I have a new tabletop that I’m in the process of finishing. It’s edge-glued solid 8/4 white ash, approx. 44 x 105, and was sanded in a widebelt sander so it is very flat. I have put 5 coats of slightly thinned (10%) Varathane interior satin oil varnish on it using foam brushes, and sanded with 220 between coats. It’s probably passable, but IMO it has been very, very hard to lay on a perfect coat of varnish and I want to rub it out now (for many years I had a spray booth service do all of my finishing with converson varnish, and they did an immaculate job, so that’s what I am used to). I have paper up to 1200 grit that I use for sharpening, and in a moment I’m going to head to town to see what else I can get. I’d appreciate any tips on how to proceed from here.
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Replies
Whatever you do, block sand everything.. your palm isn't flat enough to get the finish you desire..
Wet sand it with 1200 or 1500 ontil the finish is dead flat and then rub it out with 0000 steel wool and wax for a satin sheen, If you want gloss, get Meguiars #1 and#3 and swirl rempver from the automotive store and buff it out. It'll gook like glass!
Dick
Edited 7/5/2009 1:20 pm ET by rwdare
What type of wax are you using?
Dave,
If you want a high gloss finish, you're going to have to wait a few weeks for the varnish to cure enough. If you just want a satin finish, waiting a few days is usually enough. For a high gloss finish, wet sand it with 600 paper and then move to increasingly fine grades until you get to 1500 and then use automotive finishes to eliminate the small scratches the 1500 leaves. You can use rottenstone instead, but the automotive stuff works quite well. Unlike lacquer or shellac, varnish does not dissolve into the previous layer and you can see witness marks if you sand through the top layer of finish, so be careful in your sanding.
Jim
Dave,
I used pumice & rottenstone, oil and a felt block
on a project made of curly maple. The end result was
beautiful. It has a glossy finish but not exactly what
most would consider as "high-gloss".
Whatever you try - try the method on a scrap piece
of wood first.
Bill-
Edited 7/7/2009 8:06 am ET by Woodrat1
I tried to rub out a satin varnish once and it became too cloudy. I sort of fixed it by putting a couple of coats of a gloss varnish on top and then rubbed it out; the results were not like a finish where gloss was used for all the coats, but it was okay.
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
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