Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: How to avoid glitter finish

  1. #1

    How to avoid glitter finish

    Hi all,

    I am making a jewellery box out of red cedar veneer and silky oak, both of which are relatively soft and with open porous grain. I have originally sanded them through the grits to 320 grit, then thoroughly washed them down with White Spirits, let it dry and them applied 2 coats of Livos Kunos #244 oil sealer three days apart. The end result is the freckled glitter finish that you have experienced with shellac. This oil finish is very popular with the fine finishers and galleries here in Australia, as seen here

    I have attached photos of my results, but it is hard to capture with a camera, it all depends on the angle of the light, but believe me, the entire surfaces of both timbers are totally covered with this glitter effect if you are looking along the surface into the light. I do have the original 4MB pics of these photos if you want them.

    I am hoping you can suggest the cause of this, and what should be my next step to get a nice even finish with no glitter.

    Also, what should I do in future to avoid this problem?

    P2_3.jpg P2_4.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Orange Park, FL
    Posts
    1,110
    I am not familiar with the finish you have used. Did you rub it down or sand it after it dried? If so then the finish that did not get sanded would be glitter. The finish is down in the grain where it will not be affected by sanding, hence glitter.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    E. Hanover, NJ
    Posts
    443
    Looks like pinholing to me from the pores in the wood. The only way is to fill the holes and sand level so the light reflects evenly. You can use a filler or continue to add more coats and sand back until the surface is completely level. Then you can put a final finish coat or two to bring the surface to the gloss that you like.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,593
    Blog Entries
    1
    I agree. Use a grain filler before finish is applied or build a thicker finish that will fill in the pores of the wood.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  5. #5
    I'd have to vote for some type of contamination in the finish or on the wood.

    Do you have some spare material on which you can experiment?

    I'd apply the same finish schedule on some identical wood, and also some other material which you've successfully finished in the past, and see what happens.

    Also, you can try wiping-down your test pieces with mineral spirits a bit after finishing to see if it reduces/eliminates the speckling.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •