Michael Dresdner

straight talk about wood finishing

Archive for the 'clear coat' Category

You make me blush

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Q: My painter sprayed lacquer recently on a hot and humid day and trapped moisture under the finish. Having had experience with this I told him to re-spray with lacquer retarder added to the lacquer and to remove the humidity from the room before re-spraying. This worked to a certain extent but still did not [...]

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Just a shmear

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Q: If I brush on a final finish, will it cause water based dye stain to bleed into the finish on the brush and smear?
A: Water soluble dye can bleed onto a brush loaded with waterbased finish. Whether that will be enough to smear the stain also depends on your brushing technique and how aggressively [...]

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To seal or not to seal

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Q: Should I apply a sanding sealer after staining maple? I read that you cannot use sanding sealer under a sprayed precatalyzed spray lacquer which is what I was thinking of finishing with.
A: That’s half true; stearated sealers, which are one type of sealer, are not compatible under most catalyzed finishes. You must have a [...]

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Cleanup in aisle two

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Q: I’m using a water based urethane acrylic lacquer. Can I leave the stuff it in the spray gun (HVLP) in between coats, or do I have to clean the gun every time?
A: Most waterbased finish clog gun tips sooner than you would expect, and cleaning the gun can be very troublesome if the finish [...]

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Misguided advice?

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Q: I am finishing some beech and used Zinsser SealCoat in a 50-50 mix with denatured alcohol. After light sanding I applied tung oil but the result was some serious blotching. I’m planning on using shellac as a finish.
A: Zinsser SealCoat is pure, dewaxed shellac, already reduced to exactly the right consistency. That implies two [...]

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Color me opaque

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Q: I want to tint clear nitrocellulose lacquer to produce a solid, opaque color. What types of colorants can I use?
A: The ideal choice is called lacquer paste; essentially lacquer with a dense amount of pigment cut into it. You can find it in a wide range of colors at the same industrial supplier outlets [...]

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Gel varnish, still hiding

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Q: I have used the gel varnish that was sold at Rockler for a number of years with outstanding results. Since Rockler no longer carries it and there appears to be a company change taking place I am wondering if there is another brand of gel varnish you recommend.
A: That particular gel polyurethane was made [...]

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Hungry rocker

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Q: I just finished my fifth Maloof style rocker and have not been happy with finishing results yet. On the latest I just applied my second coat of Danish finish. I followed the instructions and wiped both coats dry. I want more shine; what can I put on top of the oil?
A: You have several [...]

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No fade, no shade

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Q: We are in the process of making a dining room table out of solid padauk and purpleheart, and wanted to know the best way to finish it. We would love to be able to keep the colors of the natural wood, without ambering over time. A clear, durable finish would be great as well.
A: [...]

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The evils of over sanding

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Q: I’m getting some shiny areas in the finish after four coats of satin lacquer, scuffing with 180 in between. The sealer over the pore filler is two coats of tinted garnet shellac. Over that is one coat of sanding sealer. I fear I’ve sanded through the lacquer and gotten down to either the tinted [...]

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