10 days to delivery -finish help

[Gail O'Rourke]

HI, I have ten days (thanksgiving) to deliver this trestle table. Here is the table with the stain on it. I have 10 days before it absolutely has to be delivered. My dilemna is what to use as a finish that will be hard and cure by then, while still giving me enough coats.

Options I have considered.

Waterlox - but need 24 hours between each coat -they say to wait 72 hours after stain and then I will need atleast 4-5 coats which leaves no time to cure.

Ceramathane - water born acrylic finish, which I have used and liked very much. A little different "feel" when finished but can do 2 coats a day and start tomorrow.

Oil based poly - could most likely start tomorrow.

What do you think? Anyone used a better product in a hurry?

[Mark Singer]

Bartley's Gel Varnish is fast and builds up quickly...3 or 4 coats acn be done in a couple of days

[Mike Cutler]

Gail.

I have had good luck with the General Finishes Arm-A- Seal product.

It's a wipe om polyurethane varnish. I usually wait 24 hours between coats, but I know that the time element can be compressed to 12 hours for first coat, then apply second coat. It may take 12=24 hours for the subsequent coats.

Unfortunately, you have temperature working against you. Lower the temp, longer the cure.

Today is nice, but the past two days have been cold outside. I was at the Equine Affaire in Springfield, and it could be miserable outside. Watch the weather. If the weather holds, or your space is heated, you would have the finish done in 3-5 days and 5-6 days for final cure. My experience has been that it takes about 5-7 days for full cure depending on temperature.

The finish at the end of the application will be somewhat "soft", meaning it can still be scratched, if you are not careful, but it would almost have to be intentional.

Good luck. I wish I knew of a better/faster product. Unfortunately 'Finish" and "Fast" have never worked in the same sentence for me.

[lou sansone]

what about conversion varnishes - post cat type. got to clean the gun out and all that, but they are pretty bullet proof
lou

[Jim McCarty]

what about conversion varnishes - post cat type. got to clean the gun out and all that, but they are pretty bullet proof
lou Lou beat me to the punch. I've used these for years with great results. Jim

[Jim Becker]

I you have a safe way to spray, than the conversion varnish or is a nice idea. Otherwise, I'd go with the water bourne product sprayed on since you can get it on fast. That said, everything needs some interval of time to cure "hard"...and you'll want to caution your customer about that...nature of the beast and applies to all finishes and all craftspeople making furniture.

[Vaughn McMillan]

No finishing sugestions, Gail, but I gotta say those folding legs really make the table stand out (and up, I guess). Such form! Such function! :p

...ducks and runs...

- Vaughn

[Lee DeRaud]

No finishing sugestions, Gail, but I gotta say those folding legs really make the table stand out (and up, I guess). Such form! Such function! :pThe legs should probably be powder-coated, then pin-striped. Check with one of your local chopper builders to see who does their work...with enough cash under the table (so to speak:p ), they should be able to meet your deadline.:D :cool:

[Andy Hoyt]

Yup, I was gonna say something about Gail's legs, but figured I'd be violating all sorts of TOS stuff.:cool:

[Doug Shepard]

Do all the coats have to be the same thing? You could get quite a few coats of dewaxed shellac on quickly before switching to one of the harder and slower ones on your list. Just a thought.

[Paul Canaris]

If it works into the budget I would use spray cans of Deft acrylic. It will be expensive compared to brushed on finishes, but the wait time between coats is less than one hour and it is quite a durable finish.

[Bob Oehler]

Hey give Gail some slack on the legs.

In all the posts that I have seen here no one else has been able to run metal in thier lathe and steam such tight bens. I just hope that she was running carbide in her power tools.

The question is are the leg uprights morticed, dowled, micro biscut jointed or is it a standard but joints:o

I would go the dewaxed shlack and then some hard top coat.

Take Care
Bob Oehler

[Russ Massery]

My vote would be the conversion varnish, I had a week to finish a kitchen table that was wedding present. I recommend target coatings.

[Lee DeRaud]

Hey give Gail some slack on the legs.

In all the posts that I have seen here no one else has been able to run metal in thier lathe and steam such tight bens. I just hope that she was running carbide in her power tools.

The question is are the leg uprights morticed, dowled, micro biscut jointed or is it a standard but joints:o I just want to know how she TIG-welded the legs to the top without setting it on fire.:eek:

[Steve Schoene]

[QUOTE=Gail O'Rourke]
Waterlox - but need 24 hours between each coat -they say to wait 72 hours after stain and then I will need atleast 4-5 coats which leaves no time to cure.

I may be late, but I don't think you would really need 24 hours between coats of Waterlox. The data sheet on their web site says 8 hours between recoat, with "overnight recommended". If your finishing room can be made reasonably warm, (over 70 for example) and the humidity is reasonable low, then you should have no problem using the 8 hour recoat schedule.

[Howard Acheson]

The problem with both oil based and waterborne varnishes is that they need 3-4 weeks to fully cure to the point where they can take some abuse. They will be dry and partially cured within 4-5 days but the surface must be protected from heat, abrasion or other abuse.

Conversion products cure much faster but they must be sprayed to get a good finish.

Standard lacquers will dry/cure fast but they do not have the durability that you will get with the above. However, most commercial furniture is finished with lacquer and it stands up pretty will. Again, most lacquers are sprayed.

[skip gleichman]

I would ask a couple of questions... What type of wood is it? Cherry, Mahog, Jatoda?? And also, what do you want the finished product to "feel" like? Do you want the natural feel of wood or do you want it "encased" in plastic? You can tell which camp I am in... I would go with the General Finishes... Arm R Seal... easy, durable and fast as anything... also you can touch it up with ease.

[Rob Russell]

Just a thought - if a sprayed conversion varnish is the best finish for the application but you're not setup to spray, is there a larger cabinet shop in the area that you could subcontract the finish spray to?

[Bob Wingard]

I have used Waterlox, thinned 50/50 with VM&P Naptha and have been able to get as many as 4 coats on in a day. Of course, it takes more coats to build when it's this thin, but there is little or no sanding between coats. Thinned like this, the stuff dries to the touch almost instantly. Just wipe it on with an old t-shirt for absolutely no runs or brush marks.

[Gail O'Rourke]

Thanks for the input...I ended up with wipe on Poly, and I think I will get enough coats on by Thursday this week. Delivery is next Tuesday so that should give it enough to dry.

What I did learn is not to try a new product at the last hour...I am going to go out and get some of the products which you all suggested, so next time I will be better prepared.

On a side note, I cleaned my shop today for about 6 hours, it was a mess...but now it looks so nice and orderly.

[Lee DeRaud]

On a side note, I cleaned my shop today for about 6 hours, it was a mess...but now it looks so nice and orderly.There are no pictures, therefore it did not happen.:cool:

(Or so they tell me...maybe you get more slack around here.:p)