Waterlox Finishing Schedule

[Brian Kent]

That is good news.

[Brian Kent]

I wet sanded this morning with 600, laid down another coat with the mineral-spirits cleaned brush and the result was about 1/20 the number of nibs. That tells me the problem is found and I'll get a new brush for the last 1 or 2 coats.

[Prashun Patel]

I wet sanded this morning with 600, laid down another coat with the mineral-spirits cleaned brush and the result was about 1/20 the number of nibs. That tells me the problem is found and I'll get a new brush for the last 1 or 2 coats.

You can also get yourself a good brush comb and some 'real' paint thinner - which will contain stronger items to clean deeper, cured residue.

[Brian Kent]

Sounds like fun.

I'll check at a local paint store because I don't know what a 'real' paint thinner is, if not mineral spirits, and today is the first time I have heard of a brush comb (even though I was looking for something like that yesterday).

Brian

[Prashun Patel]

Commercial paint thinner can be spirit-based, but usually has some more aggressive stuff in it.

Mineral spirits is good for dissolving oil-based products that haven't begun to dry.

A brush comb is a like a wire brush, but with fewer, rigid wire tines. You can see them hanging next to the paintbrushes in any BORG.

[Brian Kent]

Got the wire brush.
Filtered the remaining cup of varnish.
Last coat flattened well.
I do not yet have another thinner.
Final coat may go on tomorrow (unless I need more, and get some satin Waterlox). If this coat goes on well and settle well, I'll set it aside for a month and then start the rubbing process.

[Brian Kent]

Thank you all, not only for advising me on so many processes that I am only trying for the first time, but for not making me feel like an idiot along the way.

I love the level of knowledge and helpfulness of the Creek. I don't take you for granted, for sure.

Brian

[Brian Kent]

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.p...=1#post1180254

[Neal Clayton]

lol

i'm a coke drinker. so i guess i don't ever have to worry about that. the bubbles would give it away .

[Brian Kent]

It has been 5 weeks since the last coat of Waterlox.

I have wet-sanded the top with 600 sandpaper on a cork block and used 0000 steel wool for the curves. It is hot outside so I'm doing this in steps.

So far so good. I like the look already. I can see the grain much better than I could under the gloss. The outdoor light is helping me to level the finish and find the shiny dips.

Today I'll probably go to 800 and 1000 and bring it inside overnight to see how we like the sheen.

I started with a mineral oil / mineral spirits lubrication and switched to plain water when It was cutting too slowiy. On the higher grits I'll switch back to oil and spirits.

Thanks everyone.

Brian

[Scott Holmes]

I would suggest you use mineral oil or mineral spirits, not both. Mineral oil will cut slower than MS

I know many use water as a lube, (some even add a bit of liquid soap0; I don't like it on wood finishes. On cars it's the way to go!

[Brian Kent]

OK. Thank you.

[Brian Kent]

As with every stage of this project, I see that I need to back up and correct my past stages. I am making as many mistakes as possible so that I can learn more on each project.

I see that my time spent leveling was inadequate. Though the surface is nice and smooth, I can see the low brush waves. So I will go back to a coarser grit and flatten. The waves were not in the wood (I think) so I probably will only sand and level the finish. (If not, I'll back up even further.)

I have used up the coarser grits so I'll get more. Should I go back to 320? 400? A lot of sanding with 600 smoothed the nibs and peaks but not the valleys.

The other possibility is to switch to rubbing compounds, but I think I want to stay the course with sanding blocks.

[Howard Acheson]

Here is how to minimize getting dust on your newly finished surface.

Sand the surface with 320 paper. Sand by hand with the grain. Vacuum off the dust. Now get your finishing materials ready keeping your brush under cover. Now vacuum the area, turn on you air cleaner if you have one and get out of the room for a couple of hours. Change your clothes and be careful not to stir up the dust when you go back into the finishing room. Wipe the surface with clean rag lightly dampened with mineral spirits. Let it dry. Open the can of finish, pour out what you need and close the can. Now begin your finishing and once you take your last stroke, again get out of the room. Give it 4-6 hour--or overnight--to dry if you are using an oil based finish.

Many finishers tend to want to apply their finish after stirring up the dust in the shop for hours. The ambient dust and the dust that then falls off the finisher's clothing are a big contributor to dust nibs in the finish.

[Brian Kent]

Good stuff, Howard. Thank you.

I now have some brush waves that are showing up in the sanding process after 5 weeks of curing.

The post with pictures is way at the end of this thread. I need to either switch with polishing products that will conform to the waves or I need to spend a lot of time taking down these brush patterns. Each wave is about half the width of a brush, so it is nice and smooth but not level.

If I keep on sanding, will I mess things up to go back to 400 grit and then work up, or do I just spend a couple of hours with 600?