finishing fix needed

[Ken Miller]

I am finishing walnut with 3 coats of a mixture (1/3 mineral sp, blo and poly). After the third coat it left too much of a poly feel so I wet sanded with 320 and mineral sp. After doing so it left much of the grain with a white cloudy look. Figuring magically this would disappear I put a coat of wax on (minwax) which did cover the white when the wax first went on, however, after buffing it out, sure enough the white returned. I then tried to sand the wax off and reapply a mixture of 1/2 blo and ms but still the white remains. What am I doing wrong? Or more importantly, what should I be doing? Thanks for any help.

[Howard Acheson]

How did you apply your mixture? What you made is an oil/varnish mixture almost identical to Watco, Minwax Tung Oil Finish, Danish Oil, etc. This type of finish is applied, kept wet for 15-30 minutes and then wiped as dry as you can get it. Then let it further dry overnight and do it again the next day. Three applications are all the are normally used. The idean is that this is a penetrating finish leaving the look and feel of the wood when dry. It's a soft glow rather than a gloss.

The only time you would use sandpaper is to wet sand immediately after applying the last coat. Then wipe it dry. Sanding after the finish has dried is not a good idea.

At this point, I would used mineral spirits and 4/0 steel wool to remove the wax. Apply the MS with the steel wool then use lots of paper towels to remove the gunk. Do it twice then let everything dry overnight. Now assess the finish. If it looks OK, declare victory. If you still see the gray, sand lightly with 220 paper and apply a coat of your mixture. Let is set 15 minutes and then wipe it dry. Only do this once. Now let everything dry for 4-5 days and you should have the best finish that that mixture can provide.

[Ken Miller]

Howie, I applied it by wiping it on but unfortunately not wiping it off. Thank you for your advice. I will try the ms and 4/0. A smart ww I am not.