What are you using for tack cloths?

[mark mcfarlane]

There are potentially problems with traditional tack cloths and water based finishes.

So what are you all using? Woodcraft and Rockler sell 'microfiber tack cloths' that apparently have no tackiness, they are just microfiber cloths. Homestead sells tack cloths with a synthetic resin that is supposedly safe for water finishes.

What are you using?

[David Kreuzberg]

Compressed air.

[Wayne Lomman]

Mark, I only ever use natural fibre cloth, my hand and compressed air. Worn bed sheets are the best if you can get hold of them which can be difficult... Cheers

[Jim Becker]

Compressed air and a lint-free paper towel if I need to wipe. I would consider the microfiber towels, but then again, they would require frequent cleaning...the paper product can just go in the trash or be "recycled" for other cleanup duties before it's trashed.

[Curt Harms]

Blue shop towels moistened with alcohol or mineral spirits. Brushing first with a soft bench brush helps if there's quite a bit of dust. Compressed air works if open air but may not be too popular with SWMBO in a basement shop;)

[Jim Finn]

I also use mineral spirits on a cloth, but I am not using water based finish.

[mark mcfarlane]

Thanks everyone for the alternatives to tack cloths.

[Marc Jeske]

I keep a horse hair bench brush strictly dedicated to dusting after final sandings, and dusting scuff coats of Laquer.

It NEVER is used on anything else.

It is only used by me under penalty of death.

Only touches workpieces, not ever even used for benchtop dusting.

There's a second brush for anything but the workpieces.

And yet a third one for metal chips and anything messy.

Then, prior to spraying, use full psi air that has gone through a Motor Guard "toilet paper roll" filter and blow off project.

Have not used a purchased tack cloth for years, and seldom any solvent wetted cloth.


So, just dislodge dust w brush specially in crevices and open grain, blow off a few times... and ready to spray.

I work just basic Pines and Oak, some exotic oily woods may need different treatment.

I think Tack cloths had their use before Grandpa varnished, as he had no compressed air or shop vac available.

Also, I live in a pretty humid yearround area, those in AZ may have some static dust attraction issues that may benefit from tack rag or solvent cloth.

Marc

[George Bokros]

I first wipe with a micro fiber towel then with a cotton cloth dampened with alcohol, gets off the remaining dust and any oils from handling. I do this regardless of the finish. I also use the micro fiber towel, a clean one, to wipe down after light sanding between coats.

[Dan Hulbert]

Clean cloth rag and either alcohol or mineral spirits. If really heavy, shop vac with a brush attachment first. Hate blowing dust around with compressed air, seems to settle back on the finish at the worst possible time.

[Prashun Patel]

Vaccuum and blue shop towels.

[Rob Young]

Watch for the free microfiber towels 3-pack coupon from H.F. OK towels and work great as tack rags if you damp them with mineral spirits or DNA or even water. Free (well, you have to make some other purchase, usually a box of the nitrite gloves) and can be washed and reused a bunch of times.

[Dave McKeithan]

First I blow down with compressed air and then wipe down with blue shop towels. You wouldn't believe how much dust is left after blowing down with air. I make several passes with the shop towels until little or no dust shows on the towels. This is probably good enough, but I have some tack cloths I bought from HF years ago. If you put them in a zip lock bag after use, they last forever. Just before spraying the finish I do a quick wipe down with the tack cloth. It will pick up little bits of grit and dust that you can't get off with the towels.

[Ralph Okonieski]

After using a microfiber cloth, i wipe with a cloth dampened with naptha. It seems to dries faster than mineral spirits.