end of the day. When it's full I set an old cake cooler (metal screen with about 1/4" grid) on top and burn it.