Q: I am finishing alder with Daly’s Benite and CrystalFin, spraying with a Fuji gun and #55 needle. I have been using water damp cloths as tack rags. I am getting white spots in the dried finish. Most areas are fine, but some of the areas look like white overspray. The spots are down in [...]
Archive for the 'waterbased' Category
Just a shmear
Friday, August 6th, 2010Q: 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 [...]
Cleanup in aisle two
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Q: 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 [...]
India ink for ebony
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010Q: I’m planning to ebonize a project using India ink. Is there anything I should know before I tackle this, such as warnings about curing times or lap marks? A: Use waterbased India ink as opposed to oil based, and treat it as you would any stain; flood it on liberally, then wipe it all [...]
No fade, no shade
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010Q: 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. [...]
Gel dye
Monday, June 14th, 2010Q: I am trying to find the gel base for water based dyes. Do you have formula or resource to this gel base, and does anyone make water base dye gels? A: I used to. Back in the late 80’s to 1995, my wife ran a company called Clearwater Color Company, making waterbased gel dye [...]
Be still my (purple) heart
Monday, May 17th, 2010Q: Is there a wiping finish I can use that will retain the color after staining purpleheart purple? A: The problem with wiping finishes in general is that they are almost all oil based. Even some waterbased ones are actually oil and water emulsions. Thus, they tend to dry with a slight amber cast, and [...]
Wax on, wax off
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010Q: My oak floor has a factory wax finish from 1982. Can it be refinished using a polyurethane? How do you know the wax is completely removed? A: Scrubbing the floor thoroughly with mineral spirits on a nylon abrasive pad and wiping the residue with paper shop towels will remove any surface wax. After that, [...]
Topping off the floor
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010Q: It been about six years since I’ve had my hardwood floors installed. I want to apply a couple of coats waterbased polyurethane sealer to the floor but I’m not sure whether the installer used oil or water. A: Several companies offer special waterbased floor finishing kits designed to go over any type of floor [...]
In the buff
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010Q: Can I buff waterbased acrylic and be able to get a fair shine? A: Certainly, assuming you started with gloss acrylic. However, it will be much easier, and you’ll get a much better shine, if you wait until the finish is not just dry, but cured. Waterbased finishes generally take about a month to [...]