Okay, so after endless sanding, two bouts of staining, etc. I've got three coats of brushed-on polyurethane, scuff-sanded with stearated 400 grit (FEPA 600 grit) sandpaper between coats. The third coat turned out so well that I just left it as it was. I was planning on putting on four heavy coats, sanding it down, then putting on wipe-on poly for the final coat. Apparently my brushing skills aren't quite as woeful as I thought, because the third coat turned out great and I decided to go with it. So it's done. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be, but it certainly took a while waiting for the thing to dry or dust to settle before the next coat.
As it sits it still has some sanding-dust in the decorative grooving that I'll have to get out, but it's done.
Some things that I learned on this project:
- a raking light isn't a luxury - it's a necessity!
- the world of wood-finishing solvents is far more complicated than it needs to be.
- having a $40 sanding block doesn't make sanding fun, but it *does* make it more tolerable.
- it can take a long time for wax to settle out of shellac.
- brushing varnish (polyurethane) isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
- some finish fixes are dead easy. Others are a lot of work.
- having a separate finishing room would be really, really nice.
Oh, and if you don't remember how scratched and maimed it was when I started, here it is:
Good luck with your own finishing projects!
9 comments:
Turned out real nice Mike! Finishing isn't one of my strong points so I tend to go with simple finishes like oil, milk paint and shellac. You did a nice job making that poly finish not look like plastic. I always seemed to get that fake plastic look when I used poly so I don't use it anymore. Your finish came out real nice though.
Thanks for the kind comment, Bob. While polyurethane, like virtually every other clear film finish *is* plastic, most people don't like that look so I buff it down to a satin finish after-wards. I use gloss polyurethane because the flatting agents in semi-gloss/satin/flat coatings interfere with the clarity of the finish, so by the time you have four or five coats on there you have some definite cloudiness if you don't use gloss. However, if you buff the final finish (once completely dry) with an extra-fine scotch-brite pad (gray) then that will cut it down to satin. If you want to avoid modern stuff then you could use #000 steel wool. If you're planning on waxing the piece, then just don't bother putting much effort into buffing the wax and that will mellow out the shine, too.
M.Mike
I agree, it looks really nice, and you got the colors to match really well.
One question: where did you find a $40 sanding block? The most I have seen is $7. Oh, wait, it must be from Festool (consider the flames fanned!).
No, it's not from Festool. I don't imagine Festool sells a single tool that doesn't have a power cord. No, this little beauty comes from the boys and girls at Veritas (Lee Valley Tools). This is a really, really nice sanding block.
I suppose $40 was an exaggeration... it would be about $37 with taxes where I live.
Anyway, it's a ferociously good sanding block, but it's obviously up to the individual to decide if it's worth it to them. :)
M.Mike
Actually, Bob, even more old-timey than steel wool would be pumice on a rag. Just use mineral oil (from the pharmacy) to apply it. If you get the finish too dull, then you can use rottenstone (decomposed limestone) the same way to polish it back towards gloss. If you want something really shiny then one old, old trick was to burn wheat straw and use the ashes as a very fine abrasive the same way the pumice and rottenstone were used. I can't remember where I read that. It was years and years ago.
M.Mike
Looks good, for a first timer. 8-)
Also, I have a comment regarding making something from a 2x4 challenge on the CWW forum. You said you wanted to make a small cabinet with a glass door yet Bill disallowed this.
I say make it anyway just to challenge *yourself* and see if you can do it. A small cabinet with a glass door would make a great medicine cabinet for a bathroom.
Good luck. 8-)
Thanks, Anonymous. I've already decided on a different direction for the 2x4 challenge so it's no biggie. I was going to make a mantel clock, but now I've got other plans.
Any hint on what those other plans are? 8-)
Nope. No hints. It's a secret. Actually, I can give one small hint - the only way to make something impressive out of a 2x4 is to do the unexpected. Either make something that looks way too big to be made out of a 2x4, way too complex, or something that just doesn't look like 2x4 material.
M.Mike
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