Trouble With Inside Corners and Tiny Spaces

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I've been working on putting the finish on this candle centerpiece from a recent Woodsmith Magazine and I'm having a bit of trouble. Keep in mind that this is my first attempt at finishing with these products.

86335

86336

After final sanding I applied a coat of Clear Seal-A-Cell with a brush, let it soak in, wiped off the excess and let it dry. Once dry I buffed everything with 0000 steel wool. That seemed to go very well and without issues.

The first coat of Gloss Arm-R-Seal was a disaster. I tried to put it on thin, but the inside corners and the 1/8" gap down the middle gave me fits and resulted in runs and drips on the underside that I couldn't see or do anything about until after it dried. I also had trouble getting a smooth coat because it became tacky so quickly and it was difficult to navigate around all the corners and the holes.

So after it dried I went over the whole thing again with 0000 steel wool and tried to get rid of the imperfections. It's okay at the moment... I suppose.

I can only assume that I'm doing something (or many things) wrong since I don't really know what I'm doing. :D Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

Paul

[Joe Chritz]

You picked a good one for a first time try. The little spaces make things much more difficult, like I needed to tell you that.

Arm R Seal is a wipe on varnish and if you are getting runs you are putting it on to heavy. It should go on "like a busboy at Denny's" to quote someone who I forgot. It is still be best analogy for wiping on a finish I have heard.

You just have to get all the spots and give it a final quick wipe and leave it. Knock off the nibs, wash, rinse, repeat until you get what you are after for a finish.

The good news is that the little spots inside probably don't need much protection so any light coat will be fine.

Nice looking piece by the way.

Joe

[Mike Berndt]

Paul,
What about a spray finish??

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Arm R Seal is a wipe on varnish and if you are getting runs you are putting it on to heavy.

That's what I figured.


You just have to get all the spots and give it a final quick wipe and leave it. Knock off the nibs, wash, rinse, repeat until you get what you are after for a finish.

Maybe I folded over the rag too many times, making it far more difficult to get into the corners.

How would you handle the need to finish all the surfaces on something like this? I can't really turn it over without putting fingerprints on the already wiped part.


Nice looking piece by the way.

Joe

Thanks!

...

One more thing. When buffing with steel wool between coats, I noticed it knocks the sheen off. I suppose I need to make that even over the entire piece. Or does it matter since I'm going to be additional coats on?


Paul,
What about a spray finish??

:D I was really thinking about getting a couple cans of clear lacquer. Is there a problem putting lacquer on top of Arm-R-Seal?

Thanks,

Paul

[Jim Becker]

I was really thinking about getting a couple cans of clear lacquer. Is there a problem putting lacquer on top of Arm-R-Seal?l

Yes, it will probably damage the varnish. Lacquer thinner is not compatible with many other types of finishes. Instead, use the Zinsser shellac in the spray cans. Easy to use, dries fast and will not hurt your existing finish.

[Joe Chritz]

You could try a detail brush in the small areas then use a rag to wipe it down however it will fit. I can't tell if the slot in the middle runs all the way through or what but usually some creativeness is required to get into some areas.

You can always finsih it as it is sitting, end at the bottom edge then let it dry and finish the remaining areas. You can't always do the entire project at once.

Spray bomb shellac is dewaxed and will go over or under any finish. I would expect shellac to be plenty durable for this project, but if you want lacquer then use the shellac as a barrier coat first.

Spraying has its own pitfalls, especially in narrow areas.

Joe

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Thanks for the tips. I think they'll help me with my next coat of Arm-R-Seal. :)

Paul

[glenn bradley]

Nice job on the piece. On larger pieces I finish mostly after assembly. On smaller or more detailed pieces or detailed parts of larger pieces, I finish mostly before assembly. By doing partial finishing you only have to do the final parts or do a blending effort without having to reach or flood finish into the tight spots. Sanding works well this way too. Fortunately some fine folks here gave you some tips on dealing with this as assembled. Please post your completed finish. The piece looks great.