Problem with walnut

[Mark Gibney]

I had two coats of 3-part finish (BLO, poly and min. spirits) on this walnut table top when I noticed some lines of depressions in one area.

I got a damp cloth and a hot iron and I steamed the lines out. The next day I applied finish on this area, another coat the day after that. Now, a couple of days on, the area where I pressed with the iron is clearly visible.

What do I need to do to get the surface consistent? Do I need to sand the finish off the whole top and start again?

Thanks for any insights you can give me!

Mark322488

[John TenEyck]

I would strip it, sand it, and start again - after you are sure the surface is satisfactory. Steaming it after you had some finish on probably changed the finish in that area. If so, nothing short of removing it completely is going to make it blend with the rest.

John

[David Pascoe]

Agree with John. From the looks of photos you didn't get flat to begin with. Don't feel bad, happens to all of us. In a more perfect world we'd get it right each time, every time. However . . . .

[glenn bradley]

3rd agree. Correcting finish errors is one thing but, correcting surface errors after finish application is a reach.

[Mark Gibney]

Thanks guys. It's great to have the advice of experience on this so I know I'm not wasting my time.

I had it flattened on a wide belt sander but one side is a slab (the top is two live edge slabs sistered) that was sawn right at the pith and is unstable. I just tell them - if you want dead flat go to IKEA.

[David Pascoe]

That depression running dead straight down the top looked a little odd to me, not the sort of working fault I usually see. Wood that expanded or contracted at a different rate than the rest seems probable.

[Mark Gibney]

That's something of an optical confusion from my poor photography. If I lay a straight edge across the slabs, the one with the problem patch is crowned slightly, though it may have a depression of a few thousands right at the pith. Then the question for myself is do I take half a day to take it to the wide belt sander, or give it my best shot with a ROS......

[Cody Colston]

Then the question for myself is do I take half a day to take it to the wide belt sander, or give it my best shot with a ROS......

If you have access to a wide belt sander then that is the way to go. A ROS is good for sanding but not for flattening, especially on something as large as that table top.

[glenn bradley]

If you have access to a wide belt sander then that is the way to go. A ROS is good for sanding but not for flattening, especially on something as large as that table top.

+1 . . . Unless your going to lay on a thick "plasti-coat" of poly, a ROS is not a finishing tool . Of course, neither is a wide belt but, you know what I mean, surface prep on large flat panels has to be decently flat so the ROS is out. Once flat the final prep of the surface is up to you.

I tend to go with a smoother surface than I read about others using (sanding to 150 or 220 an the like) and don't use a heavy film finish. This doesn't work well if you color your material as a rule since the finer finish will effect the coloration/absorption or pigment particles. I lean toward oils and this method works for me.

P.s. I feel your pain on having to battle a piece to get what you want. Keep at it; in the long run you will be much happier.

[Tom McMahon]

It's hard to tell from your picture but I think what I see is a difference in the sheen where you used the iron, the heat from your iron may have caused the finish to cure faster in that area. If it is only a difference in the sheen I would steel wool the whole surface and put on another coat and see if it starts to go away, it may just be an uneven finish build do to the heat. If there is actually a color difference you may have to start over. If it's only a difference in sheen or finish build it should even out or rub out,

[Brian Holcombe]

I just tell them - if you want dead flat go to IKEA.

Is IKEA that capable? :D

[Mark Gibney]

Yeah, I know. Just trying to wriggle out of having to take a half a day to drive to the facility with the wide belt sander, and pay another $100 or whatever to have them run the top thru their sander. I guess there's no way around it this time!