Finishing after applying poly
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Doug Shepard
Old T-shirts or the bags of cotton rags they sell at the home centers work best.
1: After the first few passes you'll have a pretty evenly loaded rag even if you're not trying. Just try to keep a wet edge. Any streaks caused by your rag drying and you can re-wet and go over the same area again.
2: What works well for me is the small I-Cant-Believe-It's-Not-Butter tubs. Pour about 1-1.5" in the tub. They're a good size for being able to dip a balled up section of the rag into and seal up good for storage for later coats. Plus if you try to apply it straight from the can you'll get the lid so sticky and gummed up that you wont get a good seal when you close it, and the poly will skin over and possibly even completely harden in the can. You dont want the rag dripping with poly. You can squeeze out any excess by just pressing the rag against the side of the tub for a second or two.
3: One direction works best and one long continous stroke if the area isn't too big. Lift up slightly as you reach edges. The stuff is thin and will run over the edge if dont watch it.
4: I've used it on quite a few things and like it. But be prepared to put a lot of coats on. This stuff needs to be put on in multiple thin coats rather than trying to get a finish done in 2-3 coats. The good news is that it dries in around 3-4 hrs, so you can do multiple coats in a day if you're lucky. You don't need to sand between every coat, but if you feel grit/nibs/gunk in the finish give it more time to dry then use a very fine paper or abrasive pad and wipe down before putting on any more coats. I usually average around 6-7 coats of MW poly on a project and generally end up sanding between every 2nd coat (more if I wasn't lucky). I generally wait about a week after the last coat then rub it out with auto rubbing compound or the Behlen equivalent. They do a good job of evening out the sheen and leaving the surface VERY smooth.
Hello:
I am new and this is my first time. Please excuse me if I make mistake in posting. I am requesting help for my following project:
I made a small 10 x 8 unfinished wooden box. This box is called "pochade box" for artists who use it outdoors to paint on canvas with oil paints. I put 3 coats of "clear gloss" spray poly (I believe water based verathane) for out doors. I also used 320 sand paper to sand in between coats. My goal was to get a smooth and shiny surface so that i could wipe out any oil paint smudges easily.
After the 3 coats the surface has the shine but not the smoothness. I wonder If i could use some kind of polish or varnish to get the smooth shiny finish? I am reading here about the auto rubbing compound or Behlan's polish etc. but i am not quite familiar. I have asked people at Home Depot and Lowes but that did not help so I am coming to the experts hers. Appreciate any help.