Michael Dresdner

Q: I’m trying to finish a secretary project. I’ve done part of it with General Finishing wipe on semi-gloss urethane and I guess I got lucky, because now I can’t get the same results without dust and debris setting in. If you do a semi gloss finish is there a way to erase the nibs and have a smooth clean result?
A: Yes, there is a way to erase dust nibs, and I’ve talked about it quite a bit in these pages, but there is also a way to avoid them. You can search for “rubbing” and get more in depth discussion, but for now, let’s go over both options at least briefly.
Any finish that is sufficiently thick can be rubbed out, and that process removes dust nibs. Start by lightly sanding with 400 grit or finer paper to remove the nibs, then restore the sheen by rubbing. You can rub to satin using 0000 steel wool and paste wax, or rub to semi-gloss by replacing the paste wax with automotive rubbing or polishing compound. The pairing of polishing compound with 0000 steel wool gives you a slightly higher sheen than steel wool lubricated with wax.
You can avoid all this by how you wipe the finish. In truth, wipe on finish should be called wipe off finish. If you put it on too thickly, it can pick up dust, but if you wipe it off completely, it won’t. That means you need many more coats to get the build you want, but since each coat goes on and off so quickly, and it is so easy to regulate it if you simply wipe off all you can, leaving only the thinnest layer of residual oil varnish, it’s really no big deal. It will take more time, but not more work.

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 9:00 am and is filed under clear coat, finishing techniques, polyurethane, rubbing out. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.